Unraveling Selena

Prologue

If someone asked me five years ago what my life would be like, I would have never said it would be like this. A beautiful girlfriend, a group of good friends, a loving family. It's all too easy to lose it all, though. You have to be careful what you do and say. Or you could lose it all.

Chapter One- Call

I was sitting in my bed and reading The Double by Fyodor Dostoyevsky when I got the call.

"Hello?"

"Hello?! Where is he?! WHERE IS HE?!"

"Who is this?"

"This is his father! Where did he go?!" I hung up at that. My father ran in, only wearing a towel around his waist.

"Who was that, Reese?"

"I don't know. He was freaking out, looking for his son."

Father ran his fingers through his long, blond, still wet hair. "Damn. Let me take a look." He grabbed my phone before I could protest and looked. "Odd. I've never seen symbols like that." It was an exclamation point, an upside-down lowercase J, the number two, and then a series of seven numbers, which I assumed to be the main number.

"I haven't, either," I said.

"Hang on. I'll get your grandfather to have a look."

My grandfather, Eilief, also known as king of the vampires, was the best chance to figure out what the symbols meant, unless Father wanted to have a conversation with his archrival and my soulfather, Alexander Nicolai, the first of our kind.

Soon, he would also become my stepfather. My mother had finally agreed to marry him after thirty years. She would soon be known as Marina Nicolai. The only person more excited than her was Alexander himself.

After my father's mistake, which resulted in my mother and Alexander breaking up and then my birth, she and Alexander had spent some time away from each other. My girlfriend, Sarah Cresley, described it as a sad love story. She would know, as she'd been through plenty of tragedy in the past few years.

Her due date was approaching fast. She would have the baby, named Cirino, July seventeenth. She had been scheduled for a C-section, which she was nervous about.

My grandfather had no news on the strange phone call, so my father gave me back my phone and told me to erase it. Then I forgot about the call as I lost myself in nineteenth century Russia.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"THIS IS UNACCEPTABLE!" Alexander barked as the poor florist cowered. She was already close to tears and he'd only been in the store for ten seconds. "DO YOU REALIZE WHAT THESE FLOWERS MEAN?! DEATH!"

He threw the lilies to the ground and stepped on them. "I am paying a lot of money for this wedding, and I expect perfection! Nothing less! Do you understand me?!" The florist nodded and opened her mouth, but Alexander was already halfway out the door.

"Geez, did you have to be so hard on her?" I asked, catching up to him.

"She works with flowers all day! She should know better! I will not have my bride holding anything that means death or impurity! She has dealt with enough death, and she does not need another bad omen."

"Be nice," I told him. He glared at me. I turned my head back. Even though he was inherently evil, he was still my future stepfather, my soulfather, and Grandfather's cousin. I wondered if his half-human son Kieran would be at the wedding. I remembered that Uncle Soren had mentioned that Kieran never shows up to an event if Alexander would be there.

I knew that Alexander missed Kieran, but their relationship was torn. Kieran blamed Alexander for the death of Celine, his mother. All I really knew about Celine was that she was human, a peasant, had blond hair and blue eyes, was a teenager, and had died giving birth to Kieran.

Now Alexander was going to marry my mother, Marina Santorino, during the Winter Solstice. A traditional vampire wedding, married for existence, and the exchange of blood and the consummation.

They'd already chosen the ritual knife for the blood exchange, and Mother was out choosing a bridal gown with my girlfriend, Sarah. Sarah was recovering well after she gave birth to Cirino, the baby that resulted from the seed that Michael Nales forcefully planted in her belly. In fact, everyone loved the baby, especially Mother and Alexander, who had adopted him.

I went from feeling like an older brother to the mother's savior boyfriend constantly. Both of them were important positions, and I felt happy every time I thought about it. Right now, though, the baby was home with the housekeeper, Zie.

I was on an errand with Alexander to talk to the florist, even though was wedding wasn't until December and it was September, and to check on the customized tuxedos. Alexander was in charge, since he was paying an absurd amount for everything. There was not even a limit.

We grabbed a quick snack, two pickpockets, and headed toward the car dealership. Alexander and Mother, as royal vampires, needed to go out with a super expensive car or limo.

Alexander was studying a BMW when a car salesman came up to us.

"First car?" he asked, smiling cheerily at me.

"Actually, it's for me," Alexander growled. "I'm getting married, and my bride deserves the best vehicle to leave in."

"Congratulations! What kind of vehicle are you looking for?"

"Something shady, to protect us from the sun. My bride has...sensitive skin. And something with a back view, to see if I am pulling out correctly."

While they discussed cars, I looked around. My Chevrolet Astro was officially bust, and I didn't want to drive a Toyota until the next car. I thought about it. Sarah drove a Honda, and she raved about it. Usually more expensive upfront, but it will last forever if you take good care of it.

My eyes settled on a black Nissan. It was the newest GT-R, and it was gorgeous. Almost as gorgeous as Sarah.

While Alexander chose a Bugatti Veyron, I asked about the GT-R. I filled out the paperwork, wrote him a check, everything was processed, and the keys were handed over.

I was thrilled. Alexander thought I was being silly, but I told him that I was saving more money than he was. He rolled his eyes and told me to hush.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Grandfather said he couldn't decide who was the bigger idiot, me or Alexander. Alexander, for buying a car he'd only use once, and me, for not asking anything else or even test driving the GT-R. I told him that I drove it on the way home, and told me that I was a goofball.

Louis, Uncle Soren, and Father admired our new cars. Well, Father admired my new car openly. He pretended not to be interested in the Bugatti, but I saw him glancing at it with a look of jealousy and admiration.

Spencer, who was good with cars, looked over both cars and said they were in pristine condition. In addition to being a guard, he was also our vehicle expert.

The Toyota was put in the spare garage with the Ferrari an another Toyota that we didn't use, and the keys were put in the console. My father was rather proud of himself for our car collection. He himself drove a Rolls-Royce.

After some contemplation, we decided to keep the extra Toyota.

"You'll be in debt when the wedding's over," Grandfather told Alexander.

"Eilief, I have billions of dollars, euros, krones, and other currencies all over the world! And my bride deserves the best! She will only be seen in the finest of everything."

"Still, you should be careful."

"You worry too much."

"I have to; no one else seems to, except Reese. And I worry about him."

Annoyed, I decided that I needed to see Sarah.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

She was busy organizing all her school supplies. She'd been working hard since she gave birth to Cirino, and here was the result. New clothes, fresh makeup, and tons of school supplies.

"Does the school give out planners to seniors?" she asked.

"I don't think so," I said.

"Shit, I forgot to buy one! Does Kate Spade make planners? Should I do floral, stripes, or animal print? Or some cute cartoon characters?"

"Do whatever is cheapest," I suggested.

"I need a high-quality one to last all year! My last one was destroyed by a certain yellow Labrador." She glared at Spunk, who wagged his tail and grinned.

"Buy one online," I suggested. She started going through her phone.

"Okay, I found one. It'll be here by next week, though. Next week is too late!"

"School starts next week," I reminded her.

"Yeah, yeah. I need a planner!"

"So go to Target and buy one."

Sarah stood up and kissed me on the mouth. "Oh, Reese. You're a genius! How could I have forgotten Target?"

"You're stressed, and school hasn't even started yet."

"I know! I still need to get my new cheerleading uniform. I tried out yesterday, and I get the results on Monday. Penelope said that I might even make co-captain!"

"Congratulations," I said. "You deserve it."

"Thank you, Reese! Let's see...cheerleading, the dance committee, and I've been nominated for treasurer. I don't know who all nominated me, but they obviously think they can trust me!"

"You're very trustworthy," I told her. She blinked, eyes shining. She got up and hugged me.

"I love you, Reese Emerson."

"I love you more, Sarah Cresley."

"My new schedule got here last Monday. First period is Graphic Design. Always useful. Next period is Mythology And Folklore again. I heard that we're covering the Greek deities this year. You're bound to get an A on that."

"I should, I worship those gods and goddesses along with the Norse gods and goddesses."

"Um...third period is Geometry. Every fashion designer needs to learn that. Fourth period is French 3. I know French really well, my dad came from France. Then lunch. Sixth period is Biology, and the last class is Senior English. I love writing. What are your classes this year?"

"First class is Advanced Senior English, second period is World History, third period is Geometry, fourth class is Italian, I have fifth period lunch, sixth period is Art, and then the last period is Biology. So we'll have two classes together this year."

"Not as many as I'd like, but oh well. Good luck in Italian!"

"I have a tutor right here," I said, smiling. She grinned and then grabbed a book off her bookshelf.

"This'll help. My grandma gave me this book to help me learn Italian."

I flipped through the book. "Thanks, love. I need an A."

"Reese, your grade point average is the best in the class!"

"I don't know about that, but yes, it is fairly high."

"I need to work this year, too."

"For what? If you want to work, fine, but for what?"

"Mom is..." She bit her lip cutely. "Well, rehab didn't work, especially since she got out early due to...." She trailed off.

Jordan Hart had tried to push Sarah off a bridge earlier that summer. Jordan's goal was to kill all of the Beautifuls, starting with Sarah, since most of them thought she had spilled all their secrets. She hadn't, but that couldn't be proven without the real whistle-blower confessing.

She was the kindest of them, and hated stealing. She'd secretly paid back all the stores she'd taken items from, and now she was wanting to keep working because of her mother's drinking. Alicia was blowing through her own paychecks on vodka and wine, and my family payroll, despite being extremely high, was not enough, since Alicia had stolen money from Sarah before.

Now she had all these security measures, along with her sister, Sabine. Mother and Alexander had secretly threatened to go to the police if Alicia stole from her daughters again or threatened them in any way.

We'd gotten a visit from Lee Clark from CPS, and it still wasn't enough. The only thing we hadn't tried was going on the Dr. Phil show. And Alicia was about to lose her job as a realtor, so rehab was one of the few options left.

Alcoholics Anonymous was another option we hadn't tried yet. Mother had gotten the number and sent a few phone numbers to Sarah.

Sarah was going to be extremely busy, I would not get to see her as much. The thought depressed me. My girlfriend needed me to protect her and love her. Girlfriend didn't seem like the right word. Soulmate was more like it.

My soulmate was Sarah Cresley. I liked saying that over and over again. My sweet love.

I grabbed her and buried my face in her shoulder. I tensed as I smelled another male on her.

"I smell a male," I said.

"That would be my friend Elliott," she said. "I had lunch with him yesterday to go over our schedules. We're starting a study group."

"What does Elliott look like?" I asked, my eyes darkening.

"He's obese," she said, and I relaxed slightly. But only slightly.

"What else?"

"He has dark curly hair and brown eyes."

"How dark?"

"The same shade as my hair. Reese, are you jealous?"

"Yes."

She giggled, at first, then grew serious. "I don't see Elliott as anything more than a friend, I promise. I don't think he likes me like that, either. He has a girlfriend."

I relaxed a bit more. The fact that he had a girlfriend was a bigger comfort than his alleged weight issues. My girlfriend was mine. I smelled her all over, focusing on the parts I liked best. I didn't smell anything suspicious, much to my relief and disappointment.

I growled and pulled her into me. "Did he touch you?"

"He hugged me."

I growled. No other males were allowed to even look at her, and I told her so.

"You're being silly," she said. She stood on her toes and kissed me. "Soulmates, remember?"

I relaxed. "You're right. I-I'm so sorry. I just can't lose you."

"You won't lose me. I'm yours forever."

Yes. Mine. This female was mine. I wrapped my arms around her thin waist and pulled her up. She wrapped her legs around me. She leaned forward and kissed me. I kissed back, carrying her to the bed, where I started to nip her neck. I spread my scent around her, letting every other male know who she belonged to.

She nibbled my lip, and in my excitement, I accidentally tore the front part of her shirt, exposing her bra. I took off her shorts, took off my jeans and shirt, and ravished her for a long time. My beloved was absolutely stunning after her pregnancy. Of course, she was stunning before and during as well, but now she was like Aphrodite in human form.

She was so sweet and had that innocent look. I smelled her hair. Each human's blood smells different. Hers had the scent of gardenias, but there was also a sweet muskiness. Her maternal scent. This particular scent drove me wild.

"How is the baby?" I asked.

"Cirino's okay," she said. "He's adjusting really well. Marina sent me a picture." She showed me a picture of the little guy napping. He was adorable. His tuft of blond hair was slightly mussed. She looked at him and smiled. Despite the tragic story behind his birth, she still loved him. She reported that her sister Sabine was excited to be an aunt, although Alicia wasn't fond of becoming a grandparent so early.

Mother and Alexander had him now, however. They had adopted him.

I was certain about one thing. Sarah attracted bees like nectar. I couldn't let anyone else get close to her. I spread my scent around her, then kissed her.

I spent a few more minutes with her before I had to leave.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I growled. Louis growled back. Then we crashed into each other.

"You will not defeat me!" he cried.

"Oh, and what makes you think that?" I asked as I grabbed him in a sleeper hold.

"Just the fact that I have had hundreds of years worth of experience, and you are only seventeen!"

"I may be seventeen, but I have had lots of recent experience!"

"Don't let your father hear you say that!"

"Trust me, he's heard it before!"

Louis grinned. "Arm wrestle. You and me. Now."

"You always win!"

"Exactly!"

He pinned me.

"It's not fair. All of you are much older than I am!"

"It's all right, little cousin. I won't go easy on you," he teased.

"Oh, shush!"

I kneed him in the stomach.

"Hey! That's cheating!"

"All's fair in war!"

"Not necessarily!"

He pinned me again.

"Geez. Okay, you win."

"I always win!"

"Yeah, whatever."

Dirty, we headed inside. I made sure no one was looking, and started rolling on my back and purring. One of the cats, Frodo, stared at me. I invited him to play, and he accepted. I picked up a cat toy with a rope and feather on it, and swung it around as he chased it. There was something special about these cats.

They'd been picked up by Uncle Soren and Father while they were on a mission to rescue me. Frodo caught the feather and sniffed it.

Good catch.

I turned and smiled at Shadowfang. This was definitely a special cat. He could talk into our minds. He was a big Maine Coon with long black hair.

"That was good, wasn't it?"

I wasn't talking to you. I was talking to Frodo. And he wants you to swing it around again.

I smirked. Shadowfang had a typical cat attitude, which meant that he had a major one.

Time for lunch. Hop to it, vampire.

"You only get two meals a day," I told him.

I demand three square meals a day. Chicken, duck, and turkey. Slightly undercooked.

He haughtily flashed his tail at me.

The doorbell rang. I went to answer it, and when it opened, I received a kick to the gut. I looked up. My attacker was a male vampire with red eyes and long black hair. He grabbed me by the shirt and started to drag me out.

Toby jumped on him, knocking him down the steps. The strange vampire jumped up and hissed at us. Toby stood in front of me protectively.

"Who are you?" he growled. The other vampire just snarled.

"Give me the boy," he said. His voice was a deep bass with a German accent. The strange vampire crouched down on all fours, Toby following suit.

"Leave," said Toby. He shook his hair.

"Not without the boy. I am getting paid too much to not be able to deliver him!"

"To whom?"

"None of your fucking business! Let me have him, and I'll let you live."

"I swore to protect this family with my existence, and that's what I'll do."

Father ran out and grabbed me. "Kill him," he ordered. Toby ran toward the male vampire, who kicked him in the gut, sending him flyiing back. Spencer ran out and ran to his mate.

"I'm fine, Spencer," Toby said.

"No, you're not! I won't let you be hurt!"

"Spencer, I was ordered to kill him!"

"And now I will."

Spencer jumped, knocking the other male down. They started pounding the shit out of each other. I wondered if that was necessary, given that Spencer had recently recovered from getting his head and arms torn off. I could still see the scar on his neck.

The strange vampire finally kicked him off. Spencer landed fifty yards away in the soft grass.

"Ask him his name," Father said. "And then ask him who his employer is."

The strange vampire smirked. "My name is Torrance. And like I said before, I am getting paid too much money to leave empty-handed!"

He ran toward me again, and Toby cut him off halfway.

"Stop interfering, black demon!"

"Do not call him that!" Spencer yelled, charging at Torrance again. Torrance dodged Spencer, and then he took off into the woods. Spencer started to go after him, but Toby grabbed him.

"Let him go!" Father cried. "Dimitri! Follow him!" Dimitri took off after Torrance.

CHAPTER TWO- IMAGINARY

Father was anxiously pacing the front room.

"How did he get onto our territory, let alone our porch?" he said. "Do I have to get all new guards?"

"We just need more," I said. Father sighed and sat on his haunches.

"You're right. It's my fault he made it this far. I tried so hard to protect you from our world, and it blew up in my face." He started pacing again.

I started flipping through the TV channels, landing on the news.

"The two men found in an alley were known rapists. Kirk Fleinhardt and Jack Floll, who kidnapped a seventeen-year-old girl two years ago and raped her for two months before she escaped and ran to the police station. Since she is no longer a minor, and has actually asked not to remain anonymous, her name and face are allowed to be shown to the public. Vanessa Slaughterman."

I sat up. Vanessa Slaughterman was a girl I'd drank from, and then helped. She was an eighteen-year-old lady of the night when I'd met her. Our meeting was brief, and I had not expected to gain much from it, other than a meal. Her name had also been mentioned by Mathias, my traitor uncle who had recently died after several attempts to kill myself and Uncle Soren and who had murdered my grandmother, Amalia.

I anxiously paced the room on all fours. Father came over and nudged me. He wrapped his arms around me.

"I'm sorry, Reese," he said. "I'm so sorry. This really is all my fault."

"Father, please."

"I know, I know, I'm touching you."

"No, I was going to say that you shouldn't blame yourself. I'm the stupid idiot who opened the door without checking to see who it was."

"Reese, shush. It's not your fault, my young. I should send more guards over here. Okay, that's what I'll do. Fourteen guards in all."

"Fourteen? I meant just a couple more. The guys can handle most things."

"Clearly not," he said, glaring at Spencer, who looked sheepish. Spencer turned and pecked Toby on the side of his head.

"My apologies, Prince Mordecai," Spencer said. "I was concerned about my mate."

"No excuses," Father growled. "I sent you over here to watch Reese."

Spencer looked upset. "I know. It was unacceptable for me to make the mistakes that I did."

"It's not his fault," I argued. Father still glared at Spencer. "Father." He finally looked at me. He purred and nuzzled me.

"Since I can't trust either of you, you are dismissed until I need you again."

Toby and Spencer went to the bedroom they now shared.

"Do you have to be so harsh? He was really upset," I said. Father purred.

"You are too sweet, Reese. Sometimes as a prince and a father, I must make hard decisions. Some of those decisions involve your protection and safety. I'm a father first, an uncle, brother, and son second, and lastly, a vampire prince."

"Father-"

"Shush. Enough for now. You need sleep."

"Don't do that again."

His eyes swirled. "Fall asleep. I will cradle you and hold you until I am sure that the threat has passed."

I fell asleep in seconds.

I hate it when he does that.

I looked out at the sand. I was in a desert. I saw cacti, scorpions, even a fennec fox about a mile away, searching for food. The fox looked up and barked. He was spooked by something and ran in the other direction. I turned around.

Torrance was there, smiling at me. This wasn't an evil smile, though.

"Mate," he purred. Unwillingly, I walked toward him. I stood up and kissed him on the chin.

"You forgot to shave," I told him.

"I've done much worse." He grinned at me. "Much, much worse."

"Where are you from?"

"Not from where you are. Light years away. Sometimes billions, sometimes I could be standing right next to you."

"That doesn't make sense. If you're next to me, why can't I see or hear you?"

"Because I'm in another place. A dimension. Where the other you came from."

The rest of the dream became blurry, and I woke up.

"That was a short sleep," Father said. He was holding me in bed again. "You only slept for thirty minutes."

"I had a strange dream. About the strange vampire named Torrance. He called me 'mate' and kissed me, then said he was from another dimension."

Father tensed behind me. "He won't go near you," he said. "I've called several more guards. You won't have time to get to know them like you've been doing with Toby, however. They'll only be here a short while. Until the threat is eliminated."

"We've dealt with threats before."

"But none as big as this. We still don't know why Torrance tried to kidnap you, or who his employer is."

"Oh, Father."

"Oh, Reese."

I squeezed out and settled myself on the couch. I heard a meow. I looked over at Mishka, who nibbled my finger.

"Father, I'm fine."

"Shush. You are most certainly not fine. I need to be here for you."

"Dad, you're being overprotective."

He turned me around, smiling widely. "You called me dad."

"Um, yeah, you are my dad. Alexander is a stepdad."

"And soulfather."

"I still don't know if I believe in that."

"Silly Reese. Of course you have a bond with him, one of the many reasons why I want to rip out his intestines."

"Father! Be nice."

He chuckled. "No doubt that he wants to rip out mine as well. His woman is my ex-wife, and your mother. I still love her. I...oh gods, Reese, I'm a mess." He smiled weakly, eyes shining. "I lost my mother, I raped your mother and then lost her, I lost my brother, and now I'm about to lose you." His eyes shot behind me. I turned around.

Faolan was glaring at Father, trembling. "Is that what you feel?"

"Faolan, who let you in?"

"Soren did. Now I see what you're really like. Don't expect my pack to come to your aid again."

"Faolan, I'm sorry. We need to talk."

"We are talking. It's over, Mordecai."

And with that, the werewolf stomped away.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Mother was brushing Sarah's hair for the next day. Sarah had allowed my mother to brush through her brown curls, since the next day was the first day of senior year. I was holding Cirino, burping him. He made a noise, and I kissed his cheek. He loudly burped.

"Good boy," I praised, setting him in his carrier. He grabbed my finger and put his other hand in his mouth.

"That's a big boy," Sarah cooed. He looked at her and his eyebrows furrowed. He seemed confused by all the school and beauty supplies scattered around. "Should I wear my new plaid dress or a cotton skirt?"

"You look pretty in the skirt," Mother told her. "But if you decide to wear that white shirt, it will show your tummy."

"Only a little bit," Sarah said. "Raspberry gloss or red lipstick?"

"Raspberry gloss," I said.

"Yeah, you're right. It's the first day of senior year, and I need to look cute. Should I wear my brown cowboy boots or black flats? You know what, I think I'll go with those new white sneakers. I'm going to do a lot of walking."

She sighed and pinched her upper arm.

"Sarah, you're beautiful," I told her. "You have an amazing body, a beautiful face, gorgeous hair, and on the inside, you'll knock anyone dead. Whatever you choose to wear, you'll look amazing."

"He's right," Mother said, frowning as she picked a white fluff out of Sarah's hair. "You have already been to the hairdresser, correct? And you know how to do makeup better than any girl your age that I've met. May I braid your hair?"

"Sure," Sarah said. "Reese, do you remember my friends Ashley and Brianna? I'm going to grab a coffee with them after cheerleading, so I won't have time to spend with you."

"I can deal with that," I said, fighting my irrational jealousy.

"Two cute braids," Sarah said. "Or maybe a high ponytail. I'll wear my black cotton skirt, those white sneakers, that white shirt with the gold cross studs, and a hoodie jacket that I can wrap around my waist. I've already organized my locker, so all I have to do is get the textbooks and start filling out my new journal. I decided to do bullet journaling this year."

Mother nodded at Sarah's plan. Cirino started to fuss, so I took him and checked him for a dirty diaper.

"Hungry again?" I said as his tummy rumbled. "Babies eat a lot."

"That's not the rumble of hunger, that's the rumble of a tummyache," Mother informed me. "Try to get him to sleep."

"His stomach growled?" Sarah asked. She glanced back, and Mother told her to stay still. "Is he okay?"

"He needs another burp," Mother said. "Stroke his back this time, don't pat it."

I stroked Cirino's back until he let out a loud burp, and then I rocked him until he fell asleep. Mother finished brushing Sarah's hair and started to pull it into a braid.

"I have to thank you, Marina," Sarah said.

"For what?"

"For taking the baby. I couldn't take care of him, even with the money I have now. I would not be a good teen mother."

"But you are a good mother," Mother said. "You did what was best for yourself, and, therefore, Cirino."

"He seems happy. Well, as happy as a one-and-a-half-month-old baby can be."

"He is. I've started to pick up on his mind, and so has Alexander."

"Can you read minds?" Sarah asked, wide-eyed.

"Vampire parents can read their children's minds. And mates can also read each other's minds, if they are both vampires."

Sarah looked at me in horror.

"I forgot to tell you," I said, smirking. "I can't read your mind now, but if...when...you become a vampire, I'll be able to. You'll also be able to read mine." Her brow furrowed.

"Will I also be able to read his?"

"Possibly," Mother told her. "But since you gave up parentage, it will only be a possibility."

"And what about Alexander?"

"He can read mine, Reese's, and Cirino's minds."

Now I was horrified. "Um...how long...?"

"Since he thought you were biologically his. Which was quite a few months ago. You were supposed to be his, and your bond with him is that of a parent/child bond, so that's why."

"And why didn't he tell me?"

"He didn't? Oh, I thought you were bluffing. I could have sworn he said he told you..." Mother frowned, breaking the hair tie. She sighed and grabbed another one from Sarah's new vanity. "Why did he lie?" she muttered. "I hope he's not turning into Mordecai."

"Turn into that wretch?" Alexander said, coming up through the window. "Marina, I never said I told Reese."

"Then my mind must be getting old," Mother said.

"How is he?" Alexander asked, nuzzling Cirino.

"He had a bit of a tummy ache earlier," I said. "I didn't burp him enough."

Just then, Cirino coughed all over himself.

"Oh, son," Alexander sighed. "I love you deeply, but you are messy." Cirino gurgled.

"I will take him home and have Zie clean him," he said. Zie was their housekeeper. "Later, boys and girls." He picked up Cirino, tossed the carrier out the window, and then jumped out the window with the baby in his arms. I was amazed that Cirino slept through all that.

Mother finished braiding Sarah's hair.

"Coffee, cheerleading...no. Cheerleading, then coffee, and I have to organize my journal."

"Don't overstress yourself," I told her, remembering her seizure last year. I'd been worried that it would happen again. She stood up and hugged me. I growled, pulling her into me. I needed to be as close as possible to her now that I'd reminded myself.

My mate looked at me, concerned. I picked her up and put her on the bed.

"Reese, not now," she said. I growled, but I knew she was right. She needed her sleep and my mother was there. I purred, licking her hair.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The next day was torture. My stomach felt sick, but I couldn't skip today. When I saw Sarah, my jaw dropped. She looked amazing in a black cotton skirt, a tight white shirt with tons of gold studs in the shape of a cross, and her hair was loose and voluminous. I really wanted to touch it, feel it.

Her white sneakers squeaked as she turned and waved at me. Her legs were smooth, with not a hair in sight. She smelled sweet, like vanilla. Her lips were raspberry colored, her eyes deepened with lavender eyeshadow. It looked beautiful on her.

I kept a sharp eye out for competition. My new schedule didn't give me much time to see her. At lunch, I sat by myself, as I was angry with Mason. He had told Jordan that he loved Sarah.

He can't have her. She's mine.

She headed to the Computer wing first, where her Graphic Design class was. I headed to my first class, Advanced Senior English.

"Good morning," said Mr. Hu. "I trust you all read a good amount this summer? Mr. Emerson?"

"I read Dostoyevsky."

"Good boy. Anyone else? Miss Hart?" I turned and looked at Scarlett Hart. She twirled a piece of hair between her fingers.

"Do magazines count?"

"Certainly not! Well, I suppose it depends on the kind of magazine you read. If you read one filled with good, thought-provoking stories, then yes, it counts. This year, we will cover Shakespeare, Bronte, Faulkner, Fitzgerald. We will be detectives, romantic heroes, the friend of a romantic hero! There will be a test after every book or story we read. Pop quizzes every other Friday."

He handed out the syllabus. Right now, Sarah would be tucking her syllabus into her bullet journal, making a mental note to herself to write down everything on it.

Mr. Hu talked about F. Scott Fitzgerald, Jane Austen, and Charlotte Bronte. He described the intricacies of the complicated web that every good story needs. He described heroes, anti-heroes, the damsel in distress, and the villain. He described the different genres. General/realistic fiction, science fiction, fantasy, romance.

My romance was different. My sweet one was different from all the other females in good stories. She was a story in of herself. I daydreamed about her, listening occasionally and getting all my answers right.

Our first book: The Great Gatsby.

Sarah flounced out of her first class, hair bouncing.

"Hey, Reese," she greeted me.

"Hey, beautiful," I said. "Do you need help finding your next class?"

"Reese, I've been going to this school for three years," she giggled. "I think I know my way around."

I frowned. Since we were headed to the same wing anyway, I walked with her. She walked into the Mythology & Folklore class, and I walked into World History. My stomach dropped as I noticed that Mason was in this class as well. I snarled at him. He looked down at his desk, cheeks flushing.

I chose a seat right next to him, so I could keep an eye on him.

"Reese, we need to talk," he said, just as the bell rang.

I ignored him through the rest of the day, despite his attempts to talk to me. I didn't get another chance to talk to Sarah, either. Since she had driven herself, I left right after school.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

When I got to Mother and Alexander's house, it was chaos.

"Marina, listen to me!" Alexander said, holding my mother's wrists. "She's dead! Gone! Ash! We all saw her perish in the explosion!"

Mother shook her head, eyes shining with tears. "That was her! I know it was! I know the sound of my daughter's voice!"

Daughter? Is she talking about Sarah?

"What happened to Sarah?" I asked. Alexander glared at me.

"Not Sarah. Marina, are you still listening to me?"

"What the hell happened?!" I demanded. Alexander took mother's phone and played a voicemail.

"Mom? Mom? Oh god...Mom, are you there? It's me. Oh god...I think he's finally gone. No...oh crap. Mom, I have to go now. Don't try to look for me. Liam, what are you doing here?"

A muffled male voice answered.

"I don't give a crap...Liam, don't touch me!" And then the voicemail ended.

"Selena!" Mother cried. "She needs me!"

"Marina, it's someone's idea of a sick joke," Alexander said. "We all saw her die. You, me, Mordecai, Soren, Louis, Eilief, even Raquieca! Darling, it's not her!"

I flinched as Mother tried to hit him across the face, and he grabbed her wrist.

"Marina, control yourself! I promise, if there was ever a chance she was out there, we would find her. But she's dead, my love. Dead!"

Mother wrenched herself free. "I don't believe it! That was my daughter! Selena! I know it was! That was her voice! She needs her mother!"

"Mother," I said. She turned and looked at me, then wrapped me in a hug.

"Mommy has to find Selena," she said. "I know that Mordecai has told you about her, or at least someone has. She's my first child, my first natural child. Your older sister. She may have a different father, but damn it, she's still part of you!"

"Mother, let's talk first," I said. "You don't know where she is."

"Actually, I do," Mother said. "All I need to do is trace this call. Louis is the...how do you say it? Family tech geek."

Cirino started crying then.

"I will check on him," Alexander said. "Reese, don't let her do anything drastic or unsafe."

I did as my stepfather told me and kept an eye on my mother. Unfortunately, she wasn't very cooperative. She ran into her bedroom and started packing a backpack.

"Mom, what are you doing?" I asked.

"My daugter is alive and needs my help! I don't care what Alexander says! She's more important!"

"Marina!" Alexander said, coming into the room. "For the last time, she's dead!"

Mother flitted across the room and slapped him right across the face.

"You don't care about her at all!"

"How dare you? I am the first vampire, a king! What I say goes! When I found you, you were nothing but a scullery maid! You and Selena both! We can do this two ways. You can stay here and be my wife, or the wedding is off!"

"Screw you! I don't have to listen to you! I'd rather swallow a pineapple whole than let her suffer!"

"Marina, she is dead! She no longer exists! And her birth was not warranted, was it? You were not even married until you left me for Mordecai!"

"How could you bring that up? You know how guilty I feel about it!"

"The point is that I didn't deserve it!"

"Mordecai put a spell on me!"

"Yeah, right. You only fell for his good looks!"

"Alexander, you know how I feel about him! I cannot stand him! I hate his guts as much as you do!"

"Lying whore!"

"The wedding is off!"

Alexander stomped out of the room, grumbling. Mother continued to pack.

"Do you want me to help you?" I asked. She looked at me.

"No...just tell Eilief not to worry about me. And Alexander, when you get the chance, although I doubt he cares at this point. I need to talk to Zie." She hugged me. "You're a good son, Reese. I only wish I'd been a better mother." She turned away; eyes full of tears. "Goodbye, Reese. And tell Sarah I love her."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

By the time I got home, I was severely shaken. That was the worst fight I'd witnessed between Mother and Alexander. It looked like things were over. I went up to my room, finished what little homework I had, and took a long shower. I wondered if I should tell someone. Someone who wasn't Alexander. It turned out that I didn't need to.

After I dressed in clean boxers, a shirt, and sweatpants, I heard Grandfather on the phone.

"Yes, Alexander. Here he is now. I'll ask him." Grandfather looked at me. "Reese, what happened with Marina?"

I told him about the whole fight, including the slap.

"Thank, you, Reese. That is all. Alexander?"

"It's all my fault, Eilief. I did this." My stepfather sounded distraught. "Zie said that Marina talked to her and told her that she was going on an urgent business trip. Zie thought that sounded strange, but she knows better than to question us. She even held Cirino before she left. Her scent is all over him."

I felt guilty, like I could have prevented this from happening. Logically, I knew I couldn't have stopped her, though. If Sarah, Cirino, or I were in danger, she'd do the same thing that she was doing now. Maybe even Kieran, Alexander's half-human son, though no one had seen him in years. Maybe even Taran and Viktor, her ex-stepsons with Edward Babin.

Alexander continued to moan that it was his fault, while Father stopped into the room, ears alert.

"Marina is missing?" he asked me. I nodded, and repeated the story to him. He sighed. "Silly woman. There's no way Selena could have survived that explosion. It's someone's idea of a joke."

"She swore it was her."

"Impossible."

"Eilief, tell Mordecai to shut the hell up. And send Reese to bed."

"I'm not fucking five!"

"Tell him to watch his mouth."

"Tell Alexander that he should have watched his," I retorted. Silence on the other end.

"All of you hush up," Grandfather said. "Mordecai, tell Dimitri that his presence is needed at the Nicolai/Santorino household. We are going to find Marina and knock some sense into her. Remind her of the current children she has if we must. She shouldn't risk her life for a ghost."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The next few days were hectic. Since Dimitri was the best tracker, he was sent, along with Stephan for backup. Father had several business meetings, and Grandfather's opinion was wanted in Washington D.C.

"I swear, if the president is late again..." Grandfather muttered. Sarah watched all this bright-eyed.

"You know the president?" she asked Grandfather.

"Of course. And all his predecessors. I even met Robert E. Lee once, and Jefferson Davis. He and I disagreed on a number of things, including slavery."

I inherently glanced at Toby, who was the son of American slaves. He smiled gently at me, letting me know that he was okay with this conversation.

Sarah sipped her hibiscus and berry tea.

"I didn't even know she had a daughter," she said.

"She didn't like talking about Selena," Uncle Soren said. "Partly because she blames herself for her death, and also because she and Selena had a huge fight before that night. I remember it as if it was yesterday. The smell of sulfur and gas made my nose burn."

Sarah cuddled into me, and I kissed the top of her head.

"It was quite some time before Marina could be left alone, and when she finally agreed to marry Alexander, that's when Mordecai had to sneak a love potion into her drink."

"It's not my fault," Father said. Uncle Soren raised an eyebrow. "Okay, what happened afterwards was my fault. Completely. But the person whom we should be blaming for Selena's death is-"

"Mordecai, shut up."

"The kids have a right to know, brother. I'm not leaving Reese or Sarah at a disadvantage because they don't know the whole story. Children, the fact of the matter is, Selena was killed by a stalker."

Sarah shuddered.

"Who?" I asked.

"Liam had fallen deeply in love with Selena and refused to take no for an answer. Eventually Marina got involved and told him off. That's what the fight was about, Selena thought Marina's interference would only make things worse. Liam had made his decision then. He would have Selena, one way or the other.

"It was at that factory where Mathias died earlier this summer. The one where Soren buried that stupid book that should have been destroyed fifty years ago but he failed to do so."

"Don't test me, Mordecai-"

"Enough!" Grandfather said, exasperated. "Continue the story, Mordecai. And no more insults directed at your brother. And don't remind me of Mathias."

I gulped. Grandfather had been forced to kill his adopted son after he tried to kill me and Uncle Soren, and after he had already killed my grandmother, Amalia. He didn't like to be reminded of it, as he blamed himself for all the destruction and grief that Mathias caused.

"Anyway, Liam told Selena that he had something she would want. Selena was not stupid, but she was gullible. At this particular time, she wanted a child more than anything, as she was not fertile. He pretended that he had a child that had been orphaned. Marina and I told her not to go, that he meant trouble, but her need to be a mother overpowered any rational thoughts in her mind.

"He had a bomb strapped to his chest shaped like a baby. He told Selena that it was a baby girl whose parents had died of an overdose. Selena picked up the bomb, and then set it down after she realized what it was. Liam pulled out a bone knife and grabbed her. By the time we got there, he was threatening to kill her and then himself. The knife was dangerously close to her throat. Now, Raquieca, Reese's cousin, was staying with us at the time, and she hates to be left out of anything, especially if there's drama involved.

"Raquieca told Liam that she had a better plan, that she would give him her island so that he and Selena could be happy forever. Liam asked her if she thought he was stupid. He knew that we'd take Selena away from him. Well, Raquieca told Liam that there was a solemn guarantee that they would be left alone. Marina started screaming at this point, and I didn't catch everything she said. In the middle of the screaming, Raquieca snuck away, and so did Louis."

"I hate myself for that," Louis sighed.

"Liam picked up the bomb, and then Selena bit him to get away. She was running towards us when Liam literally dropped the bomb. The last time we saw Selena, she was engulfed in flames. We all assumed she had been turned to ash after that. Now it appears that there is someone who is pretending to be her, and Marina has fallen for it."

"What if it's really her?" Sarah asked. Father looked at her.

"Sarah, the chances that she's still alive are astronomical. The same goes for Liam."

My girl bit her lip. I kissed her ear, saying "It's possible. Vampires are tough."

"Children," Uncle Soren said. "So idealistic."

"I need a cigarette," I muttered.

"Same here," Sarah said. I looked at her in surprise. "My mom started smoking cigarettes whenever she gets a craving for vodka. I've become addicted to the smell."

"That's not necessarily a good substitute," Louis said.

She leaned against me. "I'm worried about her. She blew through our funds for alcohol, she got so drunk that she stopped caring, and now she's addicted to the vice that my dad hated most besides drinking. But forget about me. Any news on Marina?"

"None," Father said, studying her. I took a sniff of her hair. There was a faint smoky scent. She yawned.

"Tired, baby?" I said.

"Yeah. It's been an epic few days. I can't wait to sleep in."

"It's all my fault," Alexander muttered. He looked at me and leaned forward. Father hissed as Alexander kissed my hair.

If anything happens to her, I'll never forgive myself.

I blinked.

Did he just-

Yes, Reese, I did. I spoke in your mind. I didn't want to say it out loud, or Mordecai would never let me hear the end of it.

What if he reads my mind later while I'm thinking about it?

At least I didn't say it out loud.

I embraced my soulfather, and he embraced me. I heard Father growl quietly.

"You know, Alexander, no one has seen Kieran in years-"

"That's enough, Mordecai," Grandfather said tiredly.

"I'm going home," Sarah said.

"Drive safe," I told her, pecking her cheek. "Call me if anything happens."

After she left, I felt moisture on my cheek. I realized that Alexander was crying. He wiped the tears away before my father saw them.

I'm weak, Reese. I feel exhausted mentally and physically. I need to see my beloved again, and my Kieran. I can't go another day without them.

"I am also going home," Alexander said. "Good night, everyone. Go to hell, Mordecai."

"See you, wouldn't want to be you," Father replied.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I set down A History of Vampires and paced the front room.

"Quit it, Reese," Louis said tersely. I frowned at him. It was the weekend, and everyone was in a bad mood. Sarah and Alicia had gotten into a fight about her drinking and smoking, and Alicia threatened to give away the dogs, so now Spencer was tasked with making sure Alicia didn't go overboard.

Louis and Uncle Soren had also gotten into a shouting match the night before, resulting in holes being punched in the wall and a vow to never speak to each other again. Father and Grandfather had also gotten into a fight about Marina, and I got dragged into it. I'd been basically forced to say that I wasn't happy growing up without a mother, and Father got mad at me for that.

Shadowfang rubbed my leg with his cheek. The cats must have sensed the tension, because all of them except for him started hiding after breakfast.

"Sorry, Reese," Louis said, sounding guilty. "You didn't deserve that."

"Fuck you," I replied.

"Well, fuck you, too."

I immediately wanted to take it back, but my pride was getting in the way. I growled, grabbed my book, and ran upstairs to my bedroom to hide.

I buried myself under the bedcovers and whimpered. I missed my mother. It had now been five days since she'd left, and the hole in the family heart was palpable. I felt guilty for my part in it. I felt sorry for Alexander, who was becoming suicidal over it.

"Reese?" My father's voice was muffled through the door before he opened it. "Son?"

"Leave. Now."

"Reese, I'm sorry for involving you last night. It was wrong of me. Please, come out."

"No."

"Why not?"

"Because I'm crying."

"Oh, Reese."

I wasn't really crying, but I wanted to be left alone. Unfortunately, that didn't happen.

"Son," he said, sitting on my bed. "Talk to me. What's going through your mind?"

"Can't you read my mind?"

"I want to hear it."

"Too bad."

"What am I going to do with you?"

"Leave my room."

"Don't be a smartass. And no, I'm not leaving until you tell me what you're thinking."

"Look at us. One of us is gone and we're already fighting amongst ourselves."

"Two of us," he corrected. "Mathias and your mother."

I sighed. "I should have stopped her."

"There was nothing you could have done. I know Marina extremely well. Once she sets her mind to something, there's no changing it. And she loved Selena more than anything. If there's even a fraction of a chance that she's still alive, Marina will find her." He sighed. "Tonight, there will be a super moon."

I knew he was thinking about Faolan then. Due to something my father had said, Faolan was no longer speaking to him, and would only communicate with us through Grandfather or Uncle Soren. To him, I was a reminder of the love that didn't reciprocate. Sometimes, I really hate being a vampire prince.

I almost didn't notice when Shadowfang sprayed my bookshelf.

"Cat! Quit that! Bad cat!" I crawled out of bed, falling and landing on my back. Shadowfang gave me a haughty look and walked away, tail twitching in the air. "Son of a bitch, he got David Copperfield and Don Quixote."

"Should we neuter him...?" Father mused. Immediately, Shadowfang started yelling in our minds.

I only did it to let my enemies know that this is my territory! I will leave and live in the sewers if you even dare to take me to the vet for that atrocious surgery!

I ignored him, wiping off the books with my shirt. "Well, at least I've got multiple copies. I swear, if he pees on my first editions..."

"I think your first editions are in the library, on the top shelf," Father said. "Anyway, I need you to work Saturday. Sarah will also work Saturday, unless Alicia has another breakdown. I've asked Toby and Spencer to take turns watching the Cresley home. I may have to have a female guard do it instead."

"Father, you need to hire more guards."

"I know, I know. The last female guard betrayed us."

He was referring to Janna, who left us for an enemy coven member.

"How is Ambrose?" I asked.

"He still cannot believe that his coven tried to kill him. He went back to Germany this morning. He says it will be very lonely with most of his coven dead."

Ambrose and my family had come to an uneasy truce after the events of the summer.

I sighed, sat at my desk, and opened a textbook to study.

"Reese, I know you're worried about everyone. I am, too. I'm going to be quite busy in the next few weeks. We're cleaning out that old factory, opening a hospital, and opening a few new stores in the North Hampton mall."

"You know what? Sarah had an idea," I told him. "She had this idea to open a mall where all the employees are troubled teens."

He chuckled and shook his head. "Only Sarah would be clever enough to think of that." He looked at his watch. "I have to start getting ready. I'm meeting with my public relations consultant."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I started looking through different schools. I knew I wanted to go into music, that was it. I'd already applied to Rutgers, William Paterson University, and Rowan University. The application process doesn't take long for vampires with super speed.

I'd also planned to apply to Harvard and Brown, maybe even Oxford, if Sarah was willing to move countries. Everyone in my family had several degrees, including business, finance, medical, and legal degrees. Louis had the most experience in the medical field, my father had experience in business, Uncle Soren had experience in the legal field, and Grandfather had experience in the finance field.

I'd helped Sarah apply to several fashion colleges both in New Jersey and California, where she wanted to move eventually.

I must have fallen asleep, because the next thing I knew, I was falling out of my chair and shouting "FATHER!"

He ran into the room in less than a second. He helped me up.

"Are you hurt, Reese?"

"No, I was dreaming," I told him. "I was thinking about all the applications I've done so far and I've been wondering if I should apply somewhere else."

"You don't have to. You could stay home for a year. Or two. Or three."

"Father, I need my own space. If I have to leave New Jersey, then I'll leave New Jersey."

He looked hurt.

"Well, if that's what you want."

"Any news on Mother?"

"She's left the continent and turned her cell phone off. She doesn't want us to follow her."

"Did she even think about how this would affect Sarah or Cirino?"

"She left notes for them. We haven't shown them, yet. In the note to Sarah, she tells her that she loves her and not to worry. She'll be back. She says the same thing in Cirino's note. Yours is a little different."

"My note?"

"Of course. You are her child." He handed me a folded piece of paper. I unfolded it, reading the words written in green ink.

Dear Reese,

I hope that you will forgive me. I need to find Selena, whether she is dead or alive. I know that your father and Alexander probably think I'm crazy, but I know she's alive. She is my firstborn biological child, one of the stars in my depressing and dark existence. All of you are my stars. You, Sarah, Cirino, Kieran, and Taran and Viktor when I was their stepmother. Being a mother was a gift that I never received as a human.

My human life was fraught with so much peril, death, and heartbreak. I died at thirty years old after not finding a husband or having a little one. My heart belongs to my children, and Alexander, who I doubt will forgive me after this. If this journey ends our relationship, so be it, but I need to know one way or the other.

Tell Sarah and Cirino that I love them more than anything, my human babies.

Maybe this is part of the reason why I latched onto Sarah; she has the same personality and quirks that Selena does/did. She is less gullible, however, and much stronger than Selena ever was. Selena would not have been able to survive what Sarah has gone through. Sarah has also been through a similar experience as me, another reason why I latched onto her.

I see her and my instincts call out to me to protect her, to never let anything bad happen to her. I'm beginning to form a similar relationship with Sabine, the more time I spend with her. If Alicia hurts either of them, I'll make sure she never sees them again.

I think you should spend some more time with Sabine as well. I know she is a bit bratty, but her other personality traits are wonderful.

Until I see you again, my dear son.

Your loving mother,

Marina

"The second and third lines are a paradox," I said.

"What is that?" Father asked. I pointed at the letter.

"See, in the second line, she says that she's not sure whether she's dead or alive, and in the third line, she says she knows she's alive."

Father looked at me in amazement. "You are the smartest kid I've ever seen," he said.

"I think you should have Louis do a handwriting analysis," I said. Father took the letter from me.

"It's written in green ink. Marina never writes in green ink. She always writes in black or dark blue."

"Could she have been in a hurry?"

"Or she didn't write this. I think you're right. I think we need to have Louis do an analysis on all the letters she supposedly left."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Well, the good news is, she did write these herself," Louis said. "It's the same cursive she writes in. However, something else caught my eye. Her English is good, but not perfect. And this was written in perfect American English."

"Someone was correcting her?" I mused. Louis shrugged.

"It's possible."

"Or someone made her write these," Alexander hedged. His brow was furrowed. He was both worried and thinking hard. "It can't have been Zie. She speaks English well, but her writing and spelling are sloppy. Unless she's a traitor."

"Zie's a human," I reminded him, before he got any more crazy ideas. "And she doesn't know that you and Mother are vampires, does she?"

"She saw me drinking blood out of a cup one night," Alexander growled. "She sleepwalks sometimes, and her eyes opened a crack. She told me that it was too early for wine, then went back to bed."

"Odd occurrence, but not suspicious," Uncle Soren said.

"I say we rule her out," Louis said. "I don't think it was her, for several reasons. One, you said that her writing and spelling in English are subpar. Secondly, she's not stupid. If she did believe that you were vampires, she'd have nothing on you except for drinking red stuff that she thought was wine. And she was half-asleep then. If she decided to, say, hold something for ransom, like your identity, she would know that you'd kill her instantly."

"He's right," I said. "I remember one time I was reading a book about ghosts, and she looked at the cover and smiled like it was a huge joke. I asked her if she believed in ghosts, and she said that the only ghosts around were dates who don't call back."

"That's ghosts, though," Alexander said. "Is my housekeeper a lying, cheating-"

"Let's think about who else would have a motive," I interrupted.

"Alicia," Father said.

"Alicia is a drunk," Grandfather said. "And she had no idea that this would happen."

"Do you know that for certain?" Alexander asked Grandfather.

"Of course not, but it's highly unlikely."

"If Reese hadn't noticed the second and third line, we wouldn't be having this discussion," Louis growled.

"Are you saying it's my fault?"

"No, but surely you must have seen what was going to happen. I mean, you're the one who practically told her to go-"

"Boys, that's enough," Grandfather said. "No more arguing."

"I should have stopped her," I said.

"No, honey, it's not your fault," Father told me. "No one could have stopped her."

My cell phone start vibrating in my pants. I looked at the caller ID.

"It's Toby," I said.

"Better answer it."

"Hello?" I answered.

"Hello, Prince Reese. Alicia is becoming verbally abusive to Sarah and Sabine. The grandparents are involved, and it has turned into a blowout. Even the dogs are frightened. What do you want me to do?"

"Keep watching. If Alicia hits either of them, restrain her. I will be there shortly."

"As will I," Alexander said.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Sarah was on the ground, holding her cheek, and her grandmother was yelling at Alicia and Toby, who held Alicia's arms behind her back.

"I don't know who you are, but you had better leave!" Benjamin Abraham said.

"He's with me," I said, stepping into the house with Alexander. "Toby, let her go." He released her, and she started cursing him out. I ran to Sarah, who was whimpering and crying softly.

"Baby," I purred.

"He's a fucking demon!" Alicia yelled. "He's a vampire!"

"Alicia, you know better than to use that language!" Gianna Abraham said. "And so what? He clearly cares deeply for her, a lot more than you ever have! This is the final straw!"

"I agree," Benjamin said. "If you cannot be a good mother, then you cannot have children."

"I wish Daddy was still here," Sabine whispered, scurrying over to Sarah.

"Oh, sure, you wish Daddy was here. Because I'm a bad mother, is that it?"

"Toby, take the girls and the dogs to the house," I said. "I parked the Toyota on the street." I tossed him the keys. He caught them and grabbed the leashes on a keyhook.

"No, they're not leaving!" Alicia stood in front of the door. Toby calmly picked her up and set her on the other side. Then he opened the door, which hit Alicia's nose. "Stupid!" She proceeded to call him a slew of racial slurs.

"Alicia, we taught you better than that!" Benjamin cried. Alicia grabbed an air purifier off the table and threw it across the room.

"Alexander, I'll leave you to handle this," I said.

"My pleasure," he replied.

I went outside, watched the Toyota until it disappeared, then ran to the house.

I beat the Toyota by five minutes. As soon as they arrived, I opened Sarah's door and pulled her into my arms. Coffee promptly bit my breast.

"Coffee! Bad dog!" Sarah scolded the tiny tyrant. She set Coffee down and kissed me. "Thank you, Reese."

"You're most welcome. Now, come inside. Are you hungry or thirsty?"

"I could use some water," she said.

"Coming right up."

I led her inside. Sabine, who had never been inside the house, gaped at the size. I got some water for Sarah and licked away the rest of her tears.

Alexander came back after a couple hours, looking furious.

"Girls," he said, "When we go back to your house, pack as much as you can. You're staying with me for a while."

"Are you sure Zie won't mind the extra work?" Sarah asked.

"I pay her to clean, cook, and occasionally watch the baby. Of course she won't mind."

Sarah looked down at her plate and played with her food. Sabine ate the vegatables like a dog with a beef rib.

"It's my fault," Sarah said.

"Honey, why would you think that?" I asked, hugging her.

"She quit rehab because of me."

"Sweetheart, what happened to you was out of your control."

Alicia had gone to rehab until Jordan Hart/Nales tried to kill Sarah by making her jump off a bridge.

"I should have never gotten involved with Jordan and Scarlett."

"Love, you couldn't have known," Alexander said. "It's not your fault. Now, eat your chicken."

Sarah burst into tears and continued to move her food around. I patted Spunk, who was eyeing Sabine's plate.

"Alicia has been forced back into rehab," Alexander said. "Your grandparents will watch the house."

CHAPTER THREE- FIGHT

Over the next few days, we helped the girls move into Alexander's house. Sarah was happy to see Cirino, and so was Sabine. I didn't tell Sarah about the letter.

School was becoming more stressful. I felt sorry for Sarah, who had cheerleading, study group, and was joining the dance committee, not to mention her treasurer duties.

While at lunch, I saw her walking to the library, and Scarlett held out her leg. Sarah avoided Scarlett's leg, and Scarlett said something about dead fathers and drunk mothers.

"What did you say, bitch?" Sarah said.

"I said that it must be nice having not having two parents."

"Oh, really? What about a killer vampire for a sister?"

Scarlett grabbed the front of Sarah's shirt, and Ariella got inbetween them.

"Just ignore her," she said, prying Scarlett off. Then she glared at Scarlett. "Stop being a bitch, why don't you?"

"You call me a bitch like it's a bad thing," Scarlett chuckled. "I'm sexier than everyone in this hellhole combined, smarter than the smartest nerd, and prettier than the prettiest skank." At that last part, she glanced at Sarah.

"I don't have time for this," Sarah said. "I'll be late getting back."

I turned back to my book. Sarah was suffering. She was depressed.

At cheer practice, I watched her turn her anger and sadness into an amazing performance. She was really good.

I noticed another male sitting near me. His face was covered in a black hood, and he seemed to be looking from me to the cheerleaders and back again.

Oh, hell no.

"That cute brunette is my girlfriend," I said out loud.

"The short one?" he replied. "With the curly hair?"

"Cresley! Smith! Pyramid!" yelled the twenty-year-old cheer coach, Ms. Kent. My Sarah was amazing on top of the pyramid.

I looked back at my potential rival. His face was now partially obscured, I saw his chin and bow-shaped lips. Sarah was dropped (is that the correct term?) and landed perfectly on her feet.

"Land on the balls of your feet, Smith! Not your heel!" Ms. Kent shouted. "Cresley, stay still on the top."

My enemy kept staring at Sarah. Or me. I hated him. My thoughts were rather violent.

When practice was over, the girls had noticed him and were pointing at him and giggling. Some of them thought he was creepy, others thought he was good-looking.

Sarah was sweaty and hot, her skin flushed red from the sun. Her tank top, once a light green, was now nearly blue with moisture. She drank from her water bottle and packed up.

"I almost forgot how good it feels to practice," she said. "Well, I got my exercise for the day."

"Exercise, schmexercise," said Trina Smith. "Kent wants us to pass out from exhaustion."

"Maybe so," Sarah said. "Mrs. Waverly wasn't nearly this militant."

"Waverly was old," Trina said.

"She only stopped coaching because she got arthritis!"

"Oh, goth behind you," Trina said. Sarah turned and hugged me tightly around the midsection. Trina looked shocked.

"Reese is my boyfriend," Sarah explained. Trina, and some of the other cheerleaders, looked even more shocked.

"Him?" said Maisie Goldinger, sounding disgusted.

"Reese is a nice guy and the smartest person I know," Sarah defended. "He's helped me out a lot. I wouldn't be alive today if it weren't for him." I glanced back to make sure that my new rival was listening. He was. His obscured face was pointed in our direction.

I felt a bit smug as I drove Sarah home. Well, to Alexander's house. I didn't know if she considered it home.

She hopped into the shower right away. Zie was feeding the baby, Sabine was doing her homework, and Alexander was out back, staring into the distance.

"Where are you?" he muttered. He turned. "Reese. Come sit with me." We each took a chair at the patio table.

"The sun is bothering my eyes," I said, shielding myself.

"Mine too."

"Then why are we still outside?"

"Don't tell Blondie this, but I'm...I'm suffering. I feel...I know...that I'm to blame for Marina's disappearance, yet I can't do anything about it. I need to be here, to be a parent to our young. Especially the humans. Sarah misses Marina as well. I heard her crying out in her sleep, begging for her mother. Upon setting my ear on the door, I realized that she was talking about Marina, not Alicia."

"My Sarah crying out in her sleep?"

"She has...shall we say...fitful dreams. Nightmares. She also talks in her sleep more often. She feels stressed because of cheerleading. That Kent woman is not nice to the cheerleaders when nobody else is around."

I stood up.

"Where are you going?"

"To kill Kent."

"Hold on. She is the daughter of the mayor of North Hampton."

I tilted my head at him. "You never used to care about that."

"I don't want to get Sarah in trouble. We need hard proof first. Video or audio recording. I could set her phone to video, but it would probably use up her battery. Besides, she turns it off and leaves in her locker during classes."

"Okay, who are you and what have you done with Ambrogio Nicolai?"

He chuckled. "Believe me, I wish there were another way." He got a strange look on his face, and looked up towards the window. "The window on the far left is Sarah's room, just so you are aware."

"Does it open?"

"Yes, but only she can open it, and it is protected by a screen. Oh." He turned away, looking abashed. I looked up and saw her top half and head. She was drying her hair with a towel, and she was...well, she was nude. I don't think she realized that we could see her. Either that, or she didn't see us. She turned on some dance music, shaking her cute butt to the beat.

She pulled on a tank top and a pair of cotton shorts, then ran a brush through her hair. She picked up her purse and set it in a chair, then started rummaging through it.

I had gotten excited when she was naked, and now I was disappointed at her lack of complete nudity.

"Now I'm getting a headache," Alexander growled. "Come on, son."

I went up the stairs, taking them by two. Coffee, who was whining at Sarah's door, greeted me with her usual yappiness. Sarah opened the door and smiled at me.

"Can I braid your hair?" I asked her.

"Sure," she said. "Marina used to braid my hair."

"I know you miss her," I said. "We all do." Sarah wiped her eye. "Any other problems?"

"Well, Ms. Kent is a bitch. She practically called me fat!"

"She what?!" In my anger, I accidentally ripped out some hair strands.

"Ouch!" Sarah clutched her head.

"Oh, love, I'm sorry! How did she call you fat?"

"She said 'You know, Sarah, if you lost some weight, you'd stay on the pyramid better'."

"I thought all flyers were lightweight."

"They are. And I'm one of the lightest girls on the squad, I just have boobs and a butt. I did get soft after I gave birth, but I lost a lot of weight in the process."

"Hon, everyone knows you're not fat. I can't believe Kent would say that."

"I can. Becky did some research. And Kendra knows her cousin. She says that Kent got kicked off her old squad for her temper and insulting the other cheerleaders. I suppose Principal Turner skipped over that part when he hired her, because it was a pretty big deal. Kent supposedly called a Native American cheerleader a racial slur and said that Native Americans can't be trusted. She also made another one cry when she called her Carrot Top and said that she had no soul."

"I swear, if I hear about this again...."

"Reese, don't hurt her," Sarah said nervously.

"Sweet, I promise I won't kill her while she's your coach."

"Thank you," she let out a breath of relief. She didn't hear my double meaning. She continued to look nervous and downed some pills.

"What are those?" I asked.

"They help me sleep and keep my anxiety down. Prescribed by my doctor."

I looked at one of the bottles. It indeed was a prescription.

"I can't wait until tomorrow."

"What's tomorrow?" I asked.

"School day off. I can sleep in." She dug in her drawer and pulled out a pair of fuzzy glittery lavender socks. She put them on and wiggled her toes. "Next weekend is the first game and dance. Want to go with me?"

"Of course," I said. It would show all the other males who she belonged to. I nibbled her ear.

"Ouch," she said, holding her ear. Her ear started bleeding.

"I'm sorry," I said.

"It's okay. Just try not to bite my ear." She went over to the desk and grabbed a sketchbook. She put a 2B pencil to the paper and started drawing. Her movements were fluid and fast. Soon, I could see a picture forming.

A boy and a girl, laying in a field of grass. The boy looked like me. He had my long black hair, my eyes, my nose, my chin, my body shape. He wore a white button-up shirt open at the midsection, black jeans, and heavy black boots. His abs were tight and muscled, like mine.

The girl looked like Sarah. She wore a long dress that hugged her figure. Her hair was long and curly, like Sarah's. On her feet, she wore ankle jewelry and sandals.

"You're talented," I told Sarah. She smiled. I sat beside her and inhaled her feminine scent.

Yes, female. My female. Mine!

"Ouch!" Sarah said, clutching her shoulder.

"I'm so sorry!" I said, feeling embarrassed at having accidentally bitten her again. I checked to make sure I didn't accidentally poison her, licking away the blood.

"Reese?" Alexander's voice said. He knocked on the door. "Your uncle called. He said to tell you to stay away from the house. Another strange vampire is nearby. You can either sleep in the guest room or in Sarah's room."

"All right," I said. I texted my father to ask if that was the truth. He said it was, and told me to stay at Alexander's house, as much as it pained him to say that.

"Well, looks like I'm staying with you," I said, grinning at Sarah. She smiled, but it didn't reach her eyes. I kissed her. "I'm sorry for biting you."

She looked like a bunny in that moment. If I was a fox, she was a bunny. A scared, soft little bunny. My bunny.

Suddenly I was on top of her, her drawing partially ripped and lying on the floor.

"R-Reese?" she said. I realized what I had done.

"Oh god, Sarah, I-I'm so sorry!" Why was I losing control?

"What's wrong?" she asked.

"I...I saw another male," I confessed. "At practice. He was staring at you."

"A lot of boys look at me."

"Yes, but this was staring. And he was looking at me, as if I was an obstacle. I got so jealous...."

"Reese, it's okay."

"It's okay to hurt you? To make you bleed? No, it's not okay!" I was close to tears. "I...oh, Odin...Aphrodite, help us."

"Reese?"

"I'm sorry. It's my fault. No one else's. I need to go. I'll be in the guest room. Have Zie or Alexander look at your shoulder. No, not Zie. She can't know about this."

I needed to talk to Alexander. I left Sarah's room and found my stepfather hunched over a desktop computer.

"That thing's a dinosaur," I said.

"Hey, I haven't updated since the late nineties, okay? Why do I smell blood and anguish on you?"

"I...I bit Sarah."

"You what?" He turned to face me, looking angry, then sorrowful when he saw my eyes. "Oh, baby. Tell me what happened." I quickly went through the cheer practice, then the other male's behavior, and then mine. "Okay, what did he look like?"

"I couldn't see his eyes, only the tip of his nose down to his chin. He kept the rest of himself covered, except for his hands."

"That is odd. Well, you will be happy to know that you are not alone. Almost all vampires go through a possessive period when they find their mate. Of course, you'll always be possessive of her, but it will intensify over the next few weeks, or even months. As long as she doesn't end things, you will want to hold her and protect her from the world. Is her shoulder okay?"

"I told her to have you look at it. I also bit her ear."

"Her ear too? Well, her ear and shoulder will hurt for a while. I will put some hydrogen peroxide on the bite; that should help kill the bacteria and help stave off any leftover poison."

"I have a question. Since vampires are poisonous, how can they kiss humans?"

"The poison is only present when a bite is intended or accidentally occurs. I don't know why, that would be a question to ask Louis or Soren or your grandfather." I noticed that he didn't mention my father.

He sniffed the air and hissed. "Stay in the house. Gather the girls together, including Zie and Cirino."

Instead of doing that, I followed him outside.

"Reese-"

"Ambrogio."

He frowned at me. "I specifically told you to stay in the house. Don't you ever listen? He could be dangerous."

I took a big sniff. Another vampire was in the area, and he smelled like a red-eyed vampire. Vampires only have red eyes if they have drunk the blood of another vampire or are part demon.

He came into view. I smiled toothily at him.

"Torrance."

"Reese."

"You know him?" Alexander was aghast.

"He tried to kidnap me. He got into a big fight with Spencer and Toby."

"Leave," Alexander told the other vampire. "Now. Or I will kill you."

Torrance smelled the air. "I smell humans. Three females, and a...a baby? A very young male. You have snacks?"

"Don't touch them!" Alexander growled. "The baby is mine! I don't care what happens to the housekeeper, but the humans are my children!"

I looked at him. I'd sort of figured out that he felt that way about Cirino, at least. What surprised me more was him referencing Sarah and Sabine as his.

"A vampire with human children? You must be lonely! It's too bad, really. You are very, very old, and very, very strong."

"I am Ambrogio Nicolai," Alexander said.

"Ah. That explains it. The first vampire needs human children to keep him company! What a rumor! But why do you have Reese?"

"He's my son," Alexander explained. Torrance cocked his head.

"Son? That's odd. I didn't think two males got together in this dimension."

"Me and Mordecai! Absurd!"

"Well, it's that way in my dimension."

"I think I'm going to throw up," I said.

"Me as well," Alexander said.

"Wait, did he say dimension?"

"I did," Torrance acknowledged. "But that's besides the point. And I'm tired of talking."

He rushed forward and grabbed me. Alexander wrapped his arms around Torrance's waist and threw him on the ground. A blue light crackled between Torrance's hands, and he threw a ball of electricity at Alexander. I cried out, before I was dragged off.

CHAPTER FOUR - SOREN

I always listen to my gut. It has saved my life, and my family's life, more than once. I knew that something was wrong the instant Mordecai said that Reese was to stay at Alexander's.

"He'll know," I said, meaning the villain that tried to kidnap my nephew. Still, I'd made the call, and now something big was going to happen.

I was not as shocked as I should have been when Sarah frantically called Mordecai, detailing what she'd seen from her window overlooking the yard at Alexander's home. Alexander was hurt, and Torrance had taken off with Reese.

The girl had been frightened when she saw his red eyes. She knew that he was up to no good. She was right, and I was glad that she'd seen it, despite the traumatization she incurred. Father sent the guards out to Alexander's house with Mordecai to question him and to protect the rest of the children.

"It's my fault," Louis said. "I told you the wrong data."

"It wasn't your fault," I said, feeling guilty for my own part.

"In a way, he has the same mindset as Ambrose," Father said. "Maybe I should call him...?" Since our truce, Ambrose had become less of an enemy and more of an acquaintance.

"How can he help? He's in Germany," I said. With him being several continents away, he really couldn't help much.

"We can ask him to do research or to track down Torrance and Reese."

"That's true. He's a good tracker," Louis said.

"One of the best," I agreed. "But we can't ask him to track down Reese. He'll think we're playing a joke on him."

"No he won't, because I just texted him," Grandfather said. I rolled my eyes. "Really, Soren, you're acting like a teenager."

He was right. I was. I sighed and turned to my son. Louis had his head in his hands, trying not to cry. I sat down beside him. Lately, I hadn't been the best father to him, but now things were improving. I hugged him, kissed his temple. He would always be my child, no matter how old he got.

Mordecai came back, looking even more distraught.

"Alexander seems more concerned about the burn on his belly than finding my son."

"He's hiding his emotions," Father said. "He's ashamed."

"I despise him," Mordecai said.

"We know," I said, annoyed. We all knew about his rivalry with Alexander.

"I'll find him myself," he continued, referring to Reese.

"Mordecai, we have no idea where he is," Father said. Mordecai started pacing the front room.

"I should have known," he said. "I should have told him to come home."

"It wouldn't have helped," Father said.

"I texted Faolan," Louis said. "He's on his way over with Sadie and some of the other wolves."

Our alliance with the werewolves was not an easy one. Faolan carried feelings for Mordecai, but my brother still held love in his heart for Marina. The most recent to join the pack, Sadie, was a young female wolf who had recently become infected. Her creator had died, leaving her to flounder, until Faolan decided to take her under his wing.

They had actually become acquainted through Reese. Sadie, in her wolf form, was chasing Reese when Mordecai found them. My nephew, in his heart of hearts, forgave Sadie and let her go unscathed after she was finally caught by Faolan.

Faolan came after a few minutes, followed by his beta, his young protege, and several other wolves in human form.

"Do you have something of his?" he asked.

I held up a shirt. "This is his. He wore this yesterday."

"This is ridiculous," said a male wolf. "We're to risk our lives for a vampire? What have vampires ever done for us?"

"He saved my life once," Faolan said, pointing at Mordecai. "He hasn't asked for anything in return."

"He doesn't need anything. He's a prince, for god's sake!"

"Be quiet, Justin," Faolan ordered. "Sadie, smell the shirt."

The girl took the shirt from me and inhaled it.

"Slightly musty," she said. "This definitely belonged to a teenage male, although there is faint female scent."

"That would be his girlfriend's scent," Louis said. Was it me, or did Sadie look slightly disappointed at the mention of a girlfriend?

"He uses Axe body wash," Sadie continued. "He showers every day and occasionally shaves."

"Occasionally? I have to shave every day," said another young male.

"There is also a paper smell," Sadie said.

"He likes to read," Mordecai informed her. "He's always got a book with him."

"The vampire has long black hair and yellow eyes," Faolan told the other wolves. "He is six feet tall and weighs approximately two hundred pounds, all in muscle. He is slender and tall. He also wears black clothing and heavy black boots. His skin is ivory. He has a large nose and a pointed chin. His girlfriend is short, approximately five foot three and weighs less than a hundred and thirty pounds. She is curvy, and has brown skin, curly brown hair, and bright green eyes. Her name is Sarah. Her safety is also of upmost importance, as is her sister's. Her sister is fourteen years old and has blond hair and blue eyes."

He continued to describe Sabine, and then Cirino, saying that the baby's safety was especially important.

"He can't speak yet, as he's only two months old. He is the biological son of Sarah. The biological father is not important, as he is dead. The baby and the two girls are at Ambrogio Nicolai's house, where from the boy was taken. It is about five minutes away by car, but we can make it there in ten minutes if we hoof it."

The wolves took off, Sadie leaving last with a longing look at Reese's shirt.

"Did anyone else see that?" Louis asked.

"I did," I said.

"As did I," Father replied.

"She wants him," Mordecai said. "She wants to take my son away from me!"

"Hush, Mordecai," Father said. "She merely feels for him. That could be a problem."

"How? He's obsessed with Sarah and only sees Sarah," Louis said.

"Not for him. For her. She is barking up the wrong tree, excuse the phrase. He is a vampire. Wolves and vampires do not mix well. Not only that, but she will be severely disappointed if she tells him her feelings."

"Remember Evan?" Louis said. "He was obsessed with Reese, even after they broke up. Reese turned him into a vampire, and they still had problems until Evan met Reid Lockhart. And then Reid dumped Evan."

"We don't want another Evan," I said.

We pondered what else this could mean.

"Could Sarah be in danger from Sadie?" Louis asked.

"Possibly," I said. "We really don't know Sadie that well."

"This is all my fault," Mordecai said, pacing again.

"Ow, ow," Louis said. "It feels like a clamp is around my skull." He doubled over. He ran outside and threw up. My concern for him outweighed my need to speak to my brother. I went outside to help him.

"Are you all right?" I asked.

"My stomach," he complained. He looked at me. "Dad...I think I have porphyrina."

"Soren!"

"Dad!"

I opened my eyes. "Did I faint?"

"You did," Father told me, kneeling over me. "Louis told us what happened. It's not serious. You know that, right?"

"First Reese, now Louis! I don't know what to think."

"Like I said, it's not serious. It's like Reese's. A subplot in the story of our lives."

"Reese's was serious."

"I know, but this isn't. Oh, Soren."

Mordecai was holding his sides and whining.

"Reese," he said softly. He missed his son. He was worried. I knew he was fearing the worst, and I also knew that Mordecai would be devastated if Reese died. I felt the same way about my son. My most precious treasure, besides my beloved nephew.

"I need a nap," Louis said, yawning.

"Then go to bed," I said. He glared at me, and I frowned at him.

"You know what? I will. Ow." He doubled over. "Porphyrina hurts. My gut feels like it's literally twisting and turning. Now I know how Reese felt when he had it."

Mordecai clutched his head and whined even louder.

"I will call Ethan Potter," Father said. "He has the antidote."

We had met Ethan, a vampire and a hospital nurse, the year before when he had been Reese's nurse. We became friends with him and now we pay him to assist us with our medical needs. He had also helped with Sarah's C-section when she had Cirino, which earned him a few more points.

"I need him," Mordecai said.

"We'll find Reese, Mordecai," I said.

"Yes, but I didn't mean him, although I need him more than anything. I was actually talking about Faolan."

"Faolan?"

"Soren, I...is it possible I'm like Reese? Bisexual?"

"You know as well as I do that many vampires are sexually ambiguous. It would not matter to me if your lover was an Elf, just as long as you were happy with him or her."

"Father doesn't think so."

"He knows as well as we do that homosexuality was prevalent in our ancestors. We were among the first Vikings, some of whom believed that homosexuality was normal. Hell, it occurs in over two hundred and fifty animal species, including dogs, penguins, and gazelles."

"For dogs it's a matter of dominance," Mordecai said. "With gazelles, it's only the females who hump each other during mating season. As for penguins, I did read about two male penguins who tried to hatch a rock together. They were given a real egg that the original parents couldn't hatch. The homosexual penguin couple managed to hatch her and cared for her as if she were their own."

He looked sick. "Soren, everything is my fault. Faolan...Reese...even Sarah and Sabine's predicament with their mother."

"Alicia threw herself to the dogs," I said. "Remember: she was an alcoholic for years, and only Becket Cresley could control her during a mood swing. She would have hit one of the girls eventually. I'm just sorry that none of us were there to stop her from assaulting Sarah."

"Toby was there," he said.

"Toby can't predict the future or see the present like you can."

Mordecai's gift is not prevalent, and it rarely occurs. He has the ability to see what is happening in the present, much like a seer who can only see what is happening in the moment. He rarely uses it, as he has a tendency to zone out and focus elsewhere other than where he is at that moment.

"I've tried to see Reese. Also...I gave up that power."

"What?"

"Do you remember the crazy half-Elf who tried to hold Reese hostage last year, Uriah Dreschler? I tracked him down and he took away my power."

"Mordecai, none of us would have asked you to do that."

"I know. But the fact of the matter is, it's pretty worthless. Sure, I've managed to save Reese a few times in the past because of it. But what if I'm too late because I'm so focused on the enemy and not him?"

"That's why you gave up your power?"

"There are many reasons why I gave up that power. Hell, I had to have a spy tell me where Reese was when Ambrose had him. And when Mathias captured him and took him to that beach, Reese had to contact me himself. The gift is only useful when our mental connection is strong. He was across the world during the Ambrose fiasco, and then he was unconscious for most of that little adventure with Mathias.

"Sure, a part of me still wishes I had it, because maybe he's closer this time and I can actually find him without help. But the chances of that are slim. Honestly, I feel much freer."

He sniffed the air. "The wolves are back."

"Already?" I opened the door as Faolan was just walking up the steps.

"Well, we lost his scent near the river. I did find a trail of blood, but it led nowhere."

Mordecai let out a distressed cry. "My baby! My baby is hurt! What have I done? What am I going to do?"

"Hold on," I said. I looked at Faolan. "Was it Reese's blood?"

He nodded gravely. Mordecai buried his head in his hands.

"He lost a lot of blood. I found a piece of his jeans," he said, holding up the darkened piece. Mordecai snatched it and smelled it.

"My son! He's hurt! If I find Torrance, I'll kill him!"

"Torrance?"

"Torrance is the name of the vampire that kidnapped Reese," I told Faolan.

"Faolan, I..." Mordecai trailed off. Faolan looked uncomfortable.

"Mordecai, let's talk in private," he said.

"Yes, we should," Mordecai agreed.

They had been talking for hours. The wolves tried to track down Reese again, to no avail. My worry was beginning to grow. I followed the trail myself; I got the same result. The blood led to the river, and then the scent disappeared.

What I thought was this: Reese had either managed to get away, or he was dragged by Torrance and dunked in the river to disguise his scent and wash the blood away. I could only imagine what horrible things were done to my nephew.

I sniffed around on the other side of the river. His scent was fainter here, but it was still there. I considered which way he might have gone. I sniffed around some more, and lost the trail. I sat back on my haunches and huffed. How could he have disappeared completely?

"Any luck?" I looked up. It was Toby.

"None," I told him. "Sniff around, see if you can find anything new."

He bent low to the ground, his nose working.

"What I think is this," he said, sitting up. "Reese either fell into the river or was dumped into the river. That's why his scent trail suddenly ends."

"I thought the same thing," I said. Toby sniffed the ground again.

"It's definitely him. There is also a faint female scent that smells like Sarah. He spends a lot of time with her."

He was right. Reese had been with the girl shortly before he was kidnapped.

I headed back to the house, defeated. Mordecai was sitting on the front porch, smoking a cigarette. I took one from his pack and lit up. I offered one to Toby, who politely refused.

Suddenly, Mordecai stood up and sniffed the air.

"It's him!" He started bouncing around. "Reese! He's back! REESE!"

We turned around. Alexander, who had been in the house, ran outside, followed by Father, Louis, and Spencer.

We stared as a lone figure appeared out of the woods across the road. It was Reese. He was stumbling, and I realized with horror that his right arm and left foot were missing. His dark matter was matted with blood. He stumbled across the road and into the yard, panting loudly, his fangs still out.

Faolan grabbed Mordecai around the waist before he could run to him.

"My baby," my brother whispered.

Reese made his way across the yard and stumbled into my brother's chest.

"Vampires...red eyes...other Reese..."

And then he fainted.

CHAPTER FIVE - REESE

The pain was unbelievable. I dreamed about darkness as I was unconscious.

After a few days, I woke up in bed. My arm and foot were still missing, and my shoulder and ankle hurt like hell. I was hungry, and my throat burned. I whimpered out, and Father was at my side in seconds.

"My baby," he said, nuzzling me. "My sweet baby." He held a straw to my lips. "Drink."

I sucked on the straw, enjoying the fresh blood. I winced and grimaced at the pain in my shoulder.

"Oh, baby," Father whispered. "My poor, sweet Reese."

I growled at him. He growled back.

"Sarah," I commanded.

"Rest," he commanded. "Eat. Drink. Sleep."

"Don't you dare hypnotize me."

"Don't tell me what to do." He and I frowned at each other. Then he smiled. "Someone missed you."

A large weight landed on my belly. Shadowfang sniffed me, then walked forward and gave me a kiss. He hissed at the sight of my shoulder.

I'm glad you're home.

"I'm glad to be home."

"Prince Mordecai?" Father turned to face Spencer. "We found Prince Reese's arm. We are still trying to locate his foot."

"Thank you, Spencer. Bring his arm to me."

I whimpered as my arm was reattached. Toby found my foot fifty yards away from my arm and brought it to Father.

Father held my arm in place until the all the skin and veins were reattached. I would have a bruise there for a while. I whimpered, licking my arm. Father leaned forward, and I growled at him. He growled back.

"Let me help."

He started licking my shoulder. His saliva helped soothe the ache.

"I need Sarah," I said.

"She's coming, Reese."

And she did. She sat beside me the next day. "Hey. How do you feel?"

"I'm in pain. A lot of pain. I was so scared, Sarah. I thought I'd lead him to you. I technically did. I'm so sorry."

"I'm confused now. What did he want?"

"To kill me." Father hissed at my answer. "To destroy me. To take over my life."

"Who was he?"

"He was another Reese. He looked exactly like me, except his eyes were a bit paler, more a creamier color than my bright yellow. Sarah, I was so scared. He tried to kill me, and then he and Torrance started arguing, and he tore off my arm and then my foot. I wandered around for a while, then jumped into a river to lead him off my scent. Then I wandered around some more. I was so hungry...so thirsty. I almost killed some female hikers. They saw my fangs and screamed, then one of them tripped and hurt her ankle."

Sarah didn't look scared, to my relief, merely concerned. "How long did you wander around?"

"I don't know. I lost track of time. I fell asleep once. I killed a buck and drank his blood. It was disgusting, but I was so hungry. I smelled the guards, and decided to head home. Then I smelled Uncle Soren, and I...I don't know. It felt like my heart constricted. I missed all of you, especially you and Alexander." Father hissed again. "Everything was muddled, and I could barely see when I started walking home. I was still hungry, and I was losing blood fast. When I saw my family, it was like being let go after someone tried to strangle me. I'm sorry, that's a bad analogy. I missed all of you."

Sarah kneeled by me and kissed me gently. "I'm so sorry that you had to go through all of that."

"Don't be. It was my own fault."

"Don't be silly, Reese," Father said. "None of it was your fault. It was mine."

Sarah kissed me again, petting Shadowfang, who settled himself on my chest. "Good boy, Shadow," she said. "Give him some lovies. He needs them."

"From you," I said. She pecked my lips. I growled and pulled her closer. I winced as I lifted my hurt arm. She put her hand on that arm and put it back down.

"Don't hurt yourself," she said.

"I need you," I rumbled. "My whole self needs you. It's been too long." I noticed Father quietly slip out the door. "Mine."

"And you're mine," she replied. I growled.

"Get on top of me," I ordered. She sat on the bed. I pulled her hips onto me. I growled again at feeling them. It had been too long since I'd seen, let alone touched, my favorite girl. I put one hand on her belly and another on her thigh. I flattened her against me. She squeaked at the sudden change in position. She rolled over, her legs around mine.

"You're frisky," she said.

"I haven't seen you in days. Seeing you now is like the first bite into good, warm blood. Or a drink of cold water."

She leaned forward and kissed me. "I won't have sex with you while you're hurt, but I will kiss you."

"Then kiss me."

We kissed some more.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I kept my arm in a sling during school hours. Several people asked me what happened, and I told them that I broke it after a fight. The most important people knew the truth. I told Duke Taylor and Noah Johnson, who were friends, the truth. I told Amara Ruick the truth. I still hated Mason Godfrey for saying that he'd fallen in love with Sarah.

"Reese, let's talk," he said as I slammed my locker shut.

"What's there to talk about?"

"Sarah. I mean, she's beautiful, and sweet, and smart, but she's not mine. She's yours. I know that. I know I have no claim to her."

"As long as you know that."

"I had no idea that Noah was crushing on Amara. If I had, I would have never said that I liked her."

"Did you not consider that lying about it could possibly hurt Amara, too?"

"I never did. I know I messed up. Honestly, I'd much rather be your friend than your rival. If that means letting go of Sarah, then I can do that."

"All right, I forgive you," I told him, smiling tersely. I was still on edge. He could have been lying, for all I knew.

Stop it. He's one of your best friends.

He said he loved Sarah. She's mine, and he knows that!

He said he's willing to let her go.

He's a male. A straight male. Sarah is a beautiful girl. He's going to steal her from me!

Mason said he'd rather be my friend than my rival.

I told the voice in my head to shut up and head to class.

I got a glimpse of Sarah. She looked amazing in a pair of skinny jeans and a light blue shirt tied at the side, revealing a strip of skin. On her feet, she were checkered Converse sneakers. Her makeup, always skillfully done, had a bit of shimmer in it today. Her hair was tied into its usual bun with a few strands hanging loose.

She was beautiful, sweet, intelligent. Her voice was like sweet music. Her singing voice was downright overwhelming.

"The Homecoming dance is coming up," she said. "Are you ready?"

"Always," I said. She smiled and continued to walk to her next class. Truthfully, I hadn't thought about it since she last mentioned it. Remembering our last dance, my stomach lurched. At the last Holiday Ball, Alexander had kidnapped her to get to me.

At the last school dance, Scarlett had been stripped of some of her magical knowledge by Mason. I smiled as I remembered that. The bitch looked so lost when she found that she couldn't remember how to perform a simple beauty spell.

Throughout the rest of the day, I was continually reminded of the dance during every break and lunch hour.

She was not the only excited girl. All the girls were talking about the dance, whether to insult it, talk about the dresses they would wear, or to talk about dates. Since Sarah was a cheerleader, she'd cheer at the game first, then quickly change into her dress and make herself smell nice.

Scarlett was the only girl who didn't talk about it. I knew she was thinking about the last dance she went to. And Jordan wasn't here. Now that she was friendless and sisterless, she had no potential dates.

She continued to glare at Sarah at every available opportunity. I knew she blamed her for everything.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Finally, the first football game of the season. Sarah appeared wearing her red and white cheerleader uniform, and the judges let her through for free. She'd complained to Sabine about having to wax her legs.

The players ran through the field, shouting the school Fight Song. I went through them by name. There was Caden Cartwright, Ethan Fitz, and so on. Michael Nales would be with them if he wasn't dead. Well, maybe not. He'd still be in jail for raping Sarah last November. At least, if I had anything to do with it, and if I hadn't asked Father to kill him. My father, the master of murder.

As the cheerleaders were named, they did a move. A herkie, a flip, a dance, a move. Sarah bounced and landed on her toes perfectly. She was the most beautiful. And then the band did a short number, and then the game started.

I looked around for Other Reese. He might have been there somewhere. Watching. Waiting. Waiting to make his move. He looked exactly like me, except for a scar on his chin that I had given him.

I noticed Mason at the gate, talking to Amara. I wondered what he was saying. I left my seat, much to the dismay of my neighbor, and made my way to the gate.

"I'm just saying, maybe he's not who you thought he was," Mason was saying.

"Shut up, you don't know anything. Besides, you had your chance," Amara said. Mason looked shocked. "I heard you and Reese the other day. You're only interested because you can't have Sarah. Speaking of Reese." She had noticed me, and Mason looked at me, terrified.

"Reese, I-"

"Shut it, Mason. I don't want to hear it."

Angry, I went back to my seat and watched Sarah perform a perfect routine.

We won, fifty six to forty two. I went down to the school building and waited for her with a bunch of other people. Mason, Amara, Noah, and Duke joined me shortly after.

"No Jody?" I joked.

"You know that bitch doesn't hang out with us anymore," Amara snapped. She winced. "Sorry."

Finally, the doors were unlocked, and we were able to get in. My sweet Sarah joined us shortly after, smelling of roses and amber and looking divine in a dark blue dress.

"Hello, everyone," she said, smiling. She was greeted with a vague acceptance. I growled, and Mason quickly said he was glad to see her. I growled again, and he looked at his feet.

We were let in, and I paid for everyone's entrance. Sarah took my arm, much to the dismay of several classmates, and she let me onto the dance floor, her flats clacking on the linoleum. The first song started playing, and I took her onto the dance floor and twirled her around.

"Ew, they're together?"

"That's so gross."

"He's the Lone Goth for a reason!"

"Not so alone anymore."

I smiled, a rare sight, and gripped her shoulders. She grasped me around the waist, and we danced, lost in each other's eyes. More and more people filled the floor, and more gossip started. I ignored it as I led her around, twirling her and swinging her from side to side.

I saw only her, felt only her. My love, already at peak proportions, increased.

"I love you," I told her.

"I love you, too," she said, standing on her toes and pecking my chin. She lost her shoe in the process, and while she fixed it, I looked around for any males who thought about taking her from me. I saw Elliot; Sarah had pointed him out to me earlier. He looked strangely heartbroken as he watched us. But Sarah had said that he had a girlfriend. Why should he be jealous?

His girlfriend was a bit smaller than him, but still heavyset, like him. Her name was Britt. She tilted his head to face her, and asked him something. He responded, and she looked angry for a second, then kissed him.

I held Sarah again, who was looking at me worriedly. I danced with her for a few more songs, and then she went to get some water. I found a chair and sat down. I looked around. My usual group was towards the back, close to where Sarah and I were.

I saw Evan Byrd with a guy I'd never seen before. He looked like he was having fun. He saw me and came over to me.

"How are you?" he asked.

"I'm all right. How are you?" I asked.

"I'm good. Oh, this is Alex. Alex, this is my ex, Reese."

Alex shook my hand, looking suspicious. He had dark blond hair, blue eyes, and had a muscular form.

"So you're the guy who took Evan from me?" he said.

"I'm sorry?" I replied as Even nudged him.

"Alex, that was a long time ago. Get over it. Oh, Sarah's back."

"Hi, Evan," she said cheerfully.

"Hello, Sarah," he said. He looked at Alex. "Sarah is Reese's girlfriend."

"Oh, so you left me for a straight guy?"

"Bisexual," I corrected. Alex blushed.

"Well, we should go. It was nice seeing you," Evan said. "See you later, Sarah."

"That was weird," Sarah said when they were out of earshot.

"Very," I said.

Elton John started singing, so I led her back to the dance floor. She'd added more shimmer to her shoulders, which made them more beautiful. More people gawked at us. It was odd. Before she'd been raped, I never thought I'd have a chance. Now were were almost a year into our relationship, and I loved her unconditionally, and she loved me, even though I wasn't her typical guy.

She was pop music, I was goth rock. She was a human, I was a vampire. She knew I'd never purposely hurt her.

"Why is Soren here?" she asked.

"Huh?" I turned around. My uncle was at the entrance, talking to Principal Turner. "I'd better see what this is about."

I walked over to the adults. Uncle Soren saw me.

"Reese! Thank Odin you're okay!" He hugged me.

"Okay, what's going on?" I asked.

"Another you has been spotted. I thought it was you at first, but his scent wasn't right."

I felt cold. He was here? Here, as in, close to Sarah?

I turned, looked around.

"What was he doing?" I asked.

"Talking with Mason. He asked him if he knew you, and Mason asked him if he was your twin. He said he was."

"I don't have a twin, do I?"

"No, you don't. If I'm being honest, Louis and I think he's a doppelganger. He's from another dimension, another universe."

I knew he was from another dimension. He was actually me, from another universe.

"Mr. Emerson, I assure you, he will not get close to Reese," Principal Turner said. "The safety of our students is our most important mission."

I looked at Uncle Soren. He mouthed that he'd explain later. Then his eyes widened, and I heard Sarah make a noise. I turned, saw her on the ground, and flitted over to her. Amara was already helping her up.

"What happened?" I demanded, holding Sarah close.

"A guy in a hood asked her if she'd be willing to go with him. When she refused, he pushed her," Amara explained. "When he noticed you coming, he took off.

I tipped Sarah's chin up. Her eyes were shining. I kissed her eyes, then looked around for him. I noticed a hooded figure standing in the corner. I looked at Uncle Soren, and he and Principal Turner made their way through the crowd to confront him.

"Are you hurt?" I asked, sniffing her hair.

"My butt hurts now," Sarah said.

"This isn't funny," I growled. "If he approached you again, and I'm not there, whistle. Although, I won't leave your side again. When you want to go home, give me the word and I'll walk you to your car."

I took her to a chair, where she doubled over and leaned against me. I held her, and she closed her eyes. My Belle.

Soon enough, the dance was over, and I walked Sarah to her car. Principal Turner and Uncle Soren were still talking to the hooded figure.

I took Sarah to her car, kissed her, then watched as she drove away. My instincts said to chase after her, so I got into my new GT-R and followed her, sighing because I missed my Chevrolet Astro.

I followed her to Alexander's house, where she got out, grabbed her stuff, and let herself in.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I worked like crazy on Saturday. Father was planning to move Emerson's Electronics into the mall, so we were having a closing sale. Everything was ninety percent off. I told him he was crazy, and he thumped me on the nose.

Richard, our full-time employee, was working his tail off. Richard had worked for Radio Shack for thirty years until that particular location closed down, and then he worked in the electronics section of a Walmart before he came to work for my father.

We were also hiring a few new employees, so Father was interviewing them in his office. In the midst of the chaos, Richard waved me over to the register. When you see Richard, picture a tall black bald man in his fifties.

"What's up?" I asked, looking between him and the customer.

"This guy doesn't know what he's talking about!" the customer screamed. "I am the owner's son!"

"I have a brother?!"

The customer took off, muttering the n-word under his breath.

"Don't call him that!" I shouted. "And don't come back!"

"It's okay, Reese. I'm used to racism," Richard told me.

"It is most certainly not okay. Racism is never okay. If he comes back, call me over and I'll take care of it."

"Thank you, Reese."

Toby entered the store, looking nervous.

"Hey, Tobe, what's up?" I asked him.

"Reese...it's about Sarah," he said. He glanced around, then pulled me into a corner.

"Is she hurt?"

"No, nothing like that. But the Other Reese has been harassing her. She knew it wasn't you, because of the scar you gave him. He's been pestering her to go out with him."

"Where is she now?"

"She's with Master Alexander and Dimitri."

I cursed under my breath. "Hold on, I need to talk to Father."

I knocked on his office door.

"Come in," he said. I opened the door and whispered in his ear, ignoring the nervous female candidate. "Hmm. Go see her. Richard and I will hold up the fort here." He smiled at the candidate. "Maybe this will be a chance to show me how you handle customers."

"Richard, I have to go," I said. "Will you be okay by yourself for a few minutes?"

"Of course. Go right ahead."

Toby ran, while I took the car.

She was sitting on her desk, typing away on her laptop.

"Hey, handsome," she said without looking up.

"Hey, gorgeous," I replied. "What are you doing?"

"I have this stupid paper due on Tuesday. 'Name the Main Topics of Interest During the Spanish Civil War.' How freaking easy. All I have to do is look through the book and Google. And then I have a crossword due on Monday. How dumb. Crosswords are for elementary school kids, not high schoolers."

"I agree," I said. "What do they expect to do? How do they expect us to act when we're treated like little kids?"

"Exactly! I feel sorry for Sabine; she's gotten really behind. Math is hard for both of us, but especially for her."

"I could tutor her."

"You're sweet. She'd love that. Alexander loses his temper when he tries to help, and Zie doesn't explain it very well."

I found Sabine in her room, playing around on Facebook.

"Hi, Reese," she said, glancing back at me.

"Hey, Sabine," I said. "Sarah mentioned that you needed some homework help?"

"Sarah! But yeah, I could use some help."

She pulled out her math book.

"Stupid fractions make my head hurt," she said. "Were fractions hard for you?"

"When I was first studying them, my uncle had to explain them to me. It's easier than you might think. This number is called the numerator, and the number on the bottom is the denominator."

I walked Sabine through her homework, and then helped her figure out a system for getting homework done. When I finished, she gave me a hug.

"You're the best boyfriend of my sister ever," she said.

"That's good to hear," I said, hugging back.

She and I headed into Sarah's room.

"Bean, you're not allowed in my room," Sarah said.

"I thought that was only when Reese was over," Sabine said sarcastically.

"Did you know that walking into your sister's or brother's room carries a hefty fine in some countries?"

"Does it really?" I asked.

"I don't know; I just made it up."

She turned back to us. "Well, that stupid paper is almost done, and now I have the rest of today and all of tomorrow to finish that stupid crossword."

"I thought that was just for extra credit," Sabine said.

"It's not. It's an actual assignment. Bean, can you give me and Reese some privacy?"

"Whatever." Sabine rolled her eyes and left.

I shut the door behind her, my eyes darkening.

"Reese, we need to talk," Sarah said.

"Oh, we'll talk," I growled. I picked her up off the chair and kissed her hard. She kissed back.

"The Other...oh...Reese...ouch, that hurt...came by and tried to get me to dump you."

"You won't, though, will you?" I said, my hand down her shorts.

"Of course not. He has some kind of ability...ouch, not so hard...to twist minds to his will."

"That's odd," I said. She gripped my neck, huffing and puffing deliciously. My fangs grew, scraping her neck. I wanted so very much to bite her and turn her. But if I did that, Alexander would kill me.

My belly twisted as she unbuttoned my jeans and traced her finger from my pelvis up to my navel.

"I love you," I said.

"I love you, too," she replied. I purred. I gripped her arms and threw her onto her back on the bed. I tore her shorts off, then her tank top. "Sorry," I grumbled. She looked terrified.

"Reese..."

"Sarah." My voice became husky and deeper. She was mine. Yes, mine.

My female. My mate. MINE!

I crawled on top of her. Stomach quivering with anticipation, I laid myself on her and ravished her.

"There's a little hair on your belly," she said.

"Huh?" I looked down. Huh. I had a new happy trail on my stomach. I'd never noticed it before. My six-pack was still there, thankfully.

"You are the most perfect male specimen," she purred. I rumbled, glad to hear that. "You have just the right amount of hair on your tummy, perfect eyebrows, dark eyelashes, intense, beautiful eyes, perfect long hair, a nice Roman nose, bow-shaped lips, a pointed chin, and the most perfect chest."

"You are the most perfect female specimen. Your hair is long and curly, a nice shade of brown with flecks of blond, beautiful minty green eyes, a cute button nose, full lips, amazing curves, the perfect chest, a soft, curved tummy, a very cute butt, and amazingly muscular and curvy legs with tiny feet and hands. Did I mention your green eyes and curly hair?"

She giggled. "I think you have a nice butt, too."

I leaned down and kissed her. I focused on her tummy, namely, her navel. I licked her trail from her pelvis to her navel, nipping it a bit. I marked her as mine. The way she screamed my name will forever be music to my ears.

CHAPTER FIVE - DOPPELGANGER

He was stalking her. I knew it as he watched her take her top off. It was the next day, and the Other Reese was here, watching Sarah undress. I prepared to pounce. Suddenly, I was grabbed around the waist. I kicked and fought, attempting to bite whoever had me.

"Hush, hush," he said.

"Ambrose?" I said. "I thought you were in Germany."

"I had heard that you went missing. I had to see if you were okay. This...I've never seen this before. Do you have a twin?"

"No," I said, glaring at Other Reese. "He's a doppelganger."

"He exudes danger. Stay down; I will question him."

Ambrose carefully walked up to Other Reese. Other Reese spotted him.

"There you are, Torrance! Where is Reese?"

"Torrance?" Ambrose was puzzled. "I'm not Torrance." Other Reese squinted at him.

"You look a lot like him, except your eyes are violet."

It was true. I'd never noticed it before, but Ambrose and Torrance looked a lot alike.

Ambrose grabbed Other Reese by the arm and dragged him over.

"I got him," he said.

I was surprised again as members of my family appeared beside me.

"Where did you all come from?" I said.

"We've been here for a few minutes," Uncle Soren replied. Father went over to me and sniffed me all over.

"Did he hurt you?"

"I'm not hurt," I said.

"What the fuck is going on?" Other Reese snapped. "How the hell did you find me?"

"We figured you'd want to find Reese any way you could, even if it meant going through her," Louis said, gesturing toward Sarah's window.

"You used my girlfriend as bait?" I snapped. Louis avoided my eyes. "How long has this been going on?"

"Reese, she agreed to it," Alexander said, coming up to me. "We talked to her yesterday after you left. She was to get his attention any way she could, and she did. She did it for you."

I grumbled. Even Sarah wasn't telling me things. I found that aggravating.

Louis sniffed Other Reese. "He's definitely a doppelganger. He came from another universe."

"Balderdash," Alexander retorted. "Fancy children's fiction. Mordecai had an illegitimate child with my sweet Marina and gave him up for adoption because he could not care for both boys."

We all stared at him.

"Fuck this, I'm getting out of here," Other Reese said. He kicked Ambrose in the knee, causing him to let go, and Other Reese started running toward the woods. Alexander and Ambrose went after him.

"The fact that I have a secret twin actually makes more sense," I said.

"Reese," Father said, "I swear to you, there was no twin. Only you. I helped deliver you. There was only one baby that Marina gave birth to that day on the first of October."

"That she gave birth to," I said. "But how many more were in her womb? A dozen? Two dozen?"

"That's enough, Reese. There was just you. I promise on my mother's ashes."

"You cannot promise that, because there was a second baby, one way or another," Uncle Soren said. "Whether he's a secret baby or if he's from another dimension, there is a second Reese somewhere."

I paced and huffed. "Why me?"

"If he is from another universe, he needs to kill you to survive," Louis said. "There can't be two Reeses, one will cancel out the other one; like fire and water."

"Well, he didn't get far," Alexander said, dragging the Other Reese back with Ambrose. "He's just as feisty as our Reese."

"Fuck everyone," Other Reese quipped. "I don't need this. Let me go!"

"We have to decide what to do with him," Alexander said.

"What's going on?" said a high-pitched female voice.

"Sarah!" I pounced and kissed her. "Thank the gods that you're okay!"

"Of course I am," she squeaked. "I'd do anything for you."

"Gag me," Other Reese said.

"Kill him," I commanded.

"We can't," Louis said. "If he dies, you'll die."

Silence.

"Oh my," Alexander said. "That is quite a pickle."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

We took Other Reese and kept him in the dungeon. He was brought small animals to eat, and his bed was a worn mattress.

Sarah and I had a long discussion about her risking her life for me. I told her that no one is worth her risking her life, and she told me that there were a few exceptions. People that she loved unconditionally, namely, Sabine, Mother, myself, and Alexander.

I went down to the dungeon. Other Reese had clearly been crying.

"Look at me," I ordered. He glared at me. "Why did you leave?"

"My father hates me," he said. "So does my boyfriend, and my mother. I needed to leave. I tried to kill myself, but I couldn't. Then I came across a warlock who was opening a portal to this world. I asked him if I could enter it, and he said yes." He chuckled. "What's the point? I should have just killed myself anyway. I should, but I can't leave my family and boyfriend without knowing where I went."

"You mentioned that you had two fathers," I said.

"Yes. Mordecai and Alexander."

Trying to hold down last night's dinner, I asked the next question. "And your mother, does she-"

"He. There are no females where I come from. They're mostly myth. Mordecai gave birth to me."

I looked back at Father. He looked both green and intrigued.

"The fight...it's not worth going into. The point is, I left, and now I wish I was dead."

Father looked concerned. He wrapped his ams around me and kissed my head.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Another week passed with nothing happening. We continued to give Other Reese small animals and occasionally human blood. My eighteenth birthday was coming up. I told Father not to make a big deal out of it, but of course, he ignored me. I was content with spending time with my girlfriend and family, but of course, he had to throw a ball.

He booked a room at the most expensive hotel in town, and had me fitted for a tuxedo. My hair was shined and oiled, my chin shaved. Father ordered a limo delivered, and wouldn't even let me ask Alexander if I could borrow his Bugatti.

Alexander was still depressed about Mother leaving. We all missed her. We had hit a dead end when the guys lost her scent trail near a car dealership.

Sarah cried sometimes. She thought I didn't know, but I could smell her leftover tears. She missed both her mothers. She needed mine because her biological mother could not be trusted to care for her. She was taken to a fitting by myself and Zie, who was very critical about the dresses that Sarah tried on.

I handed Sarah a stack of dresses to try on. I heard her whimpering and making noises as she tried on each gown.

"I wish Marina was here," she said.

Finally, she emerged from the dressing room wearing a sparkly red dress that made my eyes shrivel up at the sheer gorgeousness. It accentuated her curves nicely, hugged her thin waist without being tight, showed off just enough cleavage, and made her butt look amazing. A growl began in my throat as I stared at her ass.

I noticed Zie frowning at me out of the corner of my eye.

"You like that one?" she asked Sarah.

"This is the one," Sarah confirmed. She slipped back into the dressing room to put her regular clothes back on. She came out with an armful of rejects and the red dress in the other arm. The girl at the counter took the rejects, and we went to pay.

As soon as I paid, I took Sarah's hand and led her into a tea shop. She ordered mango bubble tea, while Zie ordered sweet tea. I just had water.

"Any luck?" Sarah asked.

"No," I sighed, before something caught my nose's attention. Someone I knew was here. Someone I hadn't seen in a while. Sarah's eyes went wide as she looked behind me, then she jumped up and walked forward.

I turned around. Mother was here.

"Hello, my babies," she said. She sat between me and Sarah. She gave me a big hug, then handed Sarah a tissue. "Do not cry, love. I am here to celebrate Reese's upcoming birthday."

"Where have you been?" I asked.

"Here and there. I talked to the cell phone company, and they said that Selena called from a prepaid phone. We tracked it, but she buried the phone." Her eyes shined. "My daughter is still out there, and she needs me. Just like my human daughter needs me." She hugged Sarah again. "I realized that it was foolish to leave like that, so I came back right away. I'm glad I did. My other children need me. Besides, I do not know if that really was Selena. Like Alex-" She paused, and swallowed. "Like my love said, it could have been a fake. We thought we saw Selena die twenty three years ago."

As soon as we arrived home, Alexander's jaw dropped. Then he and Mother ran toward each other, just like in a movie, and embraced each other, kissing furiously.

"Forgive me, my love," Alexander said inbetween kisses.

"No, forgive me," Mother said.

"I already have." They kissed. Then Mother hugged Sarah and me some more, then asked about Cirino. She went up to see him.

He was sleeping, but he woke up when she entered the room.

"Hello, baby," she cooed. She picked him up. "Did you miss Mommy? She's sorry she left." He yawned and went back to sleep.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I saw Mason again at a coffee shop, talking to Rouge, a redheaded fairy that had shown an interest in our friend Noah.

Sighing, I gave mine and Sarah's job application to the lady behind the Customer Service desk at the used bookstore. If I was going to open my own bookstore, I needed experience, and Sarah needed money. The Cresley debt was slowly being paid off, thanks to Alexander, Mother, and Father.

Sarah had been looking around for another job, one that she was happier in. She was both extremely beautiful and extremely knowledgeable about the videogame and movie industry, which got her a lot of male attention, which in turn made me jealous. I was starting to see every male that spoke to her as a rival.

I growled at the thought, then growled again as I saw an attractive male behind the desk.

"Hello," he said as I handed him the papers. His eyes widened. "You know Sarah Cresley?"

"Yes," I said, tense. "She's my girlfriend."

Did he look disappointed? I hated to find out.

I walked into the coffee shop where Mason and Rouge were, asking for a water.

"Yeah...um..." Mason's voice became cold and stuttery. I glanced back. He'd seen me. Resisting the urge to bare my teeth at him, I sat down in a private spot and pulled out a book. I started to smell sweat. I relished in his fear. Even though I was enjoying his fear, it took all I had in me not to chase him down and rip him apart. He had said that he loved Sarah. She was mine. Not his.

"What's wrong?" Rouge said, touching Mason's hand. He pulled away. She looked angry. "Mason, we agreed. I would help you make that bitch jealous, and you help me make Noah jealous."

Huh. Too easy. She had to know I was there. What "bitch" was she talking about?

"Rouge, I...I don't think this is a good idea."

"Why? Because that vampire is watching your every move? You can take him."

"He wants to rip my guts out."

"So what? A little fire, a little titanium, and he's dead. Problem solved. She'll be all yours."

Sarah?!

"Seriously, shut up. I'm not going to kill him. I know he hates me right now, but I still consider him my friend. I'd rather lose her than him. He helped me realize what a huge mistake I was making with Scarlett. I'd probably be dead if it wasn't for him." He gave me a small nod.

"And he still wants to kill you."

"If I could take it back, I would. Sarah belongs to him, not to me. I couldn't help what I was feeling. She's so beautiful and innocent and sweet...she's not at all like I thought she was. She's not one of those clones she hangs out with."

"All those girls are whores. Sarah's probably fucking another guy behind Reese's back right now."

I sat straight up.

"Rouge, that's not true, and you know it. She adores him. She thinks he's the best thing ever."

"And how do you know this?"

"Because I...because I talked to her. I messaged her on Facebook. She said she wants to stay friends."

"Yet she also said she finds you attractive."

"No, she didn't."

"Yes, she did. Don't be stupid, Mason. She wants you to throw her to the floor and fuck her senseless."

That was my job!

I shot up like a rocket, packed up, and flitted out the door. I ran to Alexander's house, breathing hard.

"Where is Sarah?!" I said, barging in.

"Sarah?" Mother looked confused. "She's out with her study friend. Elliott, I think his name is."

Elliott. The overweight guy who was secretly in love with Sarah.

"Reese, what's wrong?" Mother asked.

"I...I need some air." I flitted back out the door, Mother following me out into the yard. I felt someone pounce on me from the side. "Alexander, let me go!"

"No! You're stressed, you're angry, you're jealous! What's wrong with you?"

"Sarah's cheating on me!"

"What?"

I explained the conversation I'd overheard. To my surprise, both of them smiled.

"She was trying to get you riled up," Mother said. "You know Sarah would never cheat on you."

"That doesn't mean that she hasn't thought about it! Can either of you read her mind?"

Both their smiles disappeared.

"I need to find Sarah."

I kept running. I don't know how far I ran, until I got a whiff of her scent. Tears in my eyes, I followed the scent to a house in a suburban neighborhood. A few sniffs told me that she was here with Elliott. I climbed a tree, looking for her. There she was, in a room with him. She was pressing some piano keys, and he was guiding her. This looked familiar. Too familiar. I had seen her doing this with Eric Martin.

She was cheating on me.

CHAPTER SIX - IT'S OVER

I sipped a glass of blood. It was my eighteenth birthday, and we were at the most expensive hotel in town. I got a lot of happy birthdays, a lot of greetings.

"Merry birthday, Prince Reese," said a vampire I'd never met.

"Thank you," I said. He nodded and left me.

I stood over by the table holding the food. I looked around. Sarah was stunning in her sparkly red dress. She was mingling like a real princess, telling everyone who asked who she was. My girlfriend.

I noticed several males eyeing her. Who wouldn't? Her curves were amazing, her hair was curly and soft, her eyes sparkled, her lips were red and full and pouty. Her nails painted dark burgundy, her feet wearing stilettos. She was a tease. I squeezed my glass so hard that it cracked. She was teasing me, even now.

"Reese, what's wrong?" Father asked. I told him what I'd overheard Mason and Rouge saying and what I'd seen. To my surprise, he smiled. "That doesn't mean she's cheating on you. Now get yourself under control. It's almost time for the gift presentation."

I took a deep breath and followed him to the center of the room, where a boy was wheeling in a large cart with a large object on it.

"Happy eighteenth birthday, son," Father said, lifting the cover. It was a piano.

"Thank you, Father," I said. "It's beautiful." And it was. The dark wood shined, the keys were perfectly placed, the pedals were turned just right.

Clapping ensued, and I was presented with more gifts. A new bookshelf from Uncle Soren, a rare book collection about vampire history from Louis, a set of art from Grandfather, and so on. When Sarah presented me her gift, she was graceful.

"It's not as nice as I'd like it to be," she said. "But here." It was a drawing of us, entwined in the grass, me wearing a shirt and trousers and her wearing a beautiful gold dress.

"Thank you," I said, trying not to tear up. "It's beautiful." I hugged her, and she hugged back. "I'll frame it and put it up where I can always see it." The vampires around us chittered.

"A drawing?"

"Is she poor?"

"Why a human, anyway?"

I ignored them. Maybe I was overreacting. She'd always wanted to learn piano, and after the incident with Eric, she obviously couldn't go back to him. I pressed a soft kiss into her hair, letting all the others know that I was happy with her.

"How sweet."

I hissed at the voice, then gasped. "You!"

Rouge smiled. "Yes. Me. I hope I'm not crashing anything. I mean, it's only a party."

I tilted my head toward her. Toby and Spencer reacted, grabbing Rouge by the arms and dragging her out.

"Tell Sarah what you saw!" she shouted.

"What did she mean?" Sarah asked.

"I'll tell you later," I hissed.

"Just a slight hiccup. It has been taken care of," Father said. That was the cue to ignore what just happened. Then he sidled up to me. "Reese, who was that?"

"That was Rouge," I told him.

"The fairy? Ah. Well, carry on."

Rouge was gone, but the mood was ruined. Vampires kept giving me gifts, I continued to thank them. A new set of sheet music, a few new books, a new Jeep (yes, a Jeep), a container of rare type AB blood, a set of gold coins, a ticket to see a movie shoot, some ceramic vases, another bookshelf, a Valentino leather jacket, a star in my name, a new ebony table, a tree in the Amazon rainforest, and it continued with expensive gifts. When mega-rich vampires get together, they always have to one-up each other, especially when it comes to the royal family.

"I hope you'll consider donating to my charity," said a female vampire, handing me a black dresser. Of course. That was all they wanted. Money and power. They didn't give a damn about me or my family.

Raquieca, Rainess, and Rebeka, my cousins, were also here. They were the daughters of Grandfather's younger brother Sven and his wife Helga. Sven was dead now, but Helga and her daughters continued to live. And they enjoyed being related to royalty. I didn't like or trust Raquieca, as she had insulted my mother in the past, insulted Sarah, and was there when my sister Selena was killed, or so I'd heard. Rainess was nice, and Rebeka was okay. Their mother Helga was a witch with a capital B.

Helga had bought me a complete Halloween series, and Raquieca had gotten me a book on frogs. Nice low insult. Rebeka got me a complete office desk and chair set, which was much nicer than my current desk.

To my horror, Rosita Bleedfellows, a blond vampire who had once asked for my hand in marriage, was there.

"Hello, Reese," she said. "Happy birthday."

"Thank you," I said, looking at my father and uncle, who both looked as horrified as I felt.

"I have a gift for you," she said. "Follow me outside."

I did, followed by the party. Beside my new Jeep, (which was a gift from my great-aunt Elsa), was a brand-new Lexus.

"It's nice," I said. "Thank you."

"You're welcome," she said, handing me the keys. I tossed the keys to Toby.

"Nice color," he said sarcastically. The Lexus was a crimson red. Like Rosita's lipstick.

"I wouldn't expect you to understand, given your history as a slave," Rosita quipped. Toby frowned; Spencer glared at her.

"A slave?" someone asked. "And he works for the royal family?"

"Well, given the color of his skin-"

"Toby is the best guard we have, and one of my best friends," I said out loud. "Watch who you insult, Rosita." She frowned. I noticed Father smiling at me. Uncle Soren gave me a thumbs-up.

Overall, the party ended on an okay note. Everyone knew that I was the prince, that I was a strong prince, and I could stand up for myself and anyone I cared about.

It was a job hauling all the presents home, but it was accomplished. Toby drove the Lexus, and Spencer drove the Jeep. A truck was rented for the piano.

"Happy birthday, Reese," Uncle Soren said.

"Thanks," I said, leaning against Sarah, who was half-asleep. Mother beamed at me from the other side.

"I'm so proud of you for standing up to that witch," she said. "No woman like her is fit for my sons!" She glanced at Sarah, who was now wide awake.

"Huh?"

"That Rosita woman wanted to marry Reese," Marina said.

"She asked me out one night while we were watching wrestling," I said. Sarah frowned.

"Doesn't she know that you're mine?" she said possessively. I growled.

He won't be for long, Father thought to me. Reese, we've been observing her behavior. Soren, Marina, and I agree: she isn't cheating on you.

Father, I can handle this myself.

Clearly, you can't. Just talk to her about it.

No way!

Don't be stubborn.

He and I glared at each other for a minute.

If I'm wrong, I'll admit it.

To everyone.

Yes, fine.

Watch your tone.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I got my chance to talk to Sarah two days later after school had ended. For once, she had a free afternoon.

"So, I got a new piano," I said.

"I saw that, she said, sipping her green tea. "It's a beautiful instrument."

"Yes, it is. I know that you've been wanting to restart your piano lessons after we finally got rid of Eric Martin."

"Ugh, don't remind me. That was a nightmare. And I already have, sort of. Elliott's teaching me."

"I noticed."

"Huh?"

"I saw you with him. The other day."

"The only way you could have seen us is if-" Her eyes widened. "You were in that oak tree?"

"I was. Sarah, is there something I should know?"

"Well, no..."

"You hesitated."

"Well, yeah, because you were stalking me! What am I supposed to think?"

"Rouge told me that you cheated on me!"

"What?! And you believed her? She and I hate each other, Reese!"

"I'm starting to wonder. Just how many enemies do you have?"

"Not as many as you!" she cried.

"That may be true, but how many? Just Rouge? Just Scarlett? Just Jordan?""

"Don't say that bitch's name! It was because of you that she got away!"

"You're the one who went with her on that bridge!"

"She's a vampire and a witch! What was I supposed to do?"

"Contact me? Send me a mindlink?"

"What?"

"We're supposed to have a mindlink! We're soulmates, and we've had sex!"

"But we're not married yet! Frankly, I don't want to get married."

I was stunned. "You don't want to marry me?"

"Not yet. I've told you before, I need a few years. I'm going to move to Los Angeles and go to school there."

"I can't spend too much time in the sun."

"Well, I can."

"Sarah, are we in a fight?"

"I'd say we are."

We glared at each other for a moment. Then Sarah spoke up.

"I'm beginning to wonder if you were crazy all along."

"You're one to talk! You are a thief!"

"You're a killer and a blood-drinker! You killed Michael Nales!"

"I didn't, but I did ask Father to kill him. He raped you! He got you pregnant!"

"The worst thing that's ever happened to me turned into the best thing that's ever happened to me! I love Cirino!"

"So do I, but his father nearly killed you!"

"It's not his fault! He's just a baby! He can't even talk yet, and you're blaming him for what happened to me!"

"He was supposed to be my son! Not Nales'!"

"Do you know who you sound like right now?"

"Alexander has every right to hate my father!"

"I'm not saying he doesn't!"

We both paused.

"Sarah, did you cheat on me?"

"No, I didn't."

"I don't believe you."

"Then we need to rethink this relationship."

"I agree. Heck, we've broken up at least two or three times already. Why not break up again?" I said sarcastically.

"We've broken up three times. And this time, you've gone too far. It's over for good, Reese."

She started packing up her stuff.

"Are you leaving?"

"Yeah. Goodbye, Reese."

"Good riddance."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I tried to convince myself that I felt better. I tried not to be sad or angry with myself. I tried to convince myself that I was right. But inside, I knew I wasn't. But I was too stubborn. Besides, like she'd said, we'd broken up too many times. Each time was because of something I'd done, or didn't do.

This time, it was also my fault, another reason why I wasn't banging on her door and begging her to take me back. I knew that I'd screwed up again, this time for good. But at the same time, a small part of me didn't want to go back to her.

She has too many problems.

I was her boyfriend. I'm supposed to help her work through them.

I have my own problems to deal with. I don't need hers as well.

She was playing the piano with another male; a male who has a crush on her.

She can't control how other people feel about her. She's sweet, smart, funny, and drop-dead gorgeous.

She is such a flirt sometimes.

Only with me.

Did she change her Facebook relationship status to single? Oh my gods, she did!

She'd changed her relationship status to "single".

Reese and I broke up for good this time. I'm now single again!

What the? Oh my god...two marriage proposals already? And one of them is from Caden Cartwright!

Caden Cartwright. The golden boy. Popular, rich, hot. His comment literally said "so now that you're single, want to go out?" She responded with a laughing emoji comment and said "give me a little time, Caden." And then a winking emoji. Oh gods. She was already flirting with Cartwright. The ultimate rival.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

The next school day, she arrived at school wearing a tight red dress, leggings, and high-heeled boots. She was trying to show me that she was okay. I knew that if I showed weakness, I'd never live it down.

At lunch, I sat with Duke, Amara, and Noah as usual. Mason sat by himself in a corner of the room. He was avoiding us. Amara talked endlessly about Cole Powers, her new boyfriend, and Noah bragged about scoring hard-to-get concert tickets for a popular rock band. He gave me one as a belated birthday present. I thanked him. Duke told a couple of crappy jokes and talked about trying to hook up with Aubrey Wolfe. She had rejected him so many times, and yet he was convinced that she was secretly in love with him. Amara told him that he was contributing to rape culture, and they got into a heated argument about it.

I looked around for someone else to talk to. There was nobody else I really cared about who had the same lunch hour. I noticed Scarlett, who was eating by herself in a corner. Well, not really eating, more like picking at her food. She was alone, as usual. She had gone from the top to the bottom in less than a year. Her sister wasn't really her sister, she had lost all her friends, and now her parents were angry with Mason and his parents.

It really was all Mason's fault. If he'd left well enough alone, I'd be with Sarah, and he'd be with one of the Hart sisters.

I had to talk to him, make him see reason. And I had to talk to Rouge; find out if there was another reason why she was being such a bitch.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I started strumming along, enjoying the feel of the guitar strings beneath my fingers. I couldn't remember the last time I'd gotten out my old acoustic guitar. I'd found it in the basement, along with a bunch of other stuff from my childhood.

I started humming the tune to "Sarah's Song". She was still on my mind, of course. I started thinking about another song. I had started to write a song for Evan, titled "I'm Sorry". He deserved that at least. I'd gotten him into the vampire life, and he didn't even know vampires existed. It took Sarah only a couple months to discover what it had taken him over a year to figure out. Our relationship had only lasted five months, and we were five months broken up when I'd changed him.

I was so careful around Evan, because truthfully, he didn't matter that much to me. I knew what I did to him was hurtful and wrong, and I'd made things worse when I introduced him to Reed Lockhart, who had dumped him shortly after. Another thing that was my fault. I sighed and took a deep breath. I started humming out a melody, then shook my head. It sounded too much like "Breathe For Me" by Deadstar Assembly.

I took another deep breath and tried again. This time sounded different, but the melody wasn't quite right. It didn't fit the lyrics I had in my head.

"Reese, are you coming?" Father asked.

"To where?" I replied.

"There's a ritual fight tonight, between Soren and that werewolf, Damon Sage."

"I thought he was over Ariella."

"Oh no," Father said, shaking his head. "If I know your uncle, he's still moping about it."

"Why Damon Sage?" I asked. "Ariella chose a major jerk over Uncle Soren. Not that I approved of their relationship, anyway."

"Yes, Ariella chose her side. However, this is about more than a female. Soren insulted Damon's family line, and of course he feels slighted because we generally don't trust werewolves."

"I don't understand."

"Damon's part of the reason why Math..." He swallowed. "He's part of the reason why Mathias came here. He told him where we lived, which is how you were kidnapped."

"I still don't understand. How did they meet?"

"It's a long story, one that I'd rather not get into right now. Get your boots on, we're leaving pretty soon."

As we started the run to the pack territory, I turned to Uncle Soren.

"You realize he's my age and a lot smaller than you?"

"Yes, I'm aware of that."

"Just checking." Unless Damon had some kind of superpower, my uncle was going to win this fight.

Minutes later, we came onto the pack territory. Faolan was standing there with Sadie, Damon, and Ariella.

"Reese," said my ex-best friend.

"Spears." Can you tell I was furious?

"Bloodsuckers," Damon Sage growled. Faolan nudged him.

"Be nice. This is about one thing, and one thing only. After this, no more grudges. Sadie, stay back."

Damon took his jacket off, and so did Uncle Soren.

"No crotch shots, hair pulling, or biting," Faolan said. "Agreed?" Grandfather looked at him and nodded once.

"Agreed. Do as he says, Soren."

"Here's my question," Louis said. "Why couldn't we do this at night, when both our species are at our strongest?"

"Daytime is when most humans are distracted," Father said.

Louis raised an eyebrow. "That's debatable. By the way, I think this is stupid. We all know Ariella is a whore, just like my mother."

I noticed Ariella's lip quiver.

"You're next, bloodsucker brat!" Damon snapped at Louis.

"Enough," Faolan growled. "Focus on Soren, Damon. He insulted your father, and you wanted to regain his honor. That's why we're here."

"I agree with Louis," I said, glaring at the wolves.

"Reese, hush," Father ordered.

"I'm not a fucking child!" I shouted. "I can take care of myself!"

"Obviously, you can't," Grandfather butted in. "And you will follow your father's orders or live by yourself."

Father and I both glared at him.

"Reese, let's talk," Ariella said.

"What's there to talk about? You chose your side! I have mine. My loyalty is to my family."

"Reese, we used to be good friends," she said. "I know you and Damon never really liked each other, but does it really have to be one way or the other?"

"This isn't a fairytale," I quipped. "In the original, the wolf eats the girl."

Almost all the wolves growled at this. Ariella was starting to tear up.

"Does it really have to be this way? I mean, Faolan and Mordecai...you and Sadie..."

"Sadie and I barely know each other," I replied.

"And my relationship with Faolan is long over," Father said.

"There was no relationship," Faolan glared.

"How can you say that?!" Father cried. "I loved you!"

"Years ago, and then you met that Greek woman. And then you only started liking me recently, and then you had the nerve to fall in love with two women. The Greek and the Jewish girl."

"Jewish girl? Sarah?" I said, looking at Father. I knew he found her attractive, but love?

Father looked embarrassed.

"Sarah?!" I roared. "My Sarah?!"

"Not even the fairy side of her repels me," he admitted.

"Fairy side?! What the fuck are you talking about?"

"She's part fairy, Reese," Louis said. "Honestly, I'm surprised you didn't know. The rest of us could sense and smell it in her blood. Not just a fairy, but a siren."

"A siren?! My Sarah?!"

"Although, she's no longer yours, is she?"

I swayed.

"He's not going to faint again, is he?"

"ENOUGH!" Uncle Soren roared. "Let's end this once and for all!"

He jumped, hitting Damon in midair. The collision was like two trees hitting each other. The ensuing blur made it impossible to see who was winning, but the fight slowly took shape. Damon was basically rabbit punching Uncle Soren, who was dodging. Have you ever seen two male rabbits go at it over females or territory? That's what Damon reminded me of.

Uncle Soren easily dodged each punch, managing to hit Damon in the jaw a couple times. Finally, he snuck in a punch so hard that Damon flew backwards and landed on another male wolf. He jumped up and growled, rushing toward Uncle Soren. The other male wolf hissed and jumped, landing on Louis. Another fight broke out between them, with more rabbit punches and lots of kicks.

"ENOUGH!" Faolan shouted. "Justin, that's enough!"

I was pushed off to the side as Grandfather and Faolan rushed into to break up the second fight. Instead, another fight broke out when another male wolf ran toward me and punched me in the nose. I cursed and spit poison as Father leapt on top of my assailant.

"Do not touch him!" he roared.

I turned back to the rest of the wolves. They outnumbered me thirty to one. Some of them started forward.

"STAY BACK!" Faolan growled. "If anyone attacks Reese, they can say goodbye to their place in the pack!"

All three fights continued, becoming blurs until I couldn't keep track anymore. I noticed Ariella frowning at me, her eyes shining with tears.

I glared at her, and she glared back.

"I thought I knew you," she said.

"Same here, human."

Within seconds, Damon was on top of me, pounding me to pieces. He punched me with both his fists, hitting me in the cheeks, nose, forehead, and throat. Father pulled him off of me, punching him repeatedly.

"ENOUGH! STOP THIS INSTANT!"

Faolan's voice was enough stop all the fights at once.

"This battle is over," Grandfather said.

"No, it isn't!" Damon roared, leaping onto me and digging his teeth into my neck. I cried out and kicked him off.

"Reese!" Father caught me before I fell. He whimpered, nuzzling my hair and licking the new wound. I hissed at him, and he hissed back.

"This is over!" Faolan cried. "No pack member is to speak to a vampire without another pac member present! Do not actively seek out vampires, especially this coven."

"Faolan," Grandfather said, "I know that you and my son have had your difficulties, but this is outrageous."

"Let's just kill them," said the wolf named Justin.

"Absolutely not," Faolan said. "This family is the ruling family. They are the king and princes of the vampire race. If we kill them, their kind's wrath will rain down on us."

"They kill humans!" Justin cried.

"Justin, that is enough. This discussion is over."

We left after that, bloodied and weakened. My wolf bite was stinging, and I kept my palm on it. Louis asked me if he could look at it, so I let him.

"We should test him for the virus," he said.

Father sniffed me all over. "My sweet baby is hurt," he said.

"I'm not a baby," I growled. He frowned at me.

"You're my baby," he said, kissing me.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

When I woke up the next morning, my head was pounding. I whined a bit, causing my father to rush into the room.

"Reese!" he said. He sat on my bed and felt my forehead. "You're...wow, you're burning up. You'll stay home today."

"Father, when is the next full moon?"

"It's tonight. That's why we had the fight last night, because wolves are always at their strongest right before the full moon. After the full moon is over, they're weak for a few days. I don't know if Faolan makes his pack drink the potion."

"You love him."

"I do, very much. It's my own fault that he hates me right now. But right now, you're more important. Crap, I haven't made the potion in years, so I don't know if I'll be able to do it. I need wolfsbane, which we are completely out of. I know you hate Mason, but I need to ask Krauvas if he has any." He whipped out his cell phone.

"Hello, Krauvas? Do you have any wolfsbane? Oh, I see. Well then, fuck you, too."

"Father!"

"Hey, he said it to me first. He apparently blames you for what's going on with Mason."

"It's not my fault! It's Mason's fault!"

"I know, but sometimes parents are blind to the mistakes of their children. Look at the Hart family. Simon and Gwen think the world of Scarlett."

"I hate Mason."

"You do now, but you used to be his friend."

"Before he messed everything up."

"Reese, you can't control how other people feel, especially if they love someone. Sarah happens to be very lovable, part fairy or not. She's very loving and kind, not to mention extremely beautiful. She has the kind of outer beauty that makes grown men weak, and the kind of inner beauty that says 'I'm a lover, not a fighter.'"

I sighed. "It's all my fault."

"What is?"

"I knew she didn't really cheat on me, yet I caused her to break up with me, anyway. I was so jealous and insecure, and now I've ruined things for good."

"You don't know that."

"Yes, I do-" I doubled up as another spike of pain went through me.

"Reese!"

"Father, I'm...I think I have the virus."

The tension was incredible. I felt excited, happy, strong, yet weak. I was anticipating the full moon. My muscles tensed, pressure building.

"Reese! Son!"

"Father, I need...something...I'm so hungry...I need meat."

He raced downstairs and came back with a piece of steak. I growled and snatched the package from him, ripping off the manmade materials and scarfing down the beef in seconds.

"So hungry..."

"He needs more than steak," Louis said, leaning against the door. "He needs bigger pieces, including wild game. Deer, or maybe a big cat."

I leaped off the bed and landed on my feet in front of him. "Out of my way!" Louis quickly moved, letting me through.

"Whoa, Reese!" Uncle Soren clutched my shoulders. "Where are you going?"

"I need meat!"

"He needs wild game, Dad. Deer or a big cat!"

Uncle Soren let me go, and I ran out the door, past Spencer and Toby, who were holding hands and talking. I didn't look back as I rushed into the forest, stomach growling loudly. I sniffed the forest floor, searching for meat.

Then I smelled it. Meat! I followed the scent to a couple of young bucks. I growled loudly, sending them scattering. I followed the first one to a small creek, where I caught him halfway across. I bit into his neck, and he died almost instantly. I started ripping apart his hide, focusing on his belly and eating his organs.

His heart, liver, stomach, intestines, everything was all mine. I ate until I felt like my stomach would burst, and then I headed back to the house.

The guards and my family were in the front yard, watching me fearfully.

"This is not Reese," Father said nervously. "This is not my Reese!"

"Call Ethan," Grandfather said.

"He's in Kansas City right now," Uncle Soren informed. "Attending some convention." He sighed, then let out a laugh, kicking the garage door. "This is all my fault."

"No," Grandfather said. "It's not your fault, Soren. These things happen."

"No, it's his fault," Father confirmed.

"Well, you're all wrong, because it's my fault," Louis argued. He looked at me. "How do you feel, Reese?"

"I feel...satisfied. But not quite. I have an urge to..." My eyes widened. I wanted to attack my family. I hated vampires with a passion, and wanted them dead.

I turned around and started to take off, then Father pounced on me and held me in place.

"Not again!" he cried. I struggled, fighting to get free. I turned and snapped my teeth at him.

"Mordecai, he just ate!"

"Shut up, Father! He's my son!"

My tongue lolled out, and I started panting like a dog. And then I violently threw up. All the deer guts and blood came rushing out of me, and my stomach felt empty.

"Reese!"

I lay still, and Father climbed off of me. Then I took off, but not for long. Father grabbed my legs within seconds. He climbed on top of me again, pinning me in place. A rock poked me in the stomach, which felt like a stretched plastic bag.

"Stay calm," Father whispered in my ear. "If I get up, will you stay still?" I shook my head. "Then I'm sorry, but I have to stay here until I'm sure that you won't take off again." He smoothed my hair back and kissed the top of my head.

"I'm hungry," I said. "I need blood!"

"The last thing you need is human blood," Louis said. "If he drinks human blood and goes through the transformation, he won't be able to control himself tonight."

"Again, this is all my fault," Uncle Soren said. Louis looked at him.

"Again, you're wrong, it's my fault."

"I don't care whose fault it is, just fix him!" Father cried.

I slowly calmed my breathing. Had I really been turned into a werewolf last night? Or was I some sort of hybrid?

"What hybrids do we know?" I asked. My family looked at each other.

"Liam Wolfheart was one," Louis said.

"Who?"

"A guy who was obsessed with your sister," he explained. "He claimed to be madly in love with Selena. He was born a hybrid, though."

"Many wolf/vampire hybrids are rejected by both our species," Grandfather said. "The suicide rate for them is rather high, and they're extremely rare to begin with." Father glared at him.

"I don't understand," I said. "Why are they rejected by both our species? Father, can you please get off me?"

"Are you going to run away if I do?"

"No, I promise, I won't run."

"Good boy." He slowly got off me. I rolled over, staring up at the cloudy sky. I looked up as I noticed Mother's car coming down the driveway. She turned off the car and got out. She took one look at me and rushed over to me.

"Reese! Are you hurt?"

"Mom, I was bitten by a werewolf last night," I said. She turned and glared at Father.

"He was what?! Mordecai, explain this instant!"

Father ran through the events of the night before, leaving out the part where it was a ritual honor fight between Uncle Soren and Damon Sage. He made it sound as if we were just visiting. I knew Mother would see through this at once, and she did. She yelled at him for a few minutes, leaving him hanging his head and looking ashamed. Then she turned her attention to me.

"My poor baby," she cooed, picking me up. She glared at Father. "This is all your fault!" I growled, smelling her blood. I was shocked by the violent thoughts going through my mind towards my own mother.

I sat up, clutching my stomach. "Mom, why are you here?"

"I came to check on you, and to talk to Soren."

"What did you want with me, Marina?"

"It's a private matter between you and I."

"Whatever it is, you can say it in front of the family."

"It's about the night and you and I...before I met Alexander..."

"Oh! Well, come with me into the library!"

"Wait, what?" Father said. "Soren, did you and Marina..."

"It was before she knew you," he quickly said.

"Good, because if it had been while we had been married...."

"It was before she even knew Alexander, so yes, it was before she met you as well."

"I'm confused," I said. "I thought Alexander introduced Mother to Father?"

"Yes, but who do you think introduced her to Alexander?" Uncle Soren replied, opening the door for Mother.

"Dad and Marina...ew, bad mental image!" Louis said.

"Even I did not know," Grandfather muttered. "What, now my own sons hide things from me? Not that that is anything new." He glared at Father.

"You took a long time to accept Reese's sexuality," Father said, glaring back. "If I've made any mistakes regarding Faolan, it was not realizing what I had until it was too late."

Searing pain shot through my midsection. I doubled over, blood dribbling out of my nose.

"Reese!"

I got violently sick again. I kept throwing up until my stomach was empty. Even after I was empty, I kept throwing up. I fell into my own vomit, getting blood all over me.

"Sweetheart!" Father rushed to my side. He lifted me up and carried me like a baby into the bathroom, where he set me on the tub. Mother came in soon after, as Father was peeling away my shirt. He'd already gotten my boots and jacket off.

"Is he all right?" she asked.

"I don't know," Father said. "He threw up again, then passed out."

"Guys, I'm fine," I said, then doubled over again.

"You are most certainly not fine," Father said. "I wish I had wolfsbane, but I'm scared to leave his side. No one else besides Louis knows what it looks like."

"Louis can get it, then," Mother said.

"I searched," Louis said, coming in. "I can't find any, and no witch or warlock will sell to a vampire."

"Have you tried?"

"Grandfather is asking around. So far, the witches and warlocks we've talked to have been very rude to him. They are accusing him of wanting to kill the wolf pack. I may or may not have shouted that those jerks tried to kill us last night." He was embarassed. "My bad."

Mother thumped him on the head. Then she turned back to me.

"What did you and Uncle Soren talk about?" I asked her.

"I will tell you later. More towards never."

"She told me that she had a pregnancy scare after that night that we had sex," Uncle Soren said.

"Um, Dad, I'm right here!"

"You're a grown man, and you do it almost every night, either with some poor woman or yourself. Your mother and I did it to create you."

I nearly threw up again.

"Soren! Shut up!" Father shouted.

"They're only children," Mother said. Louis raised an eyebrow.

"Technically, I'm older than you, Marina. You're three hundred years old, I'm three hundred and sixty eight."

"You still act like a teenager."

"That's because he is," Uncle Soren said. "You were frozen at thirty. He's a natural-born."

"I have a sentence," Louis said. "It starts with 'I' and ends with 'care.' The middle word starts with a D."

"Dunce?" I said. All of the adults except Louis laughed at this.

"Glad to see you're still yourself," Father told me.

"I know, but I still feel like crap. If Sarah saw me...Sarah!" I looked at Mother fearfully.

"She's fine," she informed me. "Hurt and heartbroken, but otherwise okay."

"How can you tell?"

"I'm her mother. I may not have given birth to her, but I'm more of a mother to her than that bitch Alicia!"

"You have strong maternal instincts," Uncle Soren said, touching Mother's arm. "If I had gotten you pregnant, what would you have done?"

"I would have told you. I was cursed in my human life to be feared and alone, the daughter of a wicked woman accused of witchcraft. Now I have three beautiful daughters, three sons, and a handsome fiance."

"Three daughters?"

"I refuse to accept that Selena is dead. I came back because my other babies needed me, and because I had no more leads on my first daughter. She is still out there, and she needs me. I wish I knew where she was. Did she look for me after the fire? Did she call out for me?"

"Marina, all of us were there. We all saw the fire that swallowed her up. There's no way she could have survived that."

"I disagree," Mother said, but she wiped at her eyes. Uncle Soren turned her around and hugged her.

"If things were different," he said. "If I hadn't been so depressed at the time, and if you hadn't met Alexander, things would be different. You'd be mine. I'd have two sons instead of one. I do love Reese like he's my own, but he belongs to my brother."

"He's mine," Father growled, squeezing me.

"I know, Mordecai. I know."

"My baby," Mother said, kneeling beside me and kissing me. "My sweet baby. All my babies are sweet."

"Except Kieran," Louis cut in.

"Yeah, Kieran's pretty messed up," Uncle Soren agreed.

"A pox on you two! It is Alexander's fault that Kieran is the way he is! As much as I love Alexander, he really is the root of most of Kieran's problems."

"She's not wrong," Father said. "Alexander says he misses Kieran, but Kieran purposely avoids him because of how he's treated him and his lovers in the past."

"What does Kieran look like?" I asked.

"The last time I saw him, his hair was pretty long," Uncle Soren said. "Even longer than Toby's, and his hair reaches his ass. He has blue eyes, as both Alexander and Celine had blue eyes."

"Reese, are you all right?" Father asked me.

"My stomach hurts, and my muscles feel like they're on fire, but otherwise, I'm okay."

"Oh, Reese," Mother simpered, eyes brimming with tears.

I sat up, groaning at the ache in my back. Father whimpered and hugged me gently, kissing me.

"My poor baby," he cooed.

"I'm still hungry," I said.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

After a few pounds of chicken and beef, I felt full again. Raw steak was my new favorite meal.

I settled in bed, trying to ignore the raging fire which grew worse. I kept the curtains closed, because if I saw the moon, I'd change. If I went outside, I'd change.

All too soon, darkness fell, and the fire in my muscles became unbearable.

Need meat. I smell vampires. Must kill. Must kill vampires! Destroy. Need meat!

The pain was excruciating. I could feel my bones crack, my muscles tighten and grow. Fur started sprouting up from my skin. My black hair became dark brown and started to cover my entire face. My ears became long and pointed. I was turning into a wolf.

I rolled over as my ribs cracked and spread out. Dragging myself to the door, I opened it and started to crawl downstairs.

"Reese!"

"Father, stay away!" My voice had become gravelly and much deeper. I opened the front door as my nails grew into claws, my palms became sweaty, and I nearly passed out from the sudden heat. Every bit of me was burning up.

"Something's wrong!" Father cried. "Louis, Soren, do something!"

I turned around and growled, my teeth growing long and carnivorous, my nose elongating, turning into a wolf snout. My chest started to hurt, and I realized that my heart, my dead heart, was beating for the first time in my life. My heart was pounding at one hundred and eighty beats per minute.

I growled at the vampires. They were my enemies. Competition for food. But there was something else...something in their blood called to me. I wanted to drink their blood. My large stomach was growling, hungry for meat and vampire blood.

Wait, this was my family. I whined as I realized that this was my family.

"Reese?" Father stepped forward. "Reese, it's us. I'm your father."

"Give him some space, Mordecai," Uncle Soren said. "His mind is going two hundred miles a minute, and he could attack any second."

"He's my son, Soren. I have to be here for him, even if he does end up attacking me."

He was willing to risk his life and his blood to save me. I was a terrible son. I whined again, my ears flattening, my tail between my hind legs. I nudged him with my head, rolling onto my back to expose my belly, telling him that I knew who he was and I trusted him.

"He recognizes me," Father said, amazed.

"Amazing," Louis muttered, shaking his head.

"Incredible. He's in control," Grandfather said. "Normally he'd be trying to tear us to shreds and running off to find something to eat. Or drinking our blood."

"Reese, do you recognize me?" Father asked. I whined in assent. Father scratched my ear.

"I'm surprised he hasn't sent the whole house down," Louis said. "He weighs at least a thousand pounds."

"This house was built with the intention of holding a lot of weight," Father muttered. "More so than other houses."

"That's because you ordered it that way, Mordecai," Grandfather said.

"Father, I came here with the hope that he'd be protected from our world. His world. I know that I couldn't keep him away from it forever, but I was hoping that he'd at least be fifty before that happened."

"That's unrealistic."

"I know that now. All I wanted was to keep my newborn son safe."

I rolled over onto my belly and wagged my tail.

"It's okay, Reese," Father said. "We'll fix this. I promise."

"Not much is known about hybrids," Grandfather said. "They usually commit suicide before we can properly study them." Father made a small noise in his throat.

"My baby is not going to kill himself! I will make sure of that!"

"Could he have traces of episrona left?" Louis asked. They all pondered that.

"Impossible," Grandfather finally said. "He was cured."

"His immune system should have killed the virus," Father said.

"Not necessarily. The virus is extremely powerful. Ninety five percent of the people infected turn into wolves."

"What happens to the other five percent?" Louis asked.

"They die," Uncle Soren told him. Both Louis and Father let out a squeak.

Grandfather spoke up. "They die from the pain, the heat, the too-fast heartbeat, the pressure, or someone kills them before the change can be completed."

Father hugged me. He buried his nose in my fur. Then he got a look of disgust. "I love you, Reese, but you stink."

"Real wolves stink worse," Louis reminded him.

I rumbled, then heard something. Other wolves. I stood up and howled.

"Wolves," Uncle Soren growled. He looked at me. "Ignore them, Reese. I know they're calling out to you, but-Reese?"

My alpha was howling for me. Alpha!

"Reese? Son?"

My entire body ached to go to my pack and join my Alpha. The pack was calling...calling...howling....

"Reese!"

I took off outside and started running towards the woods. I could hear voices calling my name, but I ignored them. I needed to find my Alpha.

The trees grew dense and thick, and I passed the cemetery. My heart was pounding, beating. My blood was pumping throughout my entire body. My chest heaved with each breath I took. This was exhilarating.

I was free. No constraints. No loyalties except to the Alpha.

I skidded to a halt as I spotted the rest of the pack. They were all looking at me, some growling, some greeting me with rumbles. A small female came up to me and nudged me. I rumbled, returning the stroke of affection. My stomach twisted as she rolled on her back, exposing her belly to me.

I needed to mate with her. But the Alpha had not yet greeted me. She realized this, too. She rolled over and sat up, her paws rubbing the ground. The female started licking me, grooming me in preparation.

The Alpha made his presence known. He was the biggest one, twice my size. He rumbled appreciatively at my submittance. I flattened myself on the ground and exposed my belly, wagging my tail. He planted his nose in my belly and sniffed me all over.

When he finished, he howled. He was accepting me into the pack. The other pack members wagged their tails and smelled me, greeting me and introducing themselves to me. The small female from earlier put her paws on my shoulders. I realized this was Sadie. She gave me a sloppy lick, a wolfish kiss. I licked her back.

Only one member seemed put out. Justin. He was watching me from the side, glaring at me. I glared back. He wanted my female. My female? My female was Sarah. No... she’d broken up with me. I had no female.

I shook violently. I overheard crashing in the forest, and my Alpha howled.

"Reese! Thank the gods!" The blond vampire stopped in front of me. Then he cursed loudly. Blond vampire...father. My father. Another vampire stopped beside him. This one was large and had long burgundy hair that was coming loose from his ponytail. He breathed, gasping for unneeded air.

"Mordecai, what is wrong with you?" the large vampire asked. "Father is going nuts! He's worried about you and Reese! He blames himself!"

"Why does he blame himself?"

"You know I can't answer that. Well...this is a problem."

All the other wolves were growling at the bloodsuckers, glaring at them threateningly.

"This is all your fault," Father said. "If you hadn't agreed to fight Damon, this wouldn't have happened!"

"I won't deny that it's my fault that Reese was infected," Uncle Soren said. I whimpered and bent low, wagging my tail. "He recognizes us."

"He's in better control than the rest of them," Father said, backing away slowly. "Why haven't they attacked us yet?"

"Faolan is ordering them to stay put, I'll bet," Uncle Soren replied. "They can't go against his orders since he's the Alpha."

Faolan headed forward. He whined a bit, and Father stroked his fur.

"He recognizes me, too," he said. "He recognizes me as his mate. Faolan, am I right?"

Faolan nudged him, then gave him a big lick on the cheek.

"He definitely knows you," Uncle Soren said. "He wants you to pet him."

"There you are!" Grandfather came running up to us. "Boys, what the hell were you thinking?!"

"Father, look," my father said. "Both Faolan and Reese recognize me."

"That's great, Mordecai, but you forget that there are thirty other wolves watching us!"

"We're safe," Uncle Soren said. "The pack won't dare disobey a direct order from Faolan. And Faolan has accepted Mordecai as his mate."

Justin growled. Sadie looked at me questioningly.

"Father," I tried to say, but it came out sounding garbled.

"He's talking to me!"

"Father," I repeated. This sounded much clearer.

"Amazing," Grandfather said in awe. "He's in complete control now. He understands us. He even said 'Father'."

"What is it, baby?" Father asked me. Faolan growled when Father stopped petting him, so Father continued his loving strokes.

"Father, I know what's happening," I said. They all stared at me.

"That sounds more like Reese," Uncle Soren said.

Faolan growled and snapped at my paws, then climbed over Father and held him.

"I love you, Faolan, but one, you nearly bit my son, and two, you stink."

Justin's growls got louder. And then he leaped.

CHAPTER SEVEN - BLOODY MESS

I woke up with a huge ache everywhere. I was in a room I didn't recognize, a girl's room. I looked down and saw Sadie, asleep.

What happened last night?

Sadie opened her eyes and smiled at me. "Morning, sleepyhead."

"Sadie...what happened?"

"When Justin attacked Mordecai, you attacked Justin. Then Faolan got involved and...well, the whole pack's pissed at either Justin, Faolan, or me."

"Why you?"

"You don't remember?" Her eyes grew wide.

"I don't remember anything past the point of Justin attacking my father."

"Well, he hit you pretty hard. It sucks that you don't remember what happened after the fight, because it was amazing."

"Sadie, did we...did we have sex?"

"We did. I've wanted to do that for so long...I thought you'd never ask me."

"Crap. Fuck. This is bad." I got up and started to pace, then realized I was naked. "Where are my clothes?"

"Faolan left you a shirt and a pair of jeans." She pointed to an outfit on the chair.

"Thanks," I said, quickly pulling them on.

"Are you leaving?" Sadie asked.

"Yes. What happened last night cannot be repeated, either by word or action."

"What?" Sadie's eyes grew big.

"Look, Sadie, you're great, but you're not my girl."

Sadie frowned, eyes shining. "What does she have that I don't?"

"Nothing. I simply do not love you. I've always loved her, ever since I first saw her."

And curves, I added mentally.

"WHAT?!" She threw off the covers and started towards me.

"Whoa, Sadie! What's going on?"

"We have a mental connection, you dope! More proof that we're meant to be together!" She threw her arms around me, still naked, and kissed me. I grabbed her around the waist and threw her off.

"Whoa! Harassment's a two-way street!"

"You jerk!" she cried, eyes swimming with tears. "You asshole! Freak! Bloodsucker! Tick! Leech! Bat!"

She called me all the typical vampire insults and then some.

I ran out the door. I started running home. I didn't stop until I literally ran into Louis. I knocked him down, and he got up, picking me up as well.

"I thought you'd be with that chick longer," he said.

"Louis, I screwed up. I'm so confused. I fucked Sadie, and now we have a mental connection! First of all, how do I get rid of it, and second, why didn't I have one with Sarah?"

"Sarah never opened her mind to yours," Louis said. "I'm afraid you're stuck, buddy. You told Sadie you loved her and then you donged her. And she has a major crush on you, and she opened her mind to yours, and vice versa. What did you expect?"

"I don't know...everything's a mess, and it's all my fault."

"Stop saying that! Geez, you're worse than Mordecai or Grandfather when he gets in one of his suicidal moods. The best you can do is block her. You can do it mentally, or you can do it permanently by magic. Either way, you'll have less of a headache if you do it yourself."

"I have a headache now!"

"Good point. Well, I don't know any witches or warlocks that are on our side at this point. Glen and I don't talk anymore, and you and he hate each other anyway. You're not talking to Mason, and Krauvas and Mordecai had a blow-out. Scarlett is obviously not an option...hey Dad, do you know of any witches that can help Reese with his mental connection problem with Sadie?"

"I don't," Uncle Soren said, stroking his chin. "Hmm. Old Agatha might be willing to help, but she's an old woman. I'm not seeing many options here."

"You're an old man," Louis teased him. "She's younger than you!"

"I'm your old man, punk," Uncle Soren responded, grinning.

I groaned and slid to the floor. "If I hadn't been so jealous, none of this would have happened."

"Your breakup with Sarah is unrelated to you being a werewolf," Uncle Soren said, serious again.

"Yes, but-"

"No buts. I'll take you to see Agatha-after you take a shower and get out of those stinky clothes. Give them to Mordecai, he'll love them."

The moment we reached the street where Agatha practiced, Uncle Soren parked and led me to the shop.

I ran into Sarah.

"Hello, Reese," she said, looking embarrassed.

"Hello, Sarah," I said. "Look, Sarah-"

"Hey, babe." A vision of perfection kissed my girl on the cheek. I looked at her.

"Caden Cartwright?"

"That's my name," he said. "Isn't your name Grease? Or Geese?"

"Huh, that's funny. My name is Reese, and I thought your name was Fartwright." Childish, yes, but it felt good.

"Cartwright, goth boy. I was just taking my girl here to Third Planet to pick up some incense and maybe some matching rings."

I shook with anger. "This is who you're dating now?" I said to her.

"Well, we're not together anymore. We won't be together ever again; we've broken up too many times because of your jealousy and insecurity."

"I know that it's completely my fault, but that's why you have to listen to me. I love you, Sarah. I always will. I'd die if anything ever happened to you and I wasn't there or I could have prevented it. Even if we're not together anymore, I'd still die for you."

"You said it, not me," Caden jeered. Sarah looked at her shoes and bit her lip. Her eyes shined like they always do when she's trying not to cry.

"I can't deal with it anymore," she finally said. "I can't deal with the heartbreak and the jealousy."

"I never said you had to take me back. I'd rather be your friend than a stranger."

"Let's go, Reese," Uncle Soren said, grabbing my arm and pulling me to the side.

"Whoa," Caden said as he looked at my uncle. "Did you see that guy, Sarah?"

I followed my uncle to a shop containing crystals and jewelry. He opened the door. A woman with short brown hair was sitting at the reception desk.

"Can I help you?" she asked, unsmiling.

"Tell Agatha that Soren and his nephew are here," Uncle Soren told her.

An old woman came out of the back room, wearing shawls in colors of midnight blue and dark purple with stars. She was tall and thin, her silver hair tied into a bun.

"Soren!" She reached out her arms and hugged him. "It is good to see you again, my friend. What ails you?"

"It is my nephew," he said, gesturing to me. "He was bitten by a werewolf and transformed last night."

"Ah, I may have something for that. I'm afraid I'm down to my last few baggies of wolfsbane, however. It is becoming rarer and rarer all the time."

"Can we do anything to help?" I asked.

"Hmm," Agatha hummed, tapping her chin. She looked at me and narrowed her eyes. "You're in love. Her name is Sarah. But you made a mistake, and she is with somebody else. And you had relations with a female werewolf named Sadie Peterson. Oh dear, that is a problem. Ah, the witch's name is Scarlett? I must have a talk with her parents. What she did and is doing is not how a good witch acts. Of course, she may be a dark witch, in which case I must speak to her mother."

She swayed into the back. Uncle Soren followed her, so I did as well.

"Hmm, just enough left for one batch," Agatha said, holding up a large vial of brownish green powder. She took a bowl from the cupboard and dumped into powder into it. Then she added some white powder, a bit of salt, some herbs, and some other powders. She mixed it all together. She held the spoon up to her nose and sniffed it.

"Mmm. Just right. This will be a bit bitter, son. You must drink all of it." She handed me the bowl.

I stopped breathing and downed it all in record time.

"Wow, he's fast," Agatha said. "Give it some time, and don't vomit for at least three days. You may change again, but that will be the last time you are forced to go through the change. After that, you will become a shapeshifter whose form is that of a wolf. You may choose to use that form again. Now, is that all?"

"How do we stop the mental communication?" Uncle Soren asked. Agatha swept over to a shelf full of test tubes and more glass vials. She selected one with a label in Latin and handed it to me.

"Drink."

I drank it. It smelled like sage.

"Now you should be fine," Agatha said. "Go to bed at a normal time tonight and try to avoid confronting the girl with whom you have bonded."

"Trust me, I'm not going near her," I said. She smiled in approval.

"Good. Do you need anything else?"

"No," Uncle Soren said. "How much do I owe you?" he asked, pulling out his wallet.

Agatha waved her hand dismissively. "Not a penny. This is my good deed for the day."

"Well, thank you, Agatha," Uncle Soren said. "I owe you another one."

"You are most welcome, Soren and Reese."

As we went back to the car, I thought about Sarah. What would she say if she knew? She would accuse me of cheating on her, and she wouldn't be wrong. But I was wrong. I was dead wrong. And now I'd lost her.

My heart jumped into my throat when I saw her again a few minutes later in a science store, studying rocks that the owner claimed were dinosaur bones. Without thinking, I started to go inside. Uncle Soren grabbed my shoulder, and I shook him off.

"Don't be stupid, Reese," he warned. I paused. He was right. What was I thinking? This entire thing was my fault. Not Caden's, and certainly not hers.

Father pounced on me when I got back and started smelling me.

"You don't smell much different," he said.

"Agatha gave him some potions," Uncle Sore explained.

"Ah, that explains it. Agatha's rather good at that, isn't she? Be still Reese, I'm not finished." He continued to smell me all over again. "You don't have much a wolfish smell anymore. Well, that's good."

"Agatha recommends bed rest," Uncle Soren said.

"An excellent idea," Father said, hauling me over his shoulder and carrying me upstairs.

"Father, I'm not a baby!"

"Hush, my little one. No complaints. I am going to nurture you until this passes, so get used to it."

Father's overprotectiveness was irritating.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

That night was painful. I was in pain all the time. My bones felt like they were breaking, my muscles tore, my heart struggled to stay still and silent, my stomach protested loudly. But at least I didn't change. Faolan came by to see me in wolf form. Father greeted him like a favorite pet.

He scratched Faolan's ears, rubbed his belly, and scratched his shoulders. Faolan's tail went crazy. Along with him came some other members o the pack, including Sadie. I told Father and Faolan to keep her away from me, and Faolan gave a small howl to show that he understood.

Sadie didn't like it, but she stayed away from me. Father stayed with me, along with Faolan.

"He's stinking up my room," I complained. Faolan growled at me.

CHAPTER EIGHT - EX-BOYFRIENDS AND ENEMIES

I was healing slowly. It had been a week since my transformation, and I was almost ache-free.

I saw Evan coming up the driveway. I was sitting on the porch, smoking a cigarette. I flicked it onto the ground and stepped on it as my ex-boyfriend's car pulled up. This was unusual, even though I'd been the one to change him. My first fledgling.

He opened the door, looking like a scared rabbit.

"Reese, I need help," he said. "I screwed up big-time. You're the only one who can help me."

"What is it?" I asked.

"It's..." He took a deep breath. "It's Reed."

"Lockhart?" I'd also been the one to introduce Evan to his other potential soulmate, a human-born vampire named Reed Lockhart. Lockhart was beautiful, with long blond curls and one green eye and one blue eye and a chiseled body.

"Yeah," Evan said. He hugged himself. "You know we broke up, right? Well, he's been...following me around. He won't leave me alone."

"Huh. Sounds like someone else I know," I said, raising an eyebrow. He had the grace to look ashamed. Evan wouldn't leave me alone for a while after we broke up.

"I know, I know. I shouldn't be the one to talk. But Reese, I'm scared. I have no one else to turn to. My parents still refuse to accept the fact that I'm a vampire now. I need your help. You're the one that changed me."

I sighed. He was right. I would have to help him, even if he hadn't brought that up.

"All right. How is Lockhart following you?" I lit another stick.

"His car is everywhere. I smell him all the time. If I go hunting, he follows me on the rooftops and sidewalks. If I go to the bloodbank, I see him there. He's everywhere I am, even when I'm asleep."

"Give me a moment to think."

Not even a second later, another car pulled up, a brand-new Kia Soul. Evan yelped and flitted over to me, clinging to my arm.

Reed opened the door, looking enraged. "I knew it!" he shouted. "I knew you went back to him! What the fuck, Evan? Who's the one who saved you from heartbreak caused by him? Me! Who saved you from that wendigo? Me!"

"Whoa, there," I said, standing up. "Slow down, Reed. Why are you stalking him?"

"Because he is my mate! I love him! I'm sorry I broke up with you, Evan! You belong with me!"

"Reed, I think it's time for you to go," I said. He snatched the cigarette out of my hand and stomped on it.

"What the fuck?" I exclaimed. "What the hell is wrong with you?! Leave us alone!"

"Not until I have Evan back!"

"Screw that. Not happening." As Evan's creator, I was also responsible for his safety. "Leave, Lockhart. Now."

He shook his head.

"Fine," I growled. I grabbed him by the shoulders, but he punched me in the gut. I doubled over, and Toby interfered. Toby grabbed Reed and threw him bodily to the ground, elbow in his neck.

"It's time for you to leave," my guard growled.

"Fine, I'll go. But mark my words, Evan will be mine again. I'll murder and slaughter everyone who gets in my way, starting with you, Reese."

Evan clung to me, hiding behind me.

"Leave," Toby ordered.

Reed glared at him, then got into the Kia and drove away over the speed limit.

Evan was still shaking as I turned to face him.

"Thanks, Toby," I said. "You are dismissed." He nodded and left.

"Are you all right?" I asked Evan. Something happened then. Evan looked at me with wide, tearful green eyes, and I felt my heart plummet into my stomach. "Evan?"

He wrapped his arms around me tightly. I thought about those green eyes. Something about them called to me. Madam Indigo had stated that Sarah and Evan were my two potential soulmates. And I'd ruined things with Sarah. Now I had Evan. I felt only Evan, saw only Evan.

Regret, horror, love, and fear all mingled in my chest and brain at once. I loved Evan Byrd.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I thought about my feelings over the next few days. Evan stayed with me, sleeping in the extra guest room. Now that Toby and Spencer shared a bedroom, there was a free room. Evan called his parents and told them what happened. His mother begged him to come home, and Evan would have if I hadn't convinced her that it was too dangerous for both her and him. His father, equally concerned, stated that it was all my fault and I was to blame for all of Evan's problems.

He wasn't wrong. I knew that Evan's relationship problems were my fault as well.

My new feelings for Evan increased over the days he spent with us. He borrowed my laptop for his online classes while I went to regular public school, I lent him several vampire books, and he thanked me with a fresh meal every night.

I taught him how to weed out evil people and how to drink from the good ones.

"See him?" I pointed to a man with curly blond hair. "He attacked a girl last week and tried to violate her. She's okay now, but he never got arrested or charged for it."

I pounced on the man and stunned him with my poisonous teeth. I made an incision in his neck, and handed him over to Evan. Evan drank greedily from him. I smiled at my protege. He was a fast learner.

Next, I showed him how to dispose of the body.

"See these?" I said, showing him my fingernails. "They're extremely sharp, even though they're short right now. A lot of vampires can grow them in an instant, but I can't, so I'll have to use my teeth to cut roots and stuff."

I dug a hole to show him how. We tossed the body in together, after stealing cash from his wallet. I took his driver's license and burned it.

"That is amazing," Evan said. "Do you ever feel guilty?"

"Depends," I said. "If the victim was a good person, then yes. If I've made a mistake in character, then yes. But if I'm right in their character, then no, I don't."

"You killed Michael Nales last year."

"Yes and no. My father did the actual killing, I just asked him to do it."

"You did it for homeher."

"Yes, and I do not regret it. But my time with Sarah is over."

I looked at him. He blinked and studied the grass. I tilted his chin up.

"Evan, look at me." He looked up. Butterflies attacked my stomach. I leaned forward and kissed him, slowly, carefully. After a full minute of kissing, he pushed me away.

"Reese, what are you doing?" he asked.

"I love you, Evan. I have since that day we saw Lockhart."

"When did you realize...?"

"When I looked into your eyes. It's pretty apparent that I'm fond of the color green."

"Last time we were together, you were in love with Sarah."

"Evan, I made a huge mistake. I should have realized what I had."

He looked down and sniffed, crying softly.

"Oh, Evan, I'm sorry."

"Take me home."

I did. I took him , where he let himself in the house.

"I'll be back for my car tomorrow," he said.

"I'm so sorry," I said. "I didn't mean for this to happen."

"But it did. And we both moved on. It was over a long time ago."

"Evan, please-"

"Goodbye, Reese."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

When I got home, I went to my room and moped into my pillow. I tried not to cry, but failed.

Work was meaningless the next day. Now that I had no one. Or so I thought.

Evan came back the day after, eyes swimming with emotion.

Again, I was outside, smoking. I had just gotten out of the pool, and my hair was still damp.

"Reese," he said softly, "I need to talk to you."

"What is it?" I asked, standing up.

"Would...would you go to the North Hampton Homecoming dance with me?"

"Sure," I said. "But you don't go to North Hampton anymore."

"Now I do," he said. "I just got registered. So we'll be seeing each other in the halls soon."

"Oh?" I hedged.

"Yeah. My parents think that I'll be safer with more adults around."

"They're not wrong," I replied. "I always feel safer with the guards around."

"Are you ready, Reese? Oh, hello, Evan," Father said.

"For what?" I asked.

"I need you to come with me to be a witness to a meeting between supernaturals. Evan may come along, too."

I looked at Evan. "I don't know if I want you coming along. The last time I went to one, there was a huge fight. Guess whose fault it was?" I gestured to Uncle Soren, who was coming out the door.

"Oh, haha," Uncle Soren said sarcastically. "My gut is killing me from my nonexistant laughter."

"And you wonder why Louis is always so sarcastic," Father teased him.

I looked at Evan. Then I pecked his forehead. "If I'm not back at midnight, don't look for me. I will most likely be limping from a lich attack."

"Okay, that one actually was my fault," Uncle Soren admitted abashedly.

"What happened?" Evan asked.

Father spoke up. "He got angry at a centaur and literally called him 'a jack with an ass.' It was quite messy, especially after that lich tried to kill Louis. My nephew would have had a hole blown through his chest if Reese hadn't pushed him out of the way."

Father put a protective arm over me and kissed my temple. "I was proud of him, but at the same time sick to my stomach because it could have gone a lot worse. I don't know what I'd have done if I lost Reese."

"I'd have never forgiven myself if Louis had died that night," Uncle Soren added.

"There's no way I'm letting you go alone," Evan said.

"Evan Byrd, if you get hurt tonight because of me, I'll never forgive myself," I said.

"Reese Emerson, do you remember what I said last year about me not letting you get into dangerous situations?"

My stomach dropped. "You had convinced me to go to that nightclub and I was sneaking off by myself to smoke cigarettes. You thought I was doing heroin or crack cocaine."

"I was worried about you, because I'd never been around that shit before, and a bunch of people were doing it."

"You overreacted and screamed at me, accusing me of poisoning myself." I noticed that Father flinched at the mention of poisoning myself.

"I had no idea that you made your own poison then," Evan replied.

"I know, and I understand that. I do. Ever since I turned you, I've been worried about you constantly, even if I hadn't seen you in a while."

"It wasn't your fault."

"Yes, it was, but that's for another time. You're not coming, and that's final."

Evan looked at my father.

"Oh, let him come," he finally said. "He's been concerned about you, and you about him."

"Fine, but hold my hand."

"Do you know who you sound like?" Evan asked me. He glanced at my father.

"Well, I did create him," Father gloated. "He is half me."

Minutes later, we reached the tiny room where the meeting would be held. Father and Uncle Soren were in full garb, including canes. I was wearing my usual outfit, plus a hoodie. Evan looked like a scared rabbit, squeezing my hand tightly.

"I love you," I whispered to him. His eyes widened and he looked at me. I smiled gently at him. Father grabbed my shoulder and steered me toward the meeting room.

As soon as we entered, everything got quiet. The lich at the front spoke up first.

"Ah, Soren, Mordecai. I was not expecting you. I see that you have brought your young one, Mordecai. And a newcomer."

"This is Evan," Father said. "He's a friend, and a new vampire, still only a fledgling. He is to be treated with the same respect that Reese receives, or I shall know why not."

"Understood," said Alstri. "And where is Louis?"

"He decided not to come," Father continued. "After what happened last time." Alstri nodded in understanding. The creatures around gaped at us. Evan looked around curiously. I understood his fear and curiosity.

Goblins, more vampires and werewolves, centaurs, Elves, demons, even a few angels. This was barely a quarter of the "supernatural" beings who lived around the area, and the demons and angels were not even from Earth. I noticed the same centaur that Uncle Soren had insulted. Warright, I thought his name was.

Uncle Soren stepped up to the podium, moving Alstri out of the way.

"Enemies, comrades, and people who I do not know or care about," he began, "My brother and I have decided that we will only be sending one of us to these meetings. The only reason why we started going in the first place was to protect Reese after he was born."

Several pairs of eyes turned to look at me. I felt like a sideshow attraction. I tightened my hold on Evan's hand, and he tightened his hold on mine.

"We have also decided to open a hospital for you all specifically," Uncle Soren continued. "No more awkwardness with human or non-whatever doctors. You won't have to reveal your diet if you are a vampire with stomach or blood vessel problems. That is all. Good night, people who I still don't know or care about."

Alstri took the stand again.

"That's it?" I said, amazed.

"Yes. As a royal family, we are not required to attend these stupid meetings, but your father and grandfather want us to," Uncle Soren said.

"You don't have to come," Father retorted.

"But if I didn't, who will protect you two? Since you do not trust the guards to keep our operations a secret-"

"I never said that."

"Not even Toby knows, and he's Reese's friend as well as guard. How do you explain that, little brother?"

"Big brother, if you had kept your fat mouth shut last time, we wouldn't have had all those problems! And you were very rude tonight as well! I don't know how you weren't raised in a barn!"

"That term is as old as we are. You're smarter than that. At least, you think you are."

They continued to bicker all the way back to the house.

I rolled my eyes at Evan, and he smiled a little.

I rolled over on my stomach as Evan rubbed my back. I cherished each touch, each feeling, each butterfly in my stomach. I rolled over onto my back. His eyes trailed over my chest and abs.

"I love you," I whispered.

"I love you, too," he replied.

CHAPTER NINE - ANGEL WITH A GUN

I first heard the news from Louis and Uncle Soren.

"Reese, there's something you ought to know," Louis said.

"What is it?" I asked, looking up from Gargoyles. I had gotten a complete set of graphic novels, and was currently working my way through the tenth volume.

"It's about Sarah," Uncle Soren said, looking at his shoes. "She's been seriously hurt. We think that Jordan did it."

"Jordan did what?" I asked apprehensively.

"Sarah's been shot," Louis explained. "In her left side, somewhere between the hip and the abdomen."

Needless to say, I rushed over to the hospital as quickly as I could. I found Mother and Alexander in the waiting room with Cirino, who was babbling nonsensically. He seemed to sense the stress and fear in the air.

"What happened?" I asked my soulfather.

"Sit down," he said. "Have a coffee."

"I don't want coffee, I want to know what happened!"

"Have a coffee," he said sternly, handing me a warm cup. I took a sip. It was actually type B negative.

"All I saw was a flash of blond hair," Mother said. "I tink it was Jordan Hart, and then I heard a shot, and Sarah collapsed. I ran to her side and called for Alexander. He called an ambulance." She bounced Cirino, who was blowing a spit bubble.

I wiped his mouth with a tissue and then said "Any chance of catching the bitch?"

"Reese! Language!" Mother covered the baby's ears.

"Marina, he's too young to care," Alexander told her. "And I sent some bounty hunters after her. They are the best vampire bounty hunters in the world, they'll catch her."

"I still do not like the look of that woman," Mother said.

Alexander smiled at her. "I have known Elizabeth for many years. She will catch her if the boys don't."

"Elizabeth?" I asked.

"Elizabeth Rowell," Alexander explained.

"She's famous," I noted.

"Yes, and for good reason. She will capture Jordan Hart so we may extract revenge on behalf of Sarah. I told Elizabeth how important Sarah is to this family. She was not as disturbed by her being human as the guys were. I swear."

"Whose fault is that?" Mother asked him. "You yourself don't see most humans as anything more than food. or a nuisance."

He looked embarrassed.

I buried my head in my arms, my stepfather rubbing my back.

"She'll be all right, Reese," he said.

"How do you know?" I said.

"She's a strong girl, the strongest I've ever met, besides your mother. She will survive, and if she doesn't, there's always the other option."

"Alexander!" Mother snapped. He grinned cheekily at her, his face falling when he saw me.

"She will survive, Reese," he said.

"Oh, sure," said Evan's voice. I looked up.

"Hey, Evan."

"Oh, you'll go to a hospital for Sarah. I forgot, she's your true soulmate or some shit like that. Who gives a crap?"

"Evan, don't be jealous."

"How can I not be jealous?! You've always preferred her over me!"

"Evan Byrd, if the roles were reversed, I'd do the same for you."

He looked sad and embarrassed. "Sorry."

"Are you going to be like this if I even talk to Sarah?" I asked. He seemed even more embarrassed. I raised my eyebrow. He would have been blushing if he was still human. I could sense more problems that would occur soon.

It was a painful three hours. Mother had to go home to put Cirino in bed, but she came back after she secured a babysitter for him.

After three hours of mental and emotional torture, I was allowed to see her. Evan came with me. It was not lost on me that I had acted the same way that Evan was acting.

She was sitting up in bed. She looked terrible. Her hair was a tangled mess, she was still shiny from sweating, and her side was bandaged.

"Hello, everyone," she said, her voice scratchy. "Hi, Evan, Reese."

"Sarah," Evan said tersely. I glanced at him.

"I saw Jesus," she said.

"You saw Jesus?" Mother asked, her voice filled with awe.

"Yes. He smiled at me and said it wasn't my time yet. Then He looked at my side and said that Jordan would be caught."

"What else did He say?" Mother asked.

"He said that he loved me. He loves each and every human on Earth, and the vampires who follow Him."

"I saw him on the Cross," Alexander said. "Even though I was not a believer, His pain tore at my heart. I still don't know if I believe, but my beautiful fiancee does."

"I remember it well," Uncle Soren said. "Chaos ensued for years after. I knew someone who was a soldier for Pilate. He nearly died trying to control the angry crowds."

"I have sent several bounty hunters after Jordan," Alexander broke in. "She will be caught shortly, my dear."

"Why didn't she bite me?" Sarah asked.

"She did not want to risk changing you," Father replied. "Why is she still after you?"

"She blames me for everything," Sarah said, hugging herself. Mother pulled up a chair beside her and kissed her. She caressed her chin and looked at her just like a mother would.

"My poor baby," Mother cooed. "I will personally rip every strand of hair out of her head one by one, and then I will tear off her head and send it into the pyre." Sarah looked up at my mother with wide eyes. Mother kissed her again. "I will never harm you, my daughter. Never, even at my angriest."

"Sarah!" A tall figure pushed his way in.

"Hello, Glen," Sarah said. He looked terrified.

"What happened?! Are you hurt?"

"She was shot, you idiot!" I snapped.

He ignored my tone and hugged her. "Oh, Sarah." Mother hissed as he pushed her aside.

Sarah looked embarassed. "Glen, please."

"Sarah, have you told them yet?"

"No."

"Told me what?" I demanded.

Sarah turned pink. "I decided to give Glen a chance."

"Without the use of a love potion," Glen crooned. Father growled at him.

"Why do I not believe that?" Uncle Soren said. "Marina, smell her breath."

Mother tipped up Sarah's head and opened her lips, then took in a deep breath.

"She smells like it," she informed us. "He gave her a potion!"

I frowned at Glen.

"She's mine!" he cried. "I am her soulmate! Her future husband! We love each other!"

"I was thinking that I could love you," Sarah told him. "If I wasn't already with Reese at the time. Glen, did you really give me a potion?"

I saw his Adam's apple move up and down. "I...I did, Sarah."

Sarah burst into tears. Mother immediately went to comfort her, and Alexander grabbed Glen by the shirt.

"Shall I turn him into a snail?" he asked. "Oh, wait, he's already a snail."

"Mom," Sarah said. Mother turned and smiled at her.

"You called me Mom."

"You are my mother," Sarah said. "You've shown me more love in less than a year than my real mother has shown me in seventeen years."

"Because I do love you," Mother said. "You are my souldaughter."

"Sarah," Glen said, "I...I never meant...please forgive me..."

"Get out," I growled at him.

Alexander picked him up and threw him from the room. He slid and hit the wall on the other side of the hallway outside the room.

"Cretin," I grumbled.

"I will stay with Sarah," Mother said. "She needs me. The rest of you, make sure Glen doesn't go near her again." She turned and put her nose in Sarah's hair.

"Beloved, the baby," Alexander reminded her. She glared at him.

"You are his father. You can watch him. He was yours before he was ever mine. Like Kieran."

"Kieran is biologically mine," Alexander said. "And Reese was yours before he was mine."

Father growled warningly at him. Alexander ignored him.

"I broke up with Caden," Sarah said. "Oh, Mommy!"

"It'll be all right, my love," Mother told her. Sarah sobbed into her chest. I reached out and took Sarah's hand. Her cries tore at my heart. Mother growled at me, and I growled back. I stepped back. Mother's instincts were haywired right now, and she would be extremely protective of Sarah.

When I looked back, Evan had a look of betrayal.

"What was that?" he asked after we got back to the lobby.

"Hey, I'd do the same for you. Besides, I'm responsible for this. If I don't take care of her now, I'll hate myself for the rest of my life."

He frowned, looking irritated.

"Evan," I said, grabbing his shoulders, "Are you jealous of Sarah?"

"Yes," he admitted after a moment. "I mean, she's nice to me, but...come on, you know how beautiful she is. And she's so much smarter than me, and a lot kinder."

"It's true that she's kinder, but she's no more beautiful than you are, just in a different way. I'm still attracted to you, and I want to give this another try. If we break up again, it won't be because of Sarah. The first time we broke up, it was a me problem. Not a her problem, or a you problem. I'm the one that screwed up. I had to pay the consequences."

"All your decisions affect others," he said.

"Not all of them. If I decide to eat a...uh...salad..."

"But you won't eat a salad, because you're a vampire! You eat humans!"

"I drink their blood," I corrected. "It's true, I have been killing a lot lately, and for good reason. To have a full stomach, and to save others. I only kill those who are evil. Trust me, I grew up around evil. I know how to sense it and detect it. Heck, Alexander is inherently evil, but he'd never hurt any of us, except maybe my father."

Evan was biting his lip now and holding back tears.

"I'm so sorry," he said. "This is all my fault. I'm sorry."

"No, no, it isn't your fault," I told him. I took him outside and pecked him on the lips. I heard someone shout a gay slur, but I ignored it. Evan turned to glare at the heckler, and I turned his head to face me. "Ignore him. He's not important to us."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"I love you," Evan said that night, as he caressed my body.

"I love you, too," I said. "Evan, when you said earlier that it was your fault, I-"

"Shhh," he pressed a finger to my lips. "Don't blame yourself. We are both to blame."

"You're right," I sighed. I hugged him close. "Odin, you're so fucking beautiful."

"So are you," he said.

CRASH!

Glass shattered us as a vampire leaped into the room. I stood up and hissed, ready to defend my boyfriend.

"Reid!" Evan stuttered.

Reid faced us, his irises glowing red.

"This is what you left me for?! The prince?!"

"Reid, I...I never meant..."

"Shut up! I am so sick of your lies! It's either me or him!"

"He's already chosen, douche," I growled. "Back off."

Reid shook his golden locks. "No! You will both die tonight!"

He leaped toward me first. He threw me on the ground. I felt glass cutting in my skin. Reid bit into my throat. I screamed, and so did Evan. Suddenly, Reid was thrown off of me. Father threw him into the wall, scattering books and papers. I sighed. Another first edition ruined.

"Dimitri! Dungeon, now!" Father ordered. Dimitri grabbed Lockhart and dragged him out the door.

"Are you okay, Reese?" Father asked, smelling me. "Honey, your back..."

"I'm okay," I lied. I turned to Evan. "Evan?"

Evan looked frightened. Tears were running down his cheeks.

"Reese...I..." he stuttered. "Reese, I'm so sorry...I have to go."

"No, Evan!" I grabbed his arms.

"Reese, please," he begged. "I need to leave."

"No, I won't let you! He'll kill you!"

"It's not anything I haven't thought about."

"What? Evan, you can't mean that. I won't let you hurt yourself!"

"I have to go! Let me go!"

"No! Stay here! Where I can protect you!"

"Like you protected Sarah?!"

His words cut me to the quick. I kept quiet after that.

"Yeah, I see what's going on. You're still in love with her!"

"No, Evan, I'm not! Okay, I am, but I love you as well!"

"You're just like Reid and all the other cheaters of the world! Stay out of my life!"

He left after that.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Being alone doesn't mean that you're free.

The words of Jack Savoretti floated through my mind over the next week. Sarah was released from the hospital, Jordan was caught and thrown into the dungeon, and Reid was interrogated by my father and uncle. My father was afraid that I'd kill him if I interrogated him.

Evan completely blocked my messages and calls. I was hurt by this. I did love him. I also realized that I was not ready for another relationship after Sarah, and especially not now. I was not ready for love.

Then on Saturday, I finally got to interrogate Jordan.

I walked into the dungeon wearing my usual black outfit, plus a trench coat.

"Do you know who you're dealing with?" I boomed across the dungeon.

"Vampire royalty," Jordan admitted. "Some prince you are, you can't even protect your mate!"

I pulled a lock of hair out of her head. She cried out in pain.

"Do not test me, witch," I hissed. "That's what you are, after all."

"I'm not a real witch," she hissed back. "I was not born one. I was lied to by Gwen and Simon Hart and Claire and Brian Nales. Scarlett had a crush on Michael, and I was jealous of it. My life was ruined."

"Yes, but not because of Sarah," I said. "You're using her as a scapegoat. I know all about your little adventures in thievery. Formed your own little gang of lip gloss pocketers. You told the girls' parents, didn't you?"

"I should have been the best!" she shrieked. "I was the best! I am the most beautiful in that group! But no one else thought so. It was always Sarah this and Sarah that. I swear, I think Mia Rayport might've had a crush on her."

I closed my eyes and took a few deep breaths to control my jealousy.

"You were jealous," I finally said, after counting to three hundred. "You wanted what she had. Natural beauty and charm. So you looked up all you could on the dark arts, didn't you? You convinced Scarlett to show the girls how to make beauty potions and spells to attract others. You turned into a conniving, single-minded, cruel, evil, slutty, trampish bitch!"

"Watch who you call a bitch, bloodsucker."

"Who turned you into a vampire?"

"I turned myself into a vampire. I knew what you were, because Scarlett told me. She knew, and she's holding it over your head as blackmail."

"How did you turn into a vampire?"

"I killed a real one. I took some of his blood and drank it. I went to a vampire club in Princeton, and then I flirted my way into his arms. Then I stabbed him with a metal stake, and drank the blood from his heart. I still have some of his blood and hair."

I was horrified. "You truly are evil! How did this happen?" How could I have let this happen?

I considered my next question. "Who did you kill?"

"Fuck, I don't know. Kieran something."

I glanced back at Alexander, who pounced on Jordan.

"DID YOU KILL MY SON, YOU BITCH?! WHAT WAS HIS LAST NAME? WHAT CLUB WAS IT?! MY SON! WE NEVER MADE UP!"

Alexander collapsed on the stone floor, holding himself.

"Toby, Dimitri, take him out of here," Uncle Soren commanded.

"Jordan Nales, your punishment is death," Father said. "Reese?"

I stepped forward and ripped the bitch's head from her shoulders. I threw it across the dungeon and into the fire pit. I made short work of the rest of her body and threw it into the pit as well. My father lit a match and tossed it into the pit.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"How is Alexander?" I asked Uncle Soren.

"Distraught. He thinks it was his Kieran that Jordan killed. I, however, have my doubts. There are a million vampires with the name Kieran, and the Kieran that we know lives in St. Louis, Missouri."

"Someone call my name?" Louis teased.

"Your name is pronounced Louie, not Loo-is," Uncle Soren rebutted.

"Fine, whatever. So the bitch is dead. What now?"

"We inform the women," my uncle said. "Reese will be the one to inform Sarah. I will inform Marina and tell her what Jordan said. If Alexander tells her, he will twist it to make it sound like it was his son that Jordan killed. I know Kieran. He'd never allow such a thing to happen to him. Besides, he's gay."

"He's gay?" I parroted.

"Yes, he is. It has taken Alexander years to accept it. one of the reasons why Kieran does not speak to him anymore. However, Alexander regrets that now, especially considering that you yourself are bisexual, Reese. Alexander wants to make it up to Kieran, but if Kieran is truly dead, he can't. He will hate himself forever if it is our Kieran that Jordan killed."

So now I had to find Kieran Nicolai.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I looked up on all the usual websites. Nothing, not even a Facebook account. I looked him up on the government websites. Nothing. I looked him up on the vampire database. It said that he lived in St. Louis, Missouri, and he was approximately one thousand years old. Still fairly young for vampires. He was a hybrid, half-human. I tried to find a photo-nothing. So now I would have to find him myself.

I gave Louis a file of information and told him to get to work. He stuck his tongue out at me, but took the file and started his search.

I busied myself with my studying. I read the whole math book, then worked on history. Father came to check on me twice. He promptly told me that I was working too hard, and I gave him the finger. He tweaked my nose and told me to behave.

I thought about Mathias. He'd mentioned something about a book. What kind of book? I'd asked Uncle Soren what he meant by that, but he cleared his throat and changed the subject each time I asked. So did Father, and Grandfather would ignore me unless I changed the subject myself.

Was it a spellbook? A book about vampires? Ghosts? Angels?

I asked Louis, and he told me to mind my own business. I was so sick of everyone treating me like a child who couldn't handle the truth.

I laid in bed and thought about it. Mathias had died trying to kill me and Uncle Soren. My grandfather had killed him himself. I had looked through the library extensively, and nothing. I wondered if the castle in Denmark held anything about it. I could ask Claudia, although it was unlikely that the old cook would know, being human.

I thought about who else I could ask. Alexander? He'd tell me if he knew, but he was a mess right now. He was convinced that it was his Kieran that Jordan killed, and it was all his fault. He was upset to the point of being suicidal, so Mother had him on suicide watch.

The next best thing would be for me to hire a private investigator. If my family found out, I would be in trouble, but it would be worth it.

I looked up several investigators and called the one with the cheapest fare. He was named Robert DeSalos, and he was a known vampire. I felt guilty, knowing I would regret this later. I shot him an e-mail detailing the situation.

I got an e-mail back with him accepting the case. He promised to keep the identity of Kieran's father quiet and to keep the Jordan incident quiet. I needed to find Kieran Nicolai if I wanted to save my soulfather.

CHAPTER TEN - IF I LAY HERE

School was a mess. Everyone was scrambling to find dates. The Homecoming Dance was this weekend, and Amara Ruick was going with Cole Powers. I knew that Sarah was going with Patrick, her gay friend. Caden Cartwright was going with Scarlett, of all people. I'd heard some girls saying that he thought Scarlett was unfairly treated and needed redemption. More like he wanted to make Sarah jealous.

I decided I didn't care if I went or not. I had no date anyway. That is, until Mia Rayport asked me to go.

"Reese, can I talk to you a minute?" she asked during a break.

"Sure. What is it?" I asked.

"Will you go with me to the Homecoming Dance?" she asked.

"I..what?"

"The Homecoming Dance. It's this weekend, and I still don't have a date. I know that you don't, either."

"I...wow. This is unexpected. How do I know this isn't a ploy?"

"Because I wouldn't have asked Sarah if she minded, would I?"

"You asked Sarah if she cared?"

"Yeah. She said she didn't mind."

"Um, sure, then. What time should I pick you up?"

"Six o'clock. Be ready for the game, too."

So now I had a date. Of course, it was possible that she was lying. I sent Sarah a brief message asking if Mia had really asked. She assented and said that she had. I was disappointed by that, if I'm being honest. I was really hoping that Mia had lied.

So I found myself wearing a cologne on Friday evening. It burned my nose, but according to Louis, it attracted women like bees to nectar.

"How are you feeling?" Father asked me. I sneezed in response. "I know it stinks, but try to deal with it. You want to make a good impression."

"Trust me, this cologne really works," Louis said, spritzing me with it. I sneezed again.

"I don't care either way," I said. "I'm not out to impress anyone."

"You are such a liar," Louis chuckled. "You want to impress Sarah and Evan."

I resisted the urge to grab him by the throat.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I arrived on time at Mia's house close to Sarah's old house. I brought a bunch of tulips for her parents. I walked up and rang the doorbell. I heard a dog barking inside. A man opened the door, and I was greeted by a German shepherd.

"You must be Reese," the man said, extending his hand. "I'm Mr. Rayport, Mia's father. She's told me about you."

"It's nice to meet you," I said, shaking his hand and offering him the tulips. Mr. Rayport was a balding man, but what little hair he did have was white. He wore thin glasses and had a broad build. He wore a brown suit with a vest and a tie. His eyes glittered brightly, slightly paler than Mia's clear blue ones.

I stepped inside, and was immediately reminded of a church. Several crosses hung around the place, a Bible stood open on a table, and a large crucifix hung over the fireplace.

"Do you preach?" I asked, gesturing to the Bible.

Mr. Rayport smiled. "Did Mia tell you that? I retired a year ago. Before that, I preached at several churches over the course of forty years. I began in my early twenties, and now I'm sixty years old."

There was an awkward pause. Then he spoke up again.

"So, how do you know Mia?"

"I dated Sarah," I informed him. He raised an eyebrow. "Sarah and I broke up, and Mia asked me to the dance instead." He still looked suspicious. "I know how this looks, but I swear, I only see Mia as a friend."

"Ah, well. Paul, down!"

The German shepherd stopped jumping on me and stood off to the side, wagging his tail. He stuck his nose in my crotch, and I gently pushed him away.

"So, Reese, are those contacts?" Mr. Rayport asked.

"No," I said honestly. "My whole family has eyes like these, except for my cousin."

"And what does your family consist of?"

"My father, my uncle, my grandfather, my cousin, my mother, and my stepfather. And a little brother." I might as well include Cirino.

"Mia tells me that your stepfather and mother took Sarah's baby," he continued.

"They did," I confirmed. "They adore him."

"That was nice of them. It was tragic, what happened to Sarah."

"Yes, it is."

Just then, Mia walked down, looking elegant in a sparkly light blue dress. If I'd had a beating heart, it would have pounded from her sheer physical beauty. She was more beautiful than Cinderella. My stomach twisted into a knot.

This is Sarah's best friend, idiot. What the fuck is wrong with me?

I swallowed nervously as I took her arm in mine.

"Don't wait up, Daddy," Mia cooed.

I took her to the car and opened the door for her.

"Such a gentleman," she purred, stepping inside. I resisted the urge to roll my eyes.

I said nothing to her cooing, saying how handsome I was and general flirting. I ignored it as best as I could. I adjusted my shirt.

As soon as we reached the school, people were filing in for the dance. I got out and opened Mia's door.

"Thank you, Reese," she purred. I shut the door and offered my arm. I led her to the line, where I paid and led her inside. Immediately, my Sarah sensors went off, and I spotted her in a group of giggling girls, including Angela Montgomery, Rachel Griffin, and Sara "Honey" Blynn, members of her old group. She turned and saw us, and her face fell.

"What's wrong, Sarah?" Rachel asked. She turned and saw us. "Wow. Really, Mia?"

I knew what she was thinking. Mia was a slut and a boyfriend-stealer.

To my shock, I also saw Mason Godfrey with Scarlett Hart in a corner of the room. They were talking, then Scarlett saw me and kissed Mason. I went to a section of the cafeteria and sat on a chair. Mia went over to the girl group and started chatting with her friends.

"I said I wasn't okay with this!" Sarah hissed. I stiffened. So Mia was lying.

"Hey, he's a boy," Mia said. Sarah looked furious. "You just broke up with Caden, so what's the big deal?"

"The big deal is that I love him!" Sarah cried. "He's my first love! My soulmate!"

"Geez, you're as crazy as Scarlett."

"Mia, what the hell?!" said Angela Montgomery. "You know she likes him! Are you some kind of double agent?"

"It's only slutty if we have sex," Mia told her. "He fell for it. Besides, I'm doing her a favor. No one else can have him."

Sarah half-ran into the girls' bathroom. I heard a stall door shut. I sighed. Once again, I'd made her cry. I was a terrible ex. I went over to the bathroom and positioned myself outside. I ignored the glares.

When Sarah came back out a few minutes later, her eyes were red, her makeup a little smudged.

"Reese?" she asked, looking at me.

"Sarah, I'm so sorry," I said. "I had no idea. She lied to me."

"I believe you," she said.

"Earth Angel" began playing over the speakers. My angel looked up at the DJ.

I leaned down and kissed her. She stiffened, then relaxed into the kiss. Then she pushed me away.

"Not here," she hissed.

"Yes, here," I growled, my voice deepening.

"Control yourself, Reese. We're at school, at a dance, in public, in front of everyone. And you came with Mia."

"So what? I don't care about her. Only you."

She looked sick.

"I have to go to the front," she said. "I'm nominated for Homecoming Queen."

"This isn't even the official Homecoming," I said. "The real one is next week."

"Yes, and I'll be cheering my ass off during the game. My date is Caden."

Caden. I rumbled, showing my displeasure.

"Chill, Reese. Relax. I'll think about it. Right now, I need to be seen at the front."

"Is that all you care about?" I snapped before I could stop myself. "Your reputation?"

"Um, it was thanks to your friend that my reputation is still intact."

"A friend that I no longer speak to."

"You have to get over that! So what if she's dating a werewolf? Your uncle shouldn't be dating teens anyway!"

"You're right, he shouldn't. But so what? He's a vampire! Our race is not constricted by human laws."

"Laws are for everyone! Not just humans!"

"You have no idea what the supernatural are subjected to just to keep humans safe!"

"You're right, I don't. I really don't want to. Because you know what? I don't want to become a vampire. I don't want to get a headache from the sun and spend all my time in the night and in the darkness. I'd rather frolic in the flowers in a sunny meadow."

"Sarah, if we get married-"

"That's not going to happen. You know why? Because we are never ever getting back together!"

She stormed off to join her clique, her dress swishing. I growled miserably. I sent Mia a text.

Find your own way home. I'm leaving.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I woke up during a particularly vivid dream that I couldn't remember seconds later. Something about roses and cherries and red wine....then there was a beautiful girl...I didn't know her name, and I really didn't want to. It took me a moment to remember everything. Sarah. The dance. The fight. The drama. The kiss.

It took me another moment to realize that something was off. Someone was holding me. I tried to squirm out of his grasp, but he growled and tightened his grip.

"Father?"

"Yes, son?"

"Why are you holding me?"

"Do you not remember last night?"

"Barely."

"You came home screaming and crying. You threatened to kill yourself. I know I promised not to do it anymore, but I hypnotized you to get you to calm down. I mean, you scared the cats! Toby had to restrain you to prevent you from stabbing yourself."

"I don't remember any of that. Ow, and I'm sore..."

"Yeah, Soren had to help Toby restrain you. You even had him worried!"

"Dad, I messed up."

"I know. You blurted out the whole story last night while Soren was holding you. Speak of the devil."

"Hey, pumpkin," Uncle Soren said, coming into my room. "How are you feeling?"

"Honestly, I don't know. Where is Louis?"

"He and your grandfather went to go find Alexander. We figured that only he could keep you calm. They should have returned by now. I sent Spencer to look for them."

I relaxed into my father. He purred.

"Any sign of you-know-what?" Father asked.

"None," Uncle Soren said. "The book is still missing."

"What book?" I asked. "The one that Mathias was looking for that day?"

"Don't worry about it," Father said, petting my hair. "It's nothing you need to worry about."

"I'm a member of this family. Everyone knows what it is except me. I think I have a right to know."

"Hush, Reese," Uncle Soren said. "It's really your father's decision, and he wants it kept quiet."

"Oh, fine," Father said. "You can tell him, Soren."

Uncle Soren rolled his eyes. "As you wish, dear brother. It's a book of prophecies."

"A book of prophecies? Like Nostradamus?"

"Kind of, except these prophecies are not bullshit. Most of them have already come true. The only one who has read the book cover to cover is myself and a fairy named Puck."

"Puck...from Shakespeare?"

"Exactly, my beloved nephew. What Shakespeare didn't know was that Puck was a real fairy. No one knows where he is now. He sometimes comes to see us. He's a leader of the fairies."

"Thinks he's a king," Father added. "He's the type of guy who really would mess with emotions and interests."

"You don't have to worry about him," Uncle Soren said, stroking my cheek. Father growled. "Shut up, Mordecai. I love him just as much as you do. He's as much mine."

"NO! HE'S MINE!" Father roared, practically crushing me in his grip.

Uncle Soren grimaced. "I understand how you feel, Mordecai. I remember removing your arm when Louis was only a baby."

"Reese is my baby," Father spat.

"Mordecai, he's not a little boy anymore. He's a man."

"Burn in hell, Soren!"

"Okay, okay, I'm backing out," Uncle Soren said, hands in the air. "I'm not a threat. I'm his uncle. Try to control yourself, brother. He's not my son. He's yours."

"He was almost yours!"

"And Alexander's. You're not the only man who has ever loved Marina, Mordecai."

"Mine! Mine mine mine!"

"Fine, fine, parrot. I'm leaving now."

Uncle Soren left the room.

Father huffed and wrapped me like a burrito in a bunch of blankets. He rumbled and settled himself behind me. Feeling cozy, I drifted off to sleep.

I woke up again a couple of hours later. My father had left, but he left his scent all over the room. Trying to deter strangers and others who would want to hurt me. And Alexander and Uncle Soren. I unrolled myself and rolled off the bed, cursing as my head hit the wall. Father ran in and lifted me up, cradling me. He kissed the bruise and purred, trying to soothe me.

"Sleepy?" he asked.

"A little," I said.

"Try to sleep some more."

"I'm hungry," I told him.

"I will find breakfast for you. Do you want it naturally warm or warmed by radioactivity?"

"Radioactivity. I'm not in the mood for bloodshed."

"Of course, my sweet. SOREN! BREAKFAST! NOW!"

"GET IT YOURSELF!"

"I CAN'T LEAVE REESE!"

"THEN STARVE!"

"IT'S NOT FOR ME, YOU IDIOT!"

"HE CAN GET IT HIMSELF!"

"NOT TODAY, HE CAN'T!"

"YOU'RE GIVING ME A HEADACHE! FINE, I'LL SEND ONE OF THE GUYS OUT!"

"HE WANTS IT BAGGED!"

"YOU SHOULD HAVE SAID THAT IN THE FIRST PLACE!"

"STOP YELLING!" I finally shouted. "Geez, you're worse than an old married couple."

"Sorry, my love," Father said. He set me on the bed and stroked my hair. "Rest. Sleep."

"If you hypnotize me I swear to Odin I will-"

"Hush, son. Relax. Rest."

I finally got up and did some homework around noon. I wasn't sure if I did my Calculus problems right. I checked through and redid a couple.

I left Sarah a voicemail, profusely apologizing.

"WHERE IS HE?"

My father's shout hurt my ears.

"DIMITRI, FIND HIM RIGHT NOW! HE CAN'T GO NEAR REESE!"

Reed Lockhart must have broken out. Joy of joys.

I finished my Calculus homework and started working on Advanced Senior English. I had a paper due on Edgar Allan Poe, describing how he revealed the sheer beauty of strong emotion in his writing such as depression and unrequited love.

Love. A feeling that could make one happy and sad all in the same moment. Jealousy, rivalry, anger, lust. Eventual death in the case of mortals.

I was desperately in love with a mortal woman. Almost a woman.

Sarah was my world. My Earth, my universe. My angel.

Was. I shuddered. I was in love with Sarah, but something was happening to us. We were falling out of love. The realization broke my heart. I knew that all our problems were because of my jealousy, therefore, it was my fault.

Finishing my English paper didn't take long. I printed out a final copy around three in the afternoon. My next piece of homework didn't take me long, either. I had to choose a god or goddess and write about them for Ancient History. I chose Freyja. I wrote about Viking life for women, which was better than in most parts of the world.

"Reese?" Father came into my room. "Have you seen Reed Lockhart, Other Reese, or Torrance?"

"No."

"Good. What are you working on?"

"History report. Now leave me alone."

"That stings, son. But I will leave you now."

"Good riddance."

I finished my homework and stretched my fingers. I needed work. Work would keep me busy.

I went out after a bit to smoke. Grandfather was standing by himself in the backyard, staring at the woods some distance away. He was hugging himself and looking sad.

"Hello, Reese," he said, without looking up.

"Hello, Grandfather," I greeted, reaching into my pocket for my lighter. I lit up and took a deep drag. I sighed as I blew the smoke out. I needed this.

"That shit stinks," Grandfather said. "I don't know why you boys do it. Mordecai, Soren, Louis, and you. All of you smoke cigarettes. It's a filthy, disgusting habit, and kills more people each year than sharks. But I understand the addiction. And your father smokes the most out of any of you. If he was human, he'd be dead by now."

"Well, he is over two thousand years old."

A smile tugged at my grandfather's mouth. "You know what I mean." He sighed deeply. "You and I both know that I am going to die someday, Reese. It may be a week from now, could be tomorrow, or it could be fifty years from now. One way or another, I will die. And I will do it by my own hand."

He caught me off-guard. "Grandfather, you shouldn't!"

"I know. Sometimes I feel like there is no other choice. All of us; myself, Soren, Mordecai, Louis, all of us deserve to die. Me most of all."

"Is this about Mathias?" I gently asked. My grandfather had been forced to kill his adopted son because he tried to kill me and Uncle Soren. Not to mention that he killed my grandmother, Amalia, and for many years was thought to be responsible for the death of Uncle Soren's wife and Louis' mother, Alga.

Grandfather's eyes shined, like tears were filling his eyes. "This is all my fault. Every bit."

"I don't understand."

"You are too young to understand. But what you have to understand is that I never meant for any of this to happen. If I'd never left Amalia's side, if I had kept my brothers alive...it's in the past and I can't change it. And I can't change the future."

"The future is not set in stone," I reminded him.

"Truth, but it has been written, and not by any of us. I used to be a man who firmly believed in the gods of old, and now I wonder if there even are any gods."

A cawing surprised me. I looked up and saw two ravens sitting in an apple tree.

"Thought and Memory," I said, pointing them out.

Grandfather looked up at the ravens, then sighed. "Or they could be here because there is a dead deer about two miles away."

"Or it could be a sign from Odin," I said. I held out my arm. One of the ravens flew off her perch and settled on my arm. "Hello. You're a pretty bird," I cooed. She cawed and flapped her wings. "Are you here from Odin?"

The raven blinked once.

"I don't believe it," Grandfather said, clearly trying not be in awe of the birds.

"Are you Thought or are you Memory?" I asked. She blinked twice. I took that to mean that she was Memory. She flew back up to the branches, where Thought was preening himself.

"I have to go to work," I said. I had increased my hours at my father's shop. "I'll leave you to it."

When I looked back, Grandfather had his arm out, and Thought was settling on it.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It was ridiculously busy at my father's store where he sold videogames, movies, music, and console parts. I didn't know much about videogames, because I rarely played them, but I did know movies and music.

Around six o'clock, I was restocking the movie section when I heard the bell over the door chime.

"Hello, and welcome to-" My spiel was cut short when I saw who it was. It was Rachel Griffin, Sarah's redheaded friend.

"She told me you work here," she said, sticking her phone in her pocket.

"What do you need?" I asked tersely. I didn't trust her, as she was one of the original clique who had turned her back on Sarah the previous year.

"I need you to talk to Sarah. She acts like she's fine, but I can tell, and Angela and Honey have noticed, too. She's losing weight, and not in a healthy way. She never eats, she always runs to the bathroom, and she's always exercising more than usual. She never works out unless it's for practice or a game. We think she has anorexia."

Sarah...anorexia? My sweet angel, an eating disorder?

"Why don't you tell my mother?" I asked.

"She knows," Rachel said. "Sarah won't tell her anything. Marina's really worried, and so is Sabine. Sarah looks at these pictures of skinny chicks and she sighs, like she wishes she was them. She's also started smoking cigarettes. We think she touched marijuana at a party the other night, which is so not her. Her voice is always scratchy, and she can't remember the cheers or songs for the talent show. We're entering this year as a group, and she's blanking when it comes to remembering everything."

"Do the other girls know you're doing this?" I asked. She pointed to the door.

"Angela, Honey, and Mia are outside."

"Mia, too?"

"She noticed that Sarah wasn't eating her breakfast this morning when we all went out. Sarah usually scarfs down food, especially bacon and eggs. And then when we went out for a run, she could barely keep up. She's one of the fastest runners, even though she's short. She needs someone to help her, Reese, and it has to be you. She still loves you, you know. She just doesn't think she can trust you because of your jealousy."

Rachel flounced out of the shop, leaving me staring after her. Sarah needed me? Me, her ex? The vampire?

Sometimes, being a prince really sucks.

CHAPTER TEN - SARAH

Angels are known as warriors of God. Some people think that they have no gender, others believe that they are exclusively male. I've met a few, and I like to think that I can identify one when I see one.

When I saw Sarah sitting in To Bean Or Not To Bean, she was sitting beside an angel who had his arm around her. He was talking to her in a low voice, whispering comforts. I sighed. Rachel and the other girls had set up this little meeting for me to talk to Sarah, and here she was, talking to an angel.

"Are you an angel?" she asked. His face screwed up, and he shook his long blond hair.

"Yes," he said quietly.

"Enjoying yourself?" I said, sitting across from them. He looked at me and frowned.

"What do you want?" he growled.

"I want to talk to Sarah," I said. I looked at her.

"We were talking," he said rudely.

"It's okay, Adriel," Sarah said. "He's a friend."

"Very well," Adriel said, standing up. "But just think about your future, Sarah." Then he walked out the door.

"Who was that?" I asked.

"A friend," she replied. "His name's Adriel."

"I noticed," I said.

We stared at each other for a moment. Then I spoke up.

"Sarah, I'm sorry."

"For what?" she asked.

"For everything. You're right, I have jealousy issues. I'm angry and tense all the time. I'm sorry."

She reached out and touched my hand.

"It's okay. I get jealous, too. I got jealous when Scarlett kissed you."

"Sarah, don't. None of this is your fault. It's mine. It's all my fault."

She sighed. "What are we doing? I can't avoid my fate forever, whatever it is. The only way to be sure what my fate is or have any protection is to be around you."

"You can't avoid the darkness forever."

"You should quote that," she told me. Then she bit her lip and tried not to cry. I sidled in next to her and held her. I dabbed at her eyes with a tissue. I purred, trying to soothe my mate. "I'm okay," she said after a few minutes.

"Good," I said. "You know, you don't have to choose between the light and the dark. You could choose to be in the gray area, like most humans are."

"I think that most humans are inherently selfish," she said.

"So are most vampires," I said.

"Think about it. Do we do things for other people for them or for us, to make us feel better? It does make us feel better to do good, to put a dollar in the tip jar, but do we do it because she did a good job or because we want her to think we're good people?"

"Where did this come from?" I asked.

"Adriel said something about selfishness and mortals."

"Good for him, seeing as he is just as dispensible as the rest of us," I said sarcastically.

"Be nice," she warned. She leaned against me. I rumbled, then kissed her, marking her with my scent. I looked up and noticed Elliot Porter, Sarah's fat male friend who crushed on her. He was looking at us, and looked hurt. I growled. I would have to keep marking her. Make sure that everyone saw us.

"So, are we together again?" Sarah asked.

"Yes," I said, looking at Elliot. "We are."

CHAPTER ELEVEN - CONTEST

Over the next week, Sarah and I spent as much time together as possible. She was definitely going to win Homecoming Queen. The only other real competition was Ariella Spears, my ex-best friend. Not that it caused a rift in their friendship, at least not outwardly.

Sarah gave herself beauty treatments all the time. She would reapply a lipstick at a random time, or fix her already perfect hair. She wore sparklier eyeshadow than usual, or a different perfume. She started wearing gardenia perfume instead of Spanish amber. Her lipstick was always perfectly applied, and she wore a necklace that had both a cross and a Star of David on it beside each other.

Neither the cross nor the Star overlapped the other.

Finally, Friday rolled around, and with it, came the general influx of testosterone and estrogen. The rivalry between the guys was getting intense. That, however, was nothing compared to the rivalry between the girls. The girls all knew that they had a very remote chance of even getting in, but that didn't stop the cattiness.

I overheard one of the nominees saying that Sarah had thunder thighs. I growled at her, but before I could say anything, Ariella told Phoebe to fuck off. I was proud of her for that. I was still disappointed that she chose the wolves over me, though.

That night, I went to the football game late, around halftime.

"Introducing: our nominees for Homecoming King and Queen!" the announcer cried. "First: Sarah Cresley. Sarah has been a cheerleader for two years, treasurer for the student council, a member of the Fashion Club for one year, in choir for four years and a member of the Honor Society. Sarah is here accompanied by her mother, Alicia Cresley, and her father is the late Beckett Cresley. Sarah plans to go to school in Los Angeles next year."

"She looks so beautiful!" Mother gushed, tearing up. I couldn't agree more. Sarah looked fantastic in her curve-hugging red sparkly dress and with her hair curled and piled in a half-updo. But something else bounced around in my mind. She wanted to go to Los Angeles.

"-Phoebe has been a member of the Honor Society for four years, a cheerleader for four years, secretary to the student council, and a member of the choir for two years. She is here accompanied by her mother-"

"That Sarah chick is so hot," said a male voice. I glanced back. It was one of Caden Cartwright's friends, Tyler Worthington. "I hope she's single."

Fortunately, Cartwright was on the field as one of the nominees for King.

"-Mia has been a cheerleader for two years, member of the Honor Society for three years, a member of the Fashion Club for four years, and she is accompanied by her father, Anton Rayport. Her mother is the late Tory Rayport."

The announcer went on to announce the three other nominees-Rachel Griffin, Angela Montgomery, and Ariella Spears. Next, the guys.

"First is Caden Cartwright, accompanied by his mother Tarina Cartwright and his father Puck."

"Puck?" I said.

"I don't believe it," Alexander said, narrowing his eyes at Caden's father. "It is the King of the Fairies."

"Do you think he knows?" I asked.

"I doubt it," he said.

"He always was a pompous ass," I said.

"Like your father," Alexander replied.

"Control, gentlemen," Mother said. "Self-control. Oh, look at her!"

I snapped my focus onto Sarah, who was smiling, but it didn't quite reach her eyes.

"And the Homecoming Queen is...Sarah Cresley!" the announcer roared. Thunderous applause followed suit. Last year's Homecoming Queen, a cute blond, placed the plastic crown on Sarah's curls. "And the Homecoming King is...Caden Cartwright!"

As everyone knew would happen. It was really no shock that they won.

"And now, as is tradition, the Queen and King will share a short dance on the football field!"

"Stupid tradition," I muttered as Caden took Sarah's hand and led her onto the wet grass.

"Her heels will get ruined," Mother moaned. "And they look so lovely tonight on her tiny feet!"

"Africa" by Toto started playing. Sarah's eyes widened as Caden took her waist and hand. As the music played, he led her in a dance. As she twirled, I had the strangest feeling. I felt that if I stopped watching her, something bad would happen. I looked over and noticed that a lot of the other males had their eyes on her, and a few females. One guy actually had his leg halfway over the railing.

Her grace was romantic, even sensual. He held onto her like a lifeline, looking into her eyes, which she seemed to be trying to avoid. I noticed that the males on the other bleachers also looked interested.

"She's very pretty," sighed an older woman to my left.

"She doesn't look too interested," the man next to her noted.

After the dance was over, she and Caden bowed to applause from both sides.

"I love you, Sarah!" cried a guy to my right. His girlfriend did not look happy.

Sarah snuck up to the bleachers during the rest of the game. She came over and sat beside Mother.

"I don't know what they were thinking," she said. "These shoes are ruined now, and I spent a lot on them."

"Take these," Mother said, handing her a pair of black flats. "They will be better for your feet. I can have Zie clean those shoes as much as possible, but I don't think they will be completely saved."

"Hey, Sarah, you were amazing," said a guy to her right.

"Oh, thanks, Zack," she said.

I made a mental note to try not to kill Zack Davis. I took a few deep breaths and counted to three thousand in Greek in my head. I thought about my new piano, with which I had yet to practice with. I thought about my new cars. I looked back at Sarah, and was momentarily stunned by her beauty. She caught me staring, and I offered a small smile. She shyly smiled back.

The rest of the game went on without a hitch, and we won, sixty four to forty three. Of course Caden made the final touchdown. The applause was deafening, especially for us with fantastic hearing. I instinctively pulled Sarah into me. She protested loudly.

"Reese, I'm fine," she said, stepping on my foot. I barely felt it, but it hurt just the same.

"Sarah, want to head to the dance?" another guy asked.

"I'm going with Reese," she said. He eyed me suspiciously. My heart lightened at her statement. I took her hand and led her to the school.

"Sarah, right?" said the guy taking money. "You can go in for free. Your date has to pay."

I growled and handed him two dollars. He also eyeballed me.

I led her to the center of the dance floor, where I spun her around. The DJ was already playing Pitbull. Sarah took the elastic out of her hair, causing the rest of her curls to tumble onto her shoulders. As the dance hall filled up, a slower song started playing, and I grasped her waist while she touched my chest and shoulders.

"Is that Sarah...with Reese Emerson?!"

"What the freak?"

"She's too good for him."

"That just ain't right."

I ignored them, and Sarah began to sing along to the tune. I was mesmerized by her voice. It was beautiful, high and clear. She twirled around, blowing me a kiss now and then.

"We're soulmates," I said.

"Exactly right," she replied. "Soulmates. So we have issues-everyone does. That doesn't mean that we aren't good for each other."

"Right again," I said.

"He loves her," Mia Rayport said.

"He'd better be good to her," said Angela Montgomery.

"Her back has been hurting again," said Mia.

"Again?" Rachel Griffin replied. "Why do you think that is?"

"She's definitely got something about her," Honey said. "Boys flock to her like flamingoes to the water."

Her back hurt?

"How's your back?" I asked. She looked at me in surprise.

"It's been hurting a lot lately, but it feels fine now. Why do you ask?"

I looked over at her friends.

"Oh, you heard them gossiping? Yeah, they're worried about me. I keep telling them I'm fine, but they don't believe me."

Could it be true? Was my love part fairy? Could I be dating one of the Fair Folk?

My thoughts were interrupted when a fight broke out on the dance floor. It was between Mason and Noah. I was surprised to see them there at all-Noah hates dances and Mason was embarassed at the last one. I was not surprised to see them fighting; it was a long time coming. Between Noah's crush on Amara and Mason's stupidity, it was bound to happen.

Mason and Noah were dragged off by two of the teachers. Focusing back onto my date, I looked down at her, surprised again to see her looking sad.

"Sarah," I said, "They're not fighting over you. They're fighting over Amara." Which was more or less true.

She instantly brightened, then looked sad again.

"A lot of girls think it would be amazing to have guys fighting over you," she said. "It's not. It's just plain stupid. I'm not the only girl in the school-look at my friends. They're all gorgeous, but no one notices them. Especially after the Incident. I've forgiven almost all of them, but-"

"Shhh," I said, putting my finger to her lips. "It's okay. You're mine. We belong together. I am your future husband, and you are my future wife. I love you deeply, madly, passionately. So I've got competition. I'm stronger than all of them combined. I'm the ultimate predator. I can kill with my index finger. I will slay them all and introduce them to Hell."

She shuddered and looked up at me with wide, frightened eyes. I sighed internally, knowing I may have pushed myself and her too far.

"Sarah Harper Cresley, I promise, I vow on my own heart, that I will never deliberately hurt you. I'd die if I were to lose you again." I looked up and growled at the intruder.

Caden Cartwright tapped Sarah on the shoulder. "It's time for our dance," he said, taking her hand. She took it reluctantly and looked back at me.

I followed them to the center of the dance floor.

She looked massively uncomfortable as he took her around the waist and she took his shoulders. Music started playing again-this time it was "Love Story" by Taylor Swift. I swallowed my pride, nearly crushing my Adam's apple in the process, as I watched my rival dance with my bride.

My bride. That sounded nice. I growled and purred at the same time, causing several people to look at me. When the dance was over, Sarah let go of Caden and rushed over to me, eliciting several gasps and uncomfortable noises. More shock echoed around when she stood on her toes and kissed my chin. I leaned my head down and kissed her soft hair.

"What the fuck?"

"She likes him?" "What does she see in him?"

I continued to ignore them as I led her away. They didn't know what I was capable of. They had no idea what we had, what we could have compared to the rest of them. Eternity.

CHAPTER TWELVE - LAY WITH ME

The next day, I felt slightly achy, but in a good way. I smiled over at Sarah, who was laying next to me, completely nude except for the sheet covering her bottom half. Last night was amazing. We left early so we could be together more. I thought ahead to our wedding day.

One drop of blood from each of us. The consummation. Then the bite, and she would be mine forever.

Vampire marriage is similar to human marriage, except we have more rituals and our vows are more substantial. One drop of blood, and you were connected for eternity. Even if one of you betrayed the other in some horrible way, which was unlikely to begin with, your minds and hearts would be connected.

One drop of blood.

One drop of blood!

Now I thought I knew how Sadie and I had been able to read each other's minds. It was more than the fact that we are both deadly immortals. There was also a lot of blood that night. A lot of blood. Almost everyone had gotten hurt.

But thanks to that old witch friend of my uncle's, I was safe from that future. I rolled over onto my stomach and kissed Sarah. I traced circles on her back and kissed her again. She stirred and mumbled incoherently.

"Baby?" I said. She turned her head and smiled at me, her green eyes sparkling. I leaned toward, her, and she pushed me away.

"Morning breath," she said.

"Oh, Sarah," I sighed. She rolled herself out of bed and stumbled to the bathroom. I smiled as I watched her behind. I noticed her phone. I waited until I heard the shower running, then picked it up. Her phone was blowing up. Seventeen new friend requests, ten new text messages, seven from last night. Caden Cartwright, Elliot, Patrick, Dante, Zack Davis, just to name a few. I read Caden's first.

Caden: What happened last night? Why did you run out on me? Are you really with Reese Emerson? Why the Lone Goth? He's a loser.

He's also a vampire prince, I thought. I set the phone back on the nightstand and waited for her.

She came back wrapped in a towel, running a brush through her hair. I smiled at her, and she smiled back. She grabbed one of my old shirts and pulled it over her head.

"I start a new job on Saturday," she said. "I'll be working at Pon's. The bookstore cafe?"

"Good for you," I praised. Working would make her feel better about herself. "What will you be doing?"

"Making coffee and sandwiches. I'll probably be doing shifts in the bookstore part, too."

"What will you be doing there?"

"Taking money and giving change, stocking and restocking, stuff like that."

"Can you fit it in with your schedule?"

"I might have to cut back on spending time with my friends, but I need the money. Also...I don't know if I want to go to school in Los Angeles. Mainly because I don't know anyone there. I'll go to school here in North Hampton. It'll be a hell of a lot cheaper, and I can get help quicker. Also, they know my cheer schedule, so I can rest easy about that."

"You've got quite a few text messages," I cut in.

She looked at her phone. "Caden, Elliott...oh, even Mia and Ariella. Hang on, I have to text these people back."

She texted everyone back within minutes.

"Well, I'm quite possibly the school slut," she said.

"No," I argued. "You're not a slut. They should know that. None of them can possibly understand what we have."

She crawled into bed and rolled over on her back. My lips grazed her tummy. She purred and twitched. I moved down and slid her panties off. The next few minutes were spent with me ravishing her with my mouth and enjoying the sounds and smells emanating from her.

"You should sleep," I said, hovering over her. "I promise I won't go anywhere."

"I know you won't," she said, yawning.

I snuggled in beside her, protecting her from the world. I kissed her hair as I pulled the covers over both of us.

"My soulmate," I purred.

She's awfully pretty when she sleeps.

I looked down. "Hello, Shadowfang."

Hello, Reese Mordecai Emerson. And Sarah. You know, I've always liked her. She treats me and my kin with respect. She gives us treats.

"Because you clearly need more treats."

Haha, very funny. Seriously though, don't lose her. She's your only chance at true happiness and completion. Evan was okay, but he's a complete psycho.

"Thank you for noticing. How are the kittens?"

They're fine. Actually, Catniss is learning to talk like we are. She will no doubt try to talk to you or Mordecai. In the meantime, the rest of us are anxiously awaiting your marriage to Sarah.

"Marriage? Why?"

She's involved in a prophecy, and so are you.

"I don't believe in prophecies."

Neither do I, but it has been spoken. A prince of vampires and a fairy woman will marry, uniting the two races.

"She'll become a vampire eventually."

True. Otherwise, she'll die. I know fairies are immortal, but Sarah is more human than fairy. She will die one day if she is not made immortal. A girl with a name that means princess.

"Sarah means 'princess' in Hebrew," I pointed out.

Yes, it does. And your name means 'fiery' in Welsh. Your surname is a tome to your great-grandfather, who was related to the Atlantean royal family. Ask Alexander about his father and his brothers.

"He's already told me a little bit. He and his brothers planned to murder his father because he was a tyrant. But before they could carry it out, his brothers died one by one, all from mysterious causes."

The causes are mysterious to him, but not to the real killer. Question him some more.

He settled himself at Sarah's head, stealing most of the pillow and closed his eyes.

I called Alexander.

"Hello? Yes, Reese?"

"Did your father murder your brothers?"

"I believe he did. Unfortunately, he never paid for his crimes, and I believe he is still alive. Your mother thinks me crazy. She said that if he's still alive, Selena most certainly is. I told her that was a load of cribble. She is not speaking to me right now. Wait a minute, how did you know?"

"A little cat told me."

"Oh, right. Your so-called talking cats. I saw the big one earlier. He was staring into the window as Marina fed Cirino. That was also when we had our conversation. Cirino saw him and pointed at him. That's when the cat left. Well, whatever. It is of no importance. Even if I knew where my father was, I'd have to have dung for brains to go after him."

"Wait, how long have you known he's alive?"

"Ever since a month ago, when Marina mentioned Selena. I decided to try and find my relatives. Only my father is still alive."

"Interesting. Well, I should go. Bye."

I rolled onto my stomach and kissed my sweetheart. I gazed at her longingly. She was so pretty when she slept. She looked like an angel.

I got up a couple hours later, feeling refreshed. Sarah was still sleeping beside me. I pecked her forehead and tucked a lock of hair behind her ear. I gave her another kiss and gripped her sides. I pulled her up toward me. She made a noise as our intimate parts touched. She opened her eyes and looked at me.

"You spoil me," she accused.

"I plan to," I replied. I looked outside and noticed something odd. "Who is he?" I asked out loud. Sarah came to the window.

"No idea."

I quickly dressed and went downstairs just as the pounding started.

"EMERSON! I KNOW YOU'RE IN HERE!"

Sarah hid behind me as I approached the front door carefully. My uncle grabbed me and put me off to the side. Just as he opened the door, the man barged in, looking furious.

"You!" Uncle Soren hissed.

The man looked around. "Yes, it's me, Soren. Where is she? Where is she?!"

"She's not here, Liam! Leave, now!"

Liam's eyes settled on me. "Another spawn? And a human as well. How interesting. You've been busy, Soren."

"Leave the kids alone, Liam. And leave this territory."

Liam glared at him, and I took the time to study him. He had long gray hair wrapped in a ponytail, a triangular goatee, and silvery eyes that flashed with anger. He wore an expensive Armani suit and a black tie.

"Where is she?" he demanded again.

"She's gone, you idiot," Uncle Soren snapped. "She was buried in flame and ash."

"I don't believe that for one minute. I saw her two nights ago. She was running from someone."

"Possibly you?"

"No... I am her soulmate."

"Liam Wolfheart," I noted. Liam looked at me.

"The young one knows my name. What else have you told him, Soren?"

"Leave him out of this, Liam!"

"No, I want to know who he is. Is he yours? Or is he Mordecai's? Is he Alexander's, or is he Eilief's?"

"I am my father's son," I stated.

"Obviously, you little smart mouth, but who is your father? I see that you have a large nose and black hair, so at least one of your parents has black hair. Is it Alexander?"

"No," Father said, coming down. "He's mine." He wrapped an arm around my shoulder.

"Ah, yours, Mordecai. But then who is the mother?"

"Marina," Father growled. "Liam Wolfheart, meet Selena's half-brother, Reese."

"Half-brother? Interesting. I suppose, then, you know where Marina is. Tell me, boy."

"No."

"I beg your pardon?"

"I said no. I'm not selling out my mother just so you can get your hands on my sister."

Liam was furious. Then he noticed Sarah. Before I could react, he had her in his arms, holding a knife against the side of her neck.

"Don't do it, Liam," Uncle Soren said. "Let her go."

"How the fuck did he find us, anyway?" Father asked.

"It's my fault," Louis said. "Damn it, Wolfheart, let Sarah go! Don't hurt her!"

Liam smelled Sarah, then licked her skin. "She tastes sweet. I wonder if her womanly wonders are as sweet as her skin?"

"Fuck no!" I cried. "Relinquish her!"

Liam grinned and licked Sarah's cheek. "Does she know she's forty nine percent fairy?"

"You always were good with numbers," Father said. "What can we do to make you give her back to us?"

"Give me the whereabouts of Marina Santorino. I know that bitch is hiding my Selena!"

"NO! FUCK THAT!" I roared. "LET MY ANGEL GO!"

"I'm no angel," Sarah whispered. I ignored her.

"Liam," Father said. "Get out of my house." He pulled out a pocketknife. "Release my daughter-in-law and leave us. Your quarrel is not with us."

"Soren is responsible for the death of Selena," Liam jeered.

"No, that was your own fault," Grandfather growled.

"Selena never did have her mother's courage or wisdom," Father said.

"Do not insult Selena!"

Sarah cried out as Liam drove the edge of the blade into her skin.

"Don't hurt her!" I begged.

"Liam."

I turned and saw my mother. She had a shotgun in her hands.

"Let go of my daughter."

"How did you know to come here?" I asked.

"Later," she hissed. She cocked the gun and pointed it at Liam's head. Liam let Sarah go, but not before slicing her skin open one layer. Mother dropped the gun and picked up Sarah, nurturing her and loving on her.

"Son of a bitch," Liam cursed. "I bet that's silver, isn't it, Santorino?"

"Leave," Mother ordered.

"Not until I find Selena!"

"I don't know where she is!" Mother cried, tearing up. "I've looked and looked, and I can't find her!"

"Where the hell is Dimitri?" Father muttered.

"Toby's out hunting," Uncle Soren said. "Spencer went with him. I don't know where Stephen ran off to. Or Dimitri, for that matter."

"We should fire Stephen," Father said. "He's pretty much worthless."

"True," Grandfather agreed.

Liam started to back away.

"Don't even think about it," I said, picking up the gun.

"Are you nuts? You don't know how to handle a gun! Give me that!" Louis snapped, taking the gun from me. He pointed it at Liam. "Don't move, or I'll shoot you in the fucking privates."

"He would do it," Uncle Soren affirmed.

"Get out," Louis commanded. Liam held up his hands and started toward the door. "Get moving faster. Faster!" He fired a shot, and within seconds Liam was down, clutching his leg and cursing. Louis kicked him in the stomach, causing him to double over.

"Selena," Liam whispered. "I swear I'll find you."

"OUT! DIMITRI, WHERE THE HELL HAVE YOU BEEN! KICK THIS DOUCHE OUT!"

Dimitri quickly grabbed Liam by the shoulders and tossed him out into the yard. Then the senior guard bowed.

"My apologies, masters and mistresses," he said.

"Make sure he's gone," Father said. "Don't let him back in. And for Odin's sake, tell us where you've been."

"I have been out looking for Stephen, Lord Mordecai. He left his post two hours ago. I had believed that Toby and Spencer would not leave. I made a mistake. Again, my apologies."

"Stephen is so fired," I muttered.

"Agreed, Reese," Father said. He looked at Dimitri. "Bring Stephen to me the next time you see him. I will have to find another guard."

"Mommy?" Sarah whimpered. We all looked at her. My mother's irises were bright red as she looked at the scratch on Sarah's neck caused by Liam's knife.

"Baby," Mother whispered. "Mommy's sorry she didn't prevent you from getting hurt. She won't let you get hurt again." She picked up Sarah like a baby and held her. "I'm taking her home," she announced. "Where is her stuff?"

I got her things together and gave them to Mother. Then I helped her put Sarah in the car, where she told her to lie down in the backseat. She drove off with Sarah in the backseat still.

Inside, the rest of my family members were all shouting at each other. Father and Soren, Grandfather and Louis. Dimitri looked uncomfortable.

"SHUT UP!" I roared. They all stopped yelling at each other. "Louis, why did you say it was your fault that he got in?"

"He put a tracker on my cell phone," Louis said. "He found out my number from the cell phone provider's database and used spyware to track it. That's why I said I fucked up. I should have been more vigilant and careful."

"Louis, start building firewalls on all the phones and computers," I said. "Dimitri, find Stephen and tell him to get his ass back here. Father, start looking for more guards. We need more than four. I've been telling you this for years. Uncle Soren, find out where Liam is going. Try to find a piece of hair or clothing and I'll have Toby track him."

"You have all the qualities of a king," Grandfather said admiringly. "Well, boys, do what our youngest says."

We worked late into the night. Louis borrowed all the computers and built protections and saved all the hard drives and files on flash drives and labeled them accordingly. My father started posting a few new job ads and posted them on all the vampire networks. Grandfather and I spread our scents around the territory. Uncle Soren found a piece of Liam's coat and brought it back for Toby, who started tracking him immediately.

I was certain that Liam hadn’t gone far. He’d loved my sister too much. Sister. I had a sister, one I didn’t even know about. She was my mother’s first child. My sister.

I laid in Sarah’s bed, watching as she slept. She’d had a headache earlier, and I was checking on her. She sighed and turned over onto her side. I wrapped my legs around hers and held her. I kissed her hair, smelling her new environmentally-friendly shampoo, which she’d raved about to Mia Rayport. She had had an exciting day. She’d heard about Liam and put in her two cents. She said that he obviously was obsessed with Selena if he was following my father’s side of the family.

If I was sure of anything else, it was that he needed to leave. And that my mother needed to speak with him.

And now, as I watched my love enjoy her dreams, I was sure that I loved my family and hers.

CHAPTER THIRTEEN – FINDING

Louis was frantically typing away on one of his many laptops, and I was watching him in amazement. I had never seen anyone type so fast.

“What are you doing?” I asked him.

“Trying to find Liam. I’m sending out some e- mails to different coven leaders. I feel guilty, because it was through me that he found us and hurt Sarah.”

“We all fucked up, Louis.”

“Yeah, yeah, I know. Your father is trying to find some more guards. Grandfather is sending some over from Denmark.”

“Oh, fun.”

“Hey, it was your idea.”

“You’re right, it was my idea. But now there will be practically no privacy.”

“Like there was any in the first place?”

He was right. I only had myself to blame for the added security, and my father’s tendency to overreact. I was suspicious, I’ll admit. I hadn’t seen Other Reese or Torrance in weeks, and now there was Liam to contend with.

My father was in his room, trying to focus on the present. He didn’t use his gift very often anymore, because I’d asked him to give me more privacy, but now we needed it more than ever. There was nothing to do but wait for a lead or an action, and it was frustrating. I tried to keep busy. I wrote a couple of new songs, and I finished homework early. My newest project was discussing a story, fairytale, or urban legend from the country where my ancestors came from. Since my parents came from two different countries, I had two countries to possibly discuss.

We had already studied Beowulf and talked about Greek gods and goddesses. I decided to talk about vampirism in ancient Greece. Vampirism was very much a thing in ancient Greece, all over the world, really. I studied, copied, resourced, and typed up a rough draft before ten at night. By then, I was tired. I yawned loudly and ran my hand over my hair.

I watched a few fan-made movie crossovers, finished typing a response to the new guard listing, then got ready for bed. I was exhausted by then. But as soon as I crawled into bed, I felt wide awake. I sighed and got up. I decided to take a walk. It was already midnight.

I got dressed and waited until my father was sufficiently distracted before I started off.

“Where are you going?”

I paused at the voice and turned around. It was Louis.

“Taking a walk,” I said. He sighed.

“You of all people should know that it’s not safe to go outside right now at night. But I need to clear my head, so I’ll come with you.”

“How’s the security coming along?” I asked.

“We should have a full guard by the coming week. Peter and Dean haven’t been seen for a while now, so we assumed they moved out of the guest house.”

“I forgot about them,” I said. “Really? Not even to hunt?”

“Nada,” Louis replied. “And no one wants to check. I probably will or have one of the guys do it.”

“Have the guys do it,” I said. “That will be safer. And if they’re dead, well, less mess for us.”

“Oh, it will be a big mess,” Louis said. “By now, the whole vampire world knows what happened between you and Ambrose.”

“Nothing happened!” I cried.

“Keep your voice down! And we’ve made it clear that you wanted no part of it.”

I kept myself calm and thought about all that I’d been through in the past year. Working up the courage to date my soulmate, finding my soulfather and future stepfather, finding my mother, meeting new friends, finding out why Grandfather, Uncle Soren, and Louis really left Denmark, countless fights and rivalries, almost losing my Sarah more than once. My sweet Sarah was the reason for living. She was my life, the other half of my broken soul.

And the cats. Who knew that familiars were real? Before I met Shadowfang, I thought that familiars were just ordinary pets that were loved beyond comprehension. I was wrong. I did love Shadowfang, I’d finally admitted that he was mine, and he was my familiar. And the rest of the cats were also familiars, not just ordinary cats. I did like cats, but these felines were special. I looked over at Louis and realized he was wearing the family crest around his neck.

None of us wore the family crest unless it was a special occasion. Mine was also a necklace, Father had a ring, Uncle Soren had a bracelet, and Grandfather also had a ring, necklace, and bracelet. There had been moments where we’d needed to show solidarity but didn’t. As much as we loved each other, it was just a piece of jewelry to us. The real love showed in the way we treated and spoke to each other.

Father’s constant affection, Uncle Soren’s and Louis’ quiet love for each other, Grandfather staying alive just for us. I was proud of my family, especially the new additions. Mother’s strong maternal instincts and love, Sarah’s caring for everyone else, Sabine quietly integrating into the family. Even Alexander, who was inherently evil, was a beloved family member. He wouldn’t admit it, but he cared deeply for all of us, not just Mother and Cirino. And the baby. Our newest addition. He was especially loved by everyone, especially Mother and Sarah.

Louis and I were just reaching the lake when I saw a movement of black fur and yellow eyes. Louis narrowed his eyes and frowned into the trees.

“Wolves,” he hissed. “We shouldn’t have gone out tonight. Come on, Reese.”

We turned around, only to see Torrance behind us, glaring.

“I don’t particularly like wolves, either, but this one proved helpful,” he said. “Even if he doesn’t know it.” His red eyes grinned, flipping back his long black hair.

Louis cursed. He bared his teeth and growled. Torrance punched him hard in the stomach, knocking him over. He snatched me up and threw me over his shoulder. I could hear snarls and hisses and saw a wolf run toward my cousin.

I growled and kicked and hit Torrance, and he slapped my ass.

I don’t know how long we traveled before I fell asleep. It was daylight when I awoke, and I could smell sulfur and blood and rust. I turned my head and saw a huge building behind me. An old hotel, rundown and dying. Torrance kicked the doors open and walked through. He brought me to an old elevator that somehow still worked. Before long, we reached the top floor.

Torrance slapped my ass again before setting me down, deliberately poking me in the belly button.

“You have a nice ass,” he teased, grinning mischievously.

“Oh, and Other Reese doesn’t?” I snapped.

“Oh, he does. But it’s not as nice as yours,” he replied. “Round and firm, just the way I like my boys.”

“You’re sick.”

“Sometimes. But I prefer to think of my boys as a collection. I know you’ve fucked guys before, I can sense it. One boy in particular. He’s a lucky son of a bastard. You know, we don’t have women where we come from. Just men. Women have their own planet, kind of like the saying that men are from Mars and women are from Venus, except it’s two Earths. You don’t want to know how we reproduce.”

I felt sick to my stomach. Torrance was from the same dimension as Other Reese. Also, he was right. I really didn’t want to know how they reproduced. I smart-assed anyway.

“What, do the guys get pregnant, like those crappy alpha and omega stories?” I quipped. He smirked. I felt sick again. Male pregnancy was not something I was fond of reading about. I certainly didn’t want a bunch of alien babies in my belly.

Torrance grinned at me again. “You’re full of spunk. I like that. You’d be perfect by my side in my harem.”

“Screw that. Take me back to my house!”

“I would, except Reese wants to kill you. He offered to pay me a hundred grand if I did this. It’s a damn shame, but money is money, and most lives don’t mean that much to me.”

“Why didn’t he do it himself?”

“And mess up his pretty fingernails? Nah, most royalty has others do their dirty work for them.”

“Why don’t you kill me, then?”

“It doesn’t work like that. He looks exactly like you, down to that scar on your lower stomach. If you two stay in the same dimension for much longer, one of you will have to die, or the natural balance is screwed up. But if you kill yourself, he dies. But if he kills you, he stays alive and takes your place. I know, I don’t understand it, either, but like I said: money is money. And I need a new Zackary. He was so fucking hot, but he disobeyed me, and I had to punish him. I didn’t mean to kill him, but it happened.”

Soren

I was resting on the couch when my son burst through the front door, sobbing and mumbling incoherently.

“Son!” I jumped up and grabbed Louis’ arms. I heard the bone crack and loosened my grip. “Baby, what happened?”

He shook his head, whimpering, “It’s all my fault! It’s my fault!”

“Louis Emerson, tell me what the fuck happened!”

“It’s all my fault…Reese…took a walk…werewolf…Torrance…took Reese…...”

I looked back at my brother. Mordecai looked horrified.

“Where?! When?!” he demanded. “The one time I don’t use my gift, and my son is taken!” His eyes glazed over as he tried to locate Reese. “He’s in an old hotel along the coast, near Cape May. My baby…my poor baby….”

“It’s all my fault,” Louis continued.

“Shush,” I said. “Calm down and tell me how it happened.”

“Reese couldn’t sleep, so he went to go outside. I met him in the foyer and joined him. He wanted to be alone, but I convinced him to let me come along. It should have been me- “

“Hush,” I said. “Settle down and sleep.” I adjusted him, forcing him to look me in the eyes. I used hypnosis to make him fall asleep. Someday, he’d learn to fight against it. But now, I caught him as he collapsed. He started shaking, and I rubbed his back as I carried him to bed.

His dozen or so computers scattered the room as I set him on the bed. I took his boots off and covered him with the covers. He settled down and sighed, still fitful. I kissed his forehead, a feeling of paternal love going through me. My son was all right for now. I’d check on him later. He’d live.

I went back downstairs, a feeling of unease in my gut. My brother was quietly talking to Father, who looked distressed. The unease tightened uncomfortably so that my stomach was in knots.

“I will speak to the guards,” Father said. “You should sleep, Mordecai.”

“But my son- “

“He’ll be all right. He’ll live.”

“Father, this guy wants to kill him!”

“I know, I know. But I’ve been keeping track of their movements, and if Other Reese exists, he doesn’t want to kill our Reese right away. He’ll torture him first.”

Mordecai let out a moan of distress, burying his head in his hands.

“It’s my fault,” my brother finally said. “Not Louis’. My fault. My responsibility. What was he thinking? How could he do this to me? My son…”

He rubbed his temples. “What am I going to do? My son…”

“My nephew,” I said. “Mordecai, we all love him. Not just you.”

He hissed and grabbed my shirt, his irises turning red.

“He’s MINE! MINE! MY SON! MINE! YOU HAD YOUR CHANCE TO BE A GOOD FATHER- “

“I know I’m not father of the year! But I sure as hell am a damn good uncle!”

He punched me, breaking my nose.

“Boys!” Father said. “Enough! Mordecai, don’t hit your brother! Soren’s right. You’re not the only one who cares about Reese! We all do!”

Mordecai hissed.

Reese

I cried out as Other Reese broke my right leg. He frowned at me, looking confused.

“He should be screaming,” he said.

“Fuck you,” I retorted. He stepped on my stomach.

“Maybe,” he said. “But torture is more fun.”

He ripped my jeans open and kicked me in the crotch. I tried to move my hands but couldn’t. The adamantium rope cut into my skin. I cursed again as more blood trickled down my arms.

Father? I tried to contact him again. Nothing.

Other Reese tore the curtains from the walls, causing the sun to shine in my eyes.

“How long can a vampire stay in the sun? A few hours? A few minutes? We’ll see.”

He watched from the side as the sun beat down on me.

Before long, I began to feel sick. I vomited blood, which wetly hit the cement. I felt a burning sensation in my chest. My heart was suffering. Literally, my heart was burning inside my chest. I choked back a sob, knowing I was going to die if I couldn’t get a hold of my father soon.

The light became darkness, and I drifted in and out of consciousness. Stars blinded my vision, and the burning in my chest became unbearable.

“Enough,” said a distant voice. “Even I don’t do this.”

“Who’s in charge here?”

“This is enough. He’s suffered enough. Just kill him already.”

I passed out completely.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I woke up, but I didn’t dare open my eyes yet. It was now completely dark outside, but the burning was still there. I continued to lay half-asleep on the cold floor, when I heard a voice.

“Reese?” It was Torrance. “I’m sorry. I didn’t know he was going to do this. Even I am not this cruel. When I kill, I kill without torture. When I torture, I torture, but I don’t kill. I’m so sorry. I will find your family myself and lead them here.”

I fell asleep again.

I don’t know how long I lay there, but I soon heard familiar voices.

“Reese! My baby!” That sounded like Father.

I tried to open my eyes, and an almost unbearable pain shot through my retinas.

“Reese! My son!”

I heard a ferocious roar.

“HE’S MINE!”

“What…?”

“Impossible…who are you and what are you doing with my son?”

“Your son? He’s my son!”

“No- “

“For Thor’s sake, smell him! He’s clearly not yours!”

I felt a nose bury itself in my hair.

“No, you’re right, this one isn’t mine.” I felt a whoosh of air, then my skull cracked against cement.

“Be gentle! Reese! It’s Daddy. How badly did he hurt you? Did he violate you?”

“Father,” I choked. “He burned me. I was exposed to the sun for too long.”

“Is that why your eyes are closed? Reese, did he burn your eyes?”

Still throbbing, I nodded, only to have a sharp pain shoot through the back of my neck.

“Well, I’m here now. Come on, I’ve got you.”

He picked me up, breaking the adamantium ropes. I fell in and out of consciousness as I exited the building in his arms.

It was a full week before I was able to open my eyes. Sarah visited me when she could and told me about what was going on in our high school. Noah and Mason still were not talking, and Duke had gotten in the middle when he took Noah’s side over the Amara issue. Amara herself was still blissfully ignorant about the brewing rivalry between the two former best friends, as she was still madly in love with Cole Powers, an eighteen-year-old senior who drove a motorcycle, had a face like a pug, and had long blond hair which he kept tied back.

When I was finally able to open my eyes, it took a while to adjust to the soreness and newness of everything. Sarah was there, looking worried. When she saw my eyes, she let out a small gasp.

“The sun did that?” she whispered, horrified.

“Technically, yes. I told you; vampires can’t stay out in the sun for too long, or we get burned.”

“I had no idea…”

“Well, now you do.” I was a bit irritated at her slowness.

She helped me sit up, and I was promptly greeted by Father, who hugged me tightly.

“Ow, ow…”

“Oh, I’m sorry, Reese. You need a cold bath and some blood.”

“I don’t need shit,” I snapped irritably.

“Yes, you do. I know you probably don’t feel great right now, but try to stand up. Sarah, grab his other arm.”

“I said I don’t need anything!” I growled.

“Watch it, fledgling. I am still your father, even if you are eighteen.”

I was annoyed at being called a fledgling, but I let him help me into the bathroom. I pulled my shirt off while Father struggled with my pajama pants. I drew the line at letting him help me take my underwear off.

Still sore and aching, I eased into the bath, which was nearly freezing. I drained it a bit and adjusted the temperature. Sarah watched, seemingly fascinated.

“Can I help you?” I finally said. She frowned.

“I need to go to work, anyway. Bye, Reese.” And then she left without a hug or a kiss.

“She doesn’t work today,” Father noted.

It took another day before my eyes and chest stopped hurting. My heart was emotionally drained, however.

My eyes were still red, but I was able to counter it with a few drops of saline. I was greeted with disgust and wonder when I went back to school. A lot of people had been told that I had pink eye, which made then want to stay away.

I told my friend the truth-that I had been attacked and exposed to the sun for too long. Human eyes can get sunburned, too, so they said they understood the pain. I told them they had no idea how much it really hurt.

What hurt more was the fact that Sarah was giving me the silent treatment. Then again, so was I. I kept thinking about all our issues and wondered if it was really worth staying with her, especially now, since I had an enemy who wanted to kill me and would go to any lengths to do so.

I kept looking over at Scarlett, who had no friends, and wondered if she had changed. She hadn’t bothered me or Sarah in weeks, not since her sister-who-wasn’t-really-her-sister Jordan died. One half of a broken soul. A confused, sad person, who was desperate for popularity and love, and wound up with neither.

Scarlett was hot, and if it wasn’t for Sarah, I’d have dated her. This realization prompted me to again question why I was with Sarah. Yes, she was sweet, sometimes too sweet. She had too many guys vying for her attention, and I was sick of competition. Scarlett had a kind of confidence that was both hot and annoying. She may have been a bitch, but I got the feeling that there was little risk of her cheating on me since no one else liked her.

I knew what I had to do. Sarah was annoying, too pretty, not smart enough, and too kind. Scarlett was hot, a total bitch, and I was still attracted to her.

It happened on Friday.

“Hello, Reese,” Scarlett said, sidling up next to me.

“Hello, Scarlett,” I said. My stomach dropped. What was I doing? I hated this girl. She nearly ruined Sarah’s life. She is the reason why she almost died. She attacked her for a reason that she didn’t even know if it was true.

If I was wrong, I’d lose everything. But if I was right, I’d gain everything. That was my thinking then. So, when Scarlett kissed me, I didn’t object.

What is wrong with me?

Despite all my knowledge, all my experience, I let the enemy of my love kiss me.

I was on cloud nine, as it has been said before, for the rest of the day. I was disgusted with myself, but it also felt good. Her parting words stuck with me.

I love you.

To know that I was loved by the enemy was comforting to a point. Of course, there was also a chance that she had lied to me. There was always that possibility. Or it could have been the truth, and I was truly loved by Scarlett Hart, the ex-most-popular-girl replaced by Sarah Cresley, the sweet one, the one who was smart, but never bragged about it or showed off. The kind one, the one who helped at the food bank or the animal shelter occasionally on weekends. The cheerleader, not just a school cheerleader, but a cheerleader for all her friends and family.

I chastised myself for letting it happen. I loved Sarah. I always had. But now I was noticing things that I had ignored before, things that turned me on to Scarlett. She was a thief. She was secretive and manipulative. Could I live with that? Absolutely not.

Did I still love Sarah? Absolutely.

So why were my thoughts turning to black eyes instead of green ones?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I got some news about Other Reese’s whereabouts.

“His father said he’s still in the area,” Father said during a family meeting.

“His father?” I asked, curious.

“Of course, son. Who do you think helped me save you?”

“I…assumed it was Torrance.”

Father’s eyes darkened. “Him. Oh, yes, he led me to you, but I had him arrested and am having Spencer and Toby torture him for information.”

“Dad!”

“I do what I think is best, Reese Mordecai Emerson,” he said firmly.

“I know, but it’s not right! He saved my life!”

“I said I was torturing him, not killing him. I’m well aware that he saved your life.”

“So let him go!”

“Reese is right,” Grandfather said. “Torrance has been tortured enough. Call off the session and have the guys take him to the guest house.”

Father’s nose wrinkled. “Other Mordecai has been most helpful,” he said, changing the subject. “Even with the baby.”

Everyone made a disgusted face.

“Enough about that,” Grandfather said sternly. “Other Mordecai will be distinctive to us because he has a bit of facial hair, a five o’clock shadow.”

“That’s helpful with blond hair,” Louis retorted.

“Shut your mouth,” Uncle Soren snapped. Louis glared at him but clammed up. “I’m still angry with you.”

“I already said I was sorry,” Louis said. “You didn’t act mad then.”

“It was my fault, not his,” I said, referring to the situation how I got kidnapped by Other Reese.

“I can’t believe either of you went out at night with a killer vampire on the loose! I thought you boys had more sense.”

“Now you shut it, Soren,” Grandfather said, standing up. “The boys have learned their lesson, and they have been punished enough without your temper getting the way!”

Uncle Soren stood up and faced his parent. They stood glaring at each other until Father spoke up.

“Another thing: where the fuck were you when all this was happening, Dimitri?” He scowled at our head guard.

Dimitri stood out and uncrossed his arms. “I was away,” he explained. “Hunting.”

“You know damn well that there’s plenty of blood here!”

“We can’t stop the guards from hunting, Mordecai!” Louis said.

“Uncle Mordecai,” Uncle Soren growled between gritted teeth.

“I don’t give a shit!” Louis shouted. “The whole thing was Reese’s fault, anyway! The guards need to eat, too!”

“The people of North Hampton have already noticed- “

“Who gives a damn, Mordecai?! Not me! Humans suck! Vampires suck! My life sucks!”

“Shut up, Louis!” Uncle Soren yelled at him. “Not everything revolves around you! You’re acting like a child!”

“Oh, geez, I wonder where I get it? You’re the bastard that knocked up my bitch of a mother and then fucked the first girl I ever cared about!”

“She chose a werewolf over us! Get over it!”

“You know very well that I can’t get over it! I’m still hurt over Meiko, and that ended months ago!”

“Ariella was a lying bitch who deserves to die!”

“You didn’t say that when you stuck your fat penis in her!”

“I am so tired of everyone calling me fat! I know I’m heavier than I should be, but so what? A lot of people are, not just me and humans!”

“The whole human race sucks!” Louis shouted back. “I wish they’d never been created!”

“Then you wouldn’t be born, you stuck-up, selfish brat!”

“Oh, I’m the selfish one? Take a look in the mirror, jerk!”

I was silently crying. This whole thing was my fault. I’d been saying that to myself a lot lately.

“Reese, go upstairs,” Father gently said, giving me a small hug. “This didn’t go as planned!”

I heard Uncle Soren and Louis shouting at each other even in the shower. Sometimes I hate having advanced senses.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The next day was met with silence. Uncle Soren and Louis didn’t even look at each other except to shoot dirty looks. I hated it. I started to wish that Other Reese had just killed me already. But then, that would tear the family apart, and it would still be my fault.

I got a glimpse of Other Mordecai talking to Grandfather and Father. He looked almost exactly like Father, except with more facial hair and a round belly that he kept touching. I thought I saw it move slightly, and Other Mordecai winced.

“Reese, come here,” Grandfather said. I went over to my father’s side.

“Mordecai, you know who this is,” Father said. “You gave birth to him.”

Yikes, too much information.

“Of course,” Other Mordecai said, studying me. “He looks exactly like mine and Alexander’s.”

“Alexander’s?!” Father looked horrified. “As in Ambrogio Nicolai?”

Other Mordecai nodded. Father looked like he might faint.

“People have been marrying their cousins for centuries, Mordecai,” Grandfather said. “Get over it.”

“First of all, it’s not the cousin part that disgusts me. Secondly, who in the hell would Marina be?”

“Women in our universe are planetarily separate from men,” Other Mordecai said. “Women have their own means of getting pregnant without men, just like men have gotten pregnant without all your science or fanfiction junk.”

“Science fiction and fantasy,” I said. Other Mordecai smiled at me.

“He definitely has a better attitude than mine. You have raised him well.”

“That doesn’t mean much coming from you,” Father snapped. I frowned at him.

“Don’t be a jerk, Father. He’s got a point.”

“Point or not, his Reese tried to kill mine. Why?”

“It’s my fault, really,” Other Mordecai said.

“That’s comforting.”

“Mordecai!”

“Alexander and I haven’t been getting along, and it’s rubbed off on our son. Then he and Sawyer broke up, and then Alexander lost his temper on him more than once, and it got ugly quickly. I wish that my husband was here with me, but he clearly doesn’t love any of us as much as I thought he did.” Other Mordecai rubbed his belly as he spoke. He winced again and looked down at it. “Little one here is thoroughly excited by all of this. He keeps hurting me.”

“I still don’t understand how, if he dies, Reese dies, but if Reese dies, he doesn’t die,” Louis said.

“It’s his soul,” Uncle Soren said. “He’s beyond caring about himself or anything else. Reese does care deeply about us and the rest of his friends and family. Basically, Other Reese’s soul is dying.”

“That explains his stench,” Father said. “I came across him. He looks almost exactly like him except for a little beard. He clearly hasn’t shaved in a while. Our Reese shaves all the time.”

“A beard would be pretty awesome,” I said, rubbing my hairless chin. “You know what, I might grow one.”

“Girls like stubble,” Louis teased. That made my thoughts revert to Sarah and Scarlett. I again chided myself for wanting to kiss the enemy again. I was out of my mind to even contemplate it.

I needed some blood. I fixed myself a glass and gulped it down in seconds, pausing briefly to enjoy the powerful flavor. As soon as I was full, I went over to the living room and turned on the TV. I switched to the news.

“Two teenagers were found dead this morning, their bodies drained of blood. The girls were students at Martin Luther King Jr. High School, both of them sophomores, and both of them were seen on camera stumbling and slurring their words, likely from alcohol.”

“Vampires in the area,” Uncle Soren said. “They didn’t do a very good job of hiding the bodies. That means they’re careless. We have to be careful.”

“Their breaths were fresh,” Louis said. “And both of them were wearing tampons that were bloodless. That means that they, like some other girls I know, dipped their tampons in vodka and stuck it- “

“Thank you, Louis,” I said. “Too much information.”

“How do you know, anyway?” Uncle Soren asked.

“Because I went to the morgue and asked the coroner. She explained it to me.”

“You knew there were vampires in the area?” I asked. “Why didn’t you tell us?”

“Because this coven is huge, about ten members. The leader is a big male who doesn’t tolerate other alpha males.” He looked at his father. “I came across them when I was hunting. I stayed hidden for the most part, but I think a small female may have spotted me.”

“Thanks, Louis,” Uncle Soren grumbled. Louis gave him the finger.

I took a deep breath. I needed a break. I needed to play my guitar. I went up to my room and started strumming my acoustic. I started singing. I think I’m a good singer, but my shyness prevents me from singing in front of others, except in my past choir classes. I started singing to Sarah’s Song, a written piece that I’d never sung before.

I was ready to take a break when I decided to work on the rest of my homework. I finished math first, then began working on my Greek gods assignment. I had chosen to write about Demeter, the goddess of fertile fields and greenery. Her daughter, Persephone, was married to Hades, and would only see her mother for six months of the year. Thus, spring and summer. When her six months were spent with Hades, it was fall and winter.

I wrote until I had a sizable paper, then wrote the conclusion and signed my name. I started looking at the different colleges I’d applied to. I’d yet to get an acceptance letter, though I hoped for one very soon. I knew I wanted to study music, and that was it. I’d also decided to try take a writing course. I’d write both fiction and nonfiction. I had already started a journal about my life. I tried to journal a few times but found it repetitive.

Sarah journaled, and I wanted to show her that I was capable of deep thoughts as well. Maybe I’d get it published.

I thought about what I would write if I decided to write a novel. Maybe I’d write a vampire book. A nonfiction. Maybe I’d interview a Slayer, humans, Elves, or werewolves who killed bad vampires. My father would lose his head if I talked to a Slayer. So would Uncle Soren, given his expansive history. I wondered what would happen if Grandfather knew. He’d probably freak out, too.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Something about Sarah was irritating me lately. I started noticing flaws that bothered me, even though they never bothered me before. I wasn’t a big fan of Disney, and she was like a Disney princess with a Tim Burton twist in that she was with me.

I was also annoyed with Scarlett, for being so appealing. I wanted to break her neck. The inner war in my heart was tearing my brain apart.

Sarah’s obsession with fashion. Her need to be coddled every time something happened. Her need to be saved. The fact that she was still human and wasn’t ready to be turned into a vampire. There were a few things that I reminded myself of.

She liked reading as much as I did. She drew and sang excellently. She was very nice to me when no one else was. She got good grades and was smart. She was nice to her sister, even though her sister wasn’t always nice to her. She loved my mother and Alexander, and even Cirino.

She liked manga, anime, and video games. She watched wrestling. She was a big fan, actually. She was kind to others. She was popular. Too popular. There were too many guys vying for her attention. She was mine. Mine. That was another thing. I had become obsessed with her, and now I was wondering if I should just break up with her. I didn’t have long to wait.

She called me in late October, two days before Halloween. It was after school, and it was after her cheer practice ended.

“Scarlett just told me that you kissed her,” she said.

“She kissed me,” I corrected.

“Oh. Well, why didn’t you tell me?”

“Do you really need to know every aspect of my life?”

“Kind of. I’m your girlfriend. Why are you so hostile?”

“I’m not being hostile, I’m being honest.”

“No, you’re being hostile for no reason. Quit it.”

“Don’t fucking tell me what to do! I am so sick of everyone telling me what I should do and who I should be!”

“Well, don’t take it out on me!”

I paused. “I’m sorry, Sarah. I’m just losing interest.”

“In me? And you waited this long to tell me?”

“Sorry.”

“Good riddance, because I don’t want to be a disgusting bloodsucker anyway!” With that, she hung up.

I thought I’d regret it, but actually, I felt relieved. No more stress. Well, less stress.

What have I done?

Relief turned to guilt, then regret. I should not have spoken to her that way, no matter what. I decided to call her back to discuss things, but she didn’t pick up. In fact, she sent me a text telling me to stop calling her and that it was over. Again.

I sighed. This would be the third or fourth breakup. Any couple who breaks up that many times is simply not meant to be, or so I believed. Or they were just immature and quick to jump the gun instead of talking things out like adults. That realization alone freaked me out. What if I’d just made a huge mistake?

What if I was doomed to be alone forever now? She had three other potential soulmates, and I only had one, and I’d screwed it up with him. Maybe that’s why people are given multiple potential soulmates: in case someone screws up or dies.

Unfortunately, or fortunately, my ruminations of self-hate didn’t last long.

Uncle Soren knocked on my door, then invited himself in without my permission.

“Reese, I need you to come with me,” he said.

“Where are we going?” I asked.

“To the Night Market. Get your boots and coat on. It will be cold, and I don’t mean the temperature.”

CHAPTER THIRTEEN – NIGHT MARKET

The Night Market was an underground market for the supernatural and paranormal. A wendigo gave me a dirty look as I bumped him. A hag pushed a cart full of fingers, yelling out “Witch fingers! Magic is in the nail!”

“Fakes,” Uncle Soren scoffed. “They are ordinary human fingers that she dug up herself.”

Ghosts came in and out of the walls, looking morose. My uncle pushed through the crowd, which gave him a menial berth.

“Vampires!” yelled a goblin, grabbing my arm. “You like gems? Then look at these rubies! All the way from Africa!”

“Let go of me,” I growled as Uncle Soren said, “Not interested.”

I wrenched myself free. That wasn’t even the worst part. An orc was seen tearing a dress off a beautiful witch and defiling her. I wanted to do something, but my uncle grabbed my arm as the orc’s friends pulled him off of her.

I saw every creature imaginable, even spotted what looked like an alien. A group of warlocks were seen arguing over the cost of dragon scales, a witch looking bored behind the counter. A few werewolves mingled about. I even spotted Faolan, but before I could greet him, he put a finger to his lips and zipped them.

“He doesn’t want Mordecai to know he comes here,” Uncle Soren explained. “He comes here to check the prices of wolfsbane for the pack.”

“Odd,” I said.

“Indeed…move!” He pushed me forward so hard that I almost fell on top of a man with bat wings. He glared at me and brushed himself off as my uncle continued to push me forward.

“Vampires, you are obsessed with beauty! Take these potions and you’ll be young forever, as if you were a new vampire!” A wizard shoved a bottle in front of Uncle Soren’s face. My uncle grabbed the bottle and threw it across the room. “You have to pay for that!”

“Take your filthy money!” Uncle Soren snapped, shoving a handful of gold coins into the wizard’s greedy hands. “Stay close to me, Reese.”

A warlock glared at us, walking forward and pointing a sword at Uncle Soren’s stomach.

“Your kind is not welcome,” he growled.

“Go ahead, stab me in the gut. I’ll rip your head off before you finish,” Uncle Soren replied. The warlock wisely backed away. “Cretin,” my uncle muttered.

We reached a corridor with a door.

“Do not touch the wood, it is Socotra,” Uncle Soren said. “The only kind of wood that can kill a vampire. Also known as dragon’s blood.” He turned the brass knob.

Inside were three people. A male vampire with pale blond hair who was smoking a cigarette and dressed in a dark suit, a male with darker hair standing in one corner, and a female with the same pale blond hair wearing a red hood.

“Samuel,” said Uncle Soren.

“Soren,” said the man with the pale blond hair. “I see you have brought your young with you. A bad decision.”

“The boy is his nephew,” said the girl. I silently gasped as she raised her head-her eyes were bright red. She had consumed vampire blood. As I took a smell from the air, I also detected witch and fairy blood.

“Ah, your nephew. Interesting.”

I got a sick feeling in the pit of my stomach. These people were bad news. I tugged on my uncle’s jacket and turned around.

“Not yet, Reese. The book, Samuel.”

“Book?” I said. “That stupid book that went missing last summer?”

“Hush, Reese. The book, Samuel.”

“Give it to him, son.”

The dark-haired vampire walked forward. He waved his hand in the air, and an ancient book appeared. The same book that was buried in the factory where Mathias attacked us.

“You’ll have to give us something in return,” Samuel said as Uncle Soren reached for it. He pulled his hand back.

“What?” he asked irritably. Samuel looked at me.

“A young natural-born like your nephew has many years left.”

“NO! Absolutely not! I am not sacrificing him!”

The book disappeared. Uncle Soren sighed.

“I’m sorry, Reese, I should not have brought you along.”

“Then why did you?”

“To remind Samuel why I’m here. I screwed up. Again, I’m sorry. After thousands of years, I still make mistakes.”

Samuel grinned. “Alana, teach them a lesson.”

The girl wrenched her fingers together, and I felt my throat tighten as I was lifted off the floor. My uncle grabbed me around the waist.

“Let him down!” he cried.

“You heard him, Alana.”

She dropped me, and I almost landed on the floor. My uncle grabbed me around the waist and set me back on my feet.

“You don’t really want Reese,” Uncle Soren said. “You just want to torture and humiliate me.”

“This book means something to you,” Samuel said, laughing. “A vampire wanting to become human, imagine! What would your father say? And Ambrogio, and your brother? And your son?”

“Do not,” Uncle Soren said, through gritted teeth, “-mention my son or my nephew.”

Reese-

Father?

No, it’s me. Your uncle.

How can you-

The same way your father can, but he doesn’t want me to do it unless it’s absolutely necessary. I haven’t used it before now because he usually knows what’s happened to you before I do. These people will kill you if we don’t give them what they want. I’m not giving you up. I will distract them. Try to escape, and do not touch the wood of that door!

“What are you planning, Soren?” Samuel asked, looking curious. “Are you seriously talking to him right now? Pitiful. You know what’s going to happen today.” He turned and looked at the girl. “Daughter, bring the wolf in.”

She shot her hand forward, and the door opened with a bang. Faolan was brought forward, looking frightened. The door slammed shut again.

“I won’t even ask how you know each other,” said Samuel. “Alana, Samuel, kill them.”

Faolan cried out and doubled over, looking terrified.

“No, not again,” he muttered. Fur broke out on his skin. His ears lengthened and became pointy, his nose grew, and his eyes became fully yellow. His nails grew sharp and long. But the most terrifying thing about this transformation was the mouth that formed. His stomach widened and stretched, his navel opening up to become a wide, grinning mouth with canines and a long-forked tongue.

“Mordecai,” Faolan whispered. “Call Mordecai.”

“Too late,” Samuel the First grinned. “Your curse is real after all.”

Uncle Soren grabbed him by the throat and lifted him up. As Faolan burst into his werewolf form, he snarled at everyone in the room.

“Vampire,” said the mouth on his stomach. It licked its lips and smiled. Faolan growled again, baring his teeth. His ears flattened, and his eyes focused on me. The mouth’s smile became bigger. “A young one.”

Alana threw a ball of blue magic at Faolan, hitting the mouth. It screamed, then growled, shaking itself. It focused on her and Faolan stepped forward. Samuel the Second stepped in front of his sister and within seconds, his guts were spilling out. Alana gasped and screamed, and her father looked stunned. The second Samuel was dead.

Faolan looked up at the girl next. She stumbled back, and hit him with a jet of blue light. Her fear made her aim terrible, though, and it shot past him. He grabbed her around the neck, and with a clench of his fist, broke her neck.

“My children!” Samuel cried. He fought to get away from Uncle Soren and went over to Alana first, then his son. His eyes filled with tears as the mouth roared with satisfaction, then went down to devour the son’s guts.

Uncle Soren grabbed Faolan around the neck and pulled him back.

“Think about Mordecai!” he shouted. “Mordecai! Your love and lover!”

Slowly, carefully, Faolan turned into a man again. He looked at the mess- Samuel was now cradling his son’s head- and started to weep. He buried his head in his hands and sobbed. Uncle Soren put his jacket around Faolan and helped him to his feet.

“I did it again,” Faolan whispered.

“Shh, now. Mordecai will be there for you,” Uncle Soren said.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Father was standing in the front yard, looking infuriated. When he saw us, he went to me first, then Faolan, who was still crying. He sniffed him all over, then turned to Uncle Soren and growled, his eyes bright red.

“WHAT WERE YOU THINKING? THE NIGHT MARKET?! I COULD HAVE LOST MY BOYS! I WILL NEVER FORGIVE YOU FOR THIS, SOREN!”

“Don’t,” Faolan whimpered. “Stop yelling at him. What happened was…Mordecai…it came again…the mouth…it showed up again…I killed two vampires this time.”

“Shh, shh. It’s all right, baby. It can’t hurt you now. I’m here.”

Before I could escape, Father turned on me next.

“His throat is bruised,” he said, looking at it. “I swear, I will kill Soren. Being brothers only goes so far, and when you hurt my boys….”

“Mordecai, it was my fault,” Uncle Soren said.

“No shit.”

“Don’t be hard on him,” I told Father. “He was looking for some book- “I said the wrong thing. Father turned to Uncle Soren and shouted incoherently at him for several minutes. In that time, Grandfather and Other Mordecai came out to see what the commotion was about.

“Quiet down!” Other Mordecai said, rubbing his belly. “Little one is awake now, and it will take forever to get him back to sleep.”

“Mordecai, Soren, enough!” Grandfather said, separating them. “I don’t know what happened, but I do know this: you are disturbing everyone else.” His eyes landed on me, then trailed to my throat. He sighed. “Soren, tell me what happened. Reese, go into the house. Faolan, follow Reese.”

Faolan followed me and let himself into Father’s bedroom, where he curled up under the covers and started crying again.

I met Father in the hallway. “He needs you more than I do,” I said, walking past him.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I badly wanted to talk to Sarah, but she wouldn’t speak to me. She didn’t answer my calls or texts. I felt terrible about the way I spoke to her. She didn’t deserve that. I didn’t know what was wrong with me. I loved her, yet I only saw her flaws. I didn’t truly want to break up for good.

While browsing YouTube, I came across a channel called Sarah’s Stories. It was her, my girl. There were no videos yet, but there was a picture of her and a picture of her dogs, Spunk and Coffee.

When I checked the next day, there was a video up, called My Rape Story. I already knew the whole story, but I watched it anyway. It was hard to watch, and it was hard to watch her cry while she explained what happened.

“Hello, viewers,” she began. “My name is Sarah, and this is my rape story. It happened last November, almost a year ago now.” She wiped at her perfectly made-up eyes with a tissue. “It’s been a hard year. I’ve got my heart broken, my trust destroyed, and I even lost someone I loved.” I hoped that wasn’t me.

“But first, let me explain what happened that night: I went to a classmate’s party with my girls. This particular classmate is the golden boy, the most popular guy in school. I liked and trusted him, and he wasn’t the one who hurt me, but I still blame him sometimes, and I feel like a horrible person for blaming him. It wasn’t his fault. It wasn’t mine, either, but I still feel somehow like it was. Anyway, the girls and I went to a room to smoke cigarettes. Our head girl suggested we try weed next, and she offered me a blunt. I took it, but I didn’t want to smoke it.

“I refused and gave it back to her, and she slapped me. Then some of the other girls started fighting me and each other, and it was pure chaos for a few minutes. I went to another bedroom to relax, and that’s when it happened. Another classmate, who I won’t…oh, he’s dead anyway. Okay, Michael Nales.” She took a deep breath and wiped at her eyes again. “I was raped by Michael Nales. He wound up getting me pregnant, and I had the baby in July. Anyway, Michael was murdered a few weeks after it happened.

“I don’t know who murdered him, and I don’t think I want to know, but…I feel terrible and awful for this, but I’m glad he’s dead. I feel like he deserved to die. I know that’s horrible of me, but that’s how I feel. I’ve been told over and over again that it wasn’t my fault, but I still feel like it was. The baby himself is doing fine; I named him Cirino, which means ‘like the sun’. I’m not going to lie, I thought about abortion, but I’m glad I went through with the pregnancy. I love my son, and I’m happy that I get to see him every day. I know that a lot of people sometimes blame the baby, which isn’t fair. It’s not the baby’s fault. It isn’t anyone’s fault but his.

“Can I say that I’m happy? Well, I’m content. I’m a cheerleader, I have a great group of friends, a boyfriend who loves me, and a family who loves me. My family isn’t a typical family, but it used to be before my dad’s death. But that’s another story. Again, my name is Sarah, and I am a victim and survivor of rape.”

She ended the tape there. I sat back and thought about what she’d said. She considered my family her family. She had called me her boyfriend.

“I’m such a loser,” I said out loud.

“No, you’re not!” Father called from across the hall. I sighed. Stupid vampire hearing. There is no such thing as privacy.

I called Sarah one final time, and got an answer.

“Hello?” came my girl’s voice.

“I’m sorry,” I said. “I’m sorry for everything I said. You were right. I was being hostile, and unfair, and I don’t know why. I was having problems and I didn’t talk to you about them. I’m sorry.”

“That’s all I wanted to hear. All right, I accept your apology. I’m sorry, too.”

“I saw your video.”

“Did you like it?”

“I did. You were very brave.”

“I was as scared as a cat facing a dog. No, not you, Spunk. Ouch! Down!”

“Bravery and fearlessness are not the same thing,” I said.

“That’s probably true. Anyway, I have to go to work pretty soon. Mandy’s been stressed lately because this chick who worked there for two years just quit to take an accounting job.”

“All right, I’ll let you go. I love you.”

“Thanks.” She hung up. Thanks? That was all I got?

I was sure there was a mistake. She probably got flustered or didn’t know what to say. Either way, I tried to tell myself it wasn’t a big deal, but my inner self disagreed. My clingy nature called to me to call her back and demand an explanation. My jealous and possessive nature screamed that there was another male involved. Of course, I already knew that there were three other males involved. Caden, Elliot, and Glen Crow. There was Eric Martin, a werewolf, but he left her alone after she told him that she wasn’t interested. Why didn’t she do the same thing to these guys? Of course, she’d already told Glen off several times, but the bastard just wouldn’t leave her alone.

I was pretty sure she still loved me. I hoped she did. I knew I’d screwed up again, and I had already apologized to her. I needed her. I wanted her. The thought of her hips against mine, our chests touching, my hands in her hair, her hands in mine, her green eyes looking into mine like an angel’s. My angel.

I needed to distract myself, so I focused on Selena. What was she like? What was her surname? Did she look more like Mother, or more like her father? Were her eyes blue, like Mother’s, or a different color? Was her hair long and curly, or short? Did she know about me, if she was still alive? The thought that I had a sister, one I didn’t know about….

I was not prepared for that revelation. I’d had no idea that my mother was still around a year ago, and now I had a mother. My family had gotten bigger and more loving. I was supposed to be happy. I had everything I needed and wanted.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

There was something wrong with Sarah. She was losing more hair than usual, her teeth looked stained and weak, and she had lost weight. It was only a week after our talk and she was already looking different. Her thick, luscious hair was losing its shine, her curls becoming limp. She was thinner than usual, so thin that I could see her ribs through her shirt. I had noticed these things before, but not really noted them.

It all became clear when I was asked to attend a group at the Health Center for Women. Mother picked me up with Sarah in the car and drove us to the Center. She led me and a silent Sarah through a door marked Body Image and Eating Disorders. My eyes widened and I looked at Sarah, who had her head low.

Several women and girls were already seated in a circle. We took the last three chairs and faced the rest of the group. Immediately, whispers started.

“Is he her boyfriend or something?”

“Are they brother and sister?”

“All right,” piped up a curly-haired blond. “We’re all here now. Let’s start with Sarah and her family. Sarah, why don’t you introduce yourself?”

“I’m Sarah,” said my girl, “And my mom who isn’t really my mom heard me throwing up, and she thought I was doing it on purpose.”

“I am Marina,” said Mother, “I am Sarah’s mother. I caught her with a toothbrush down her throat! She has been doing this in secret for weeks apparently.”

Weeks?

“I’m Reese, and I’m Sarah’s boyfriend,” I said. “This is the first I’m hearing about it. I came to support my mother and my girlfriend.”

“Can you explain your relationship a little more? I think we’re all confused,” said the blond.

“I am actually Reese’s mother,” Mother said. “I took in Sarah and her sister Sabine because their biological mother is in rehab for alcohol addiction. I love the girls like they are my own.”

“Thank you for explaining,” said the blond. “Continue.”

“I’m Tilda,” said the next girl, a heavyset girl with dark hair who wore a shirt that said Art Matters. “I’m here because I was caught smoking in the bathroom at school after I threw up in the nurse’s office. Now my parents think I’m throwing up on purpose too.”

My heart fell into my stomach. Sarah had bulimia nervosa, and I didn’t know until now. What kind of boyfriend was I? I was useless and worthless. No wonder she didn’t like me anymore. I was a selfish, stupid guy who didn’t have anything other than money and an appetite for human blood.

As it turned out, the head blond’s name was Ariel, and she was a therapist, nutritionist, and eating coach. She explained that there are several reasons why girls force themselves to throw up or starve. The need to be thin, the need to control something. Need.

As the girls and their mothers went around introducing themselves and saying why they were in the group, Sarah never looked up except to scan the room once. Her eyes fell on another girl, who I would learn also went to North Hampton High School. No doubt the truth would spread.

Sarah Cresley, the beautiful cheerleader, the Psyche of the whole school, was bulimic.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The North Hampton High School Talent Show was approaching. Since it was my last year as a high school student, I decided to enter. I wrote my name on the paper containing all the names of the entrees. I didn’t know what song I would sing. I knew I wanted to sing an original song, but that was it. I’d heard that Sarah’s clique would be doing a group song. I’d heard Sarah discussing clothing choices with Mia Rayport and Angela Montgomery. I made another decision. The rule was that each person could do one by themselves, one duet, and one group audition. So, I approached Sarah in the library as she read the latest volume of Saga.

“Would you like to do a duet with me?” I asked.

“Sure,” she said. “What were you thinking?”

“I don’t know. I was going to ask you for suggestions.”

“I’ve always liked “Between the Raindrops” by Lifehouse,” she said.

“If that’s what you want, we’ll do it,” I said. “How are you feeling?” I asked, sitting down.

“Fine,” she said testily. “It was stupid. It was one time.”

“Don’t lie to me,” I warned her.

“Fine, it was more than once.” She burst into tears. “I can’t take it anymore? Ms. Kent is working us to death! She wants all of us to be the right size and have the right moves and have our hair and makeup always perfect! It’s taking all the fun out of cheering for the home team.”

“What else?” I asked.

“My job! Mandy said that I can work up to assistant manager, but only if I can work full-time, which I can’t do. I can’t work all the time. And this studying and homework is really dragging my brain down. And those guys! I don’t know how many times I have to say no!”

“Sarah, I didn’t know. If I’d known…but I know now. My advice is this: quit your job at Pon’s. If it’s money you’re worried about, talk to Mother or me, and we’ll work something out. You get part of the family pay as a member of this family. If it’s something else, tell me and I’ll fix it.”

She buried her head in her hands.

“My Belle,” I said, taking her soft hands. She looked up.

“What? What did you call me?”

“My Belle,” I said.

“Daddy used to call me that. He called me Belle. So did Grandpa whenever we went to France to see him and Nana. I haven’t seen them since Daddy died, though.” I leaned forward and kissed her forehead.

“He saw the darkness in her beauty,” I said.

“She saw the beauty in his darkness,” she finished. She touched my cheek. “And you are beautiful, Reese. You are the most beautiful boy I’ve ever met.”

“And darkness isn’t scary,” I said.

“Vassalord,” she caught. “I didn’t know you liked yaoi, Reese. Or Shounen-ai.”

“Trust me,” I said, “I wish that Sebastian and Ciel from Black Butler were a couple.”

“I can’t see that with Ciel,” she said. She looked down. Then she tensed, clutching her head. “I feel dizzy,” she said.

“Sarah…”

She collapsed onto the floor.

“Sarah!” I ran over to her side. I lifted her head up, pulling her onto my lap.

“She needs the nurse!” said the librarian, running over. “What happened?”

“She fainted,” I said.

Within minutes, the nurse and Principal Turner came running over to Sarah.

“We need to call an ambulance,” said the nurse.

“Call her mother first,” said Principal Turner. “Make sure you talk to Alicia-“

“Alicia is in rehab,” I snapped. “Call whoever is on the contact list! It’s most likely my mother.”

“Mr. Emerson, shouldn’t you be in class?”

“It’s my lunch hour.”

“I recall last year, your father saying that you would eat more.”

“Sarah is more important right now! Are you going to stand there and berate me or actually do your job and take care of my girlfriend?”

“Reese Emerson!”

“For heaven’s sake, she needs to be taken to the nurse’s office!” the librarian shouted at him.

I was able to carry her to the office myself. As the bell rang, students began to file out of classrooms. Many of them stared as I carried Sarah, the nurse and Principal Turner following behind with our belongings. I knew I’d pay later for my sass to the principal, but I didn’t care. Sarah was what was most important to me.

When my mother arrived before the ambulance, she fussed over Sarah. Sarah had woken up a few minutes after we arrived in the office, and she insisted that she didn’t need an ambulance.

“I’m fine, Mom,” she said to Mother.

“No, you’re not…did you pull out this piece of hair? Oh, Sarah.”

Caden Cartwright arrived in the nurse’s office with a pass and immediately went over to Sarah.

“Sarah, are you okay?” he asked.

“I’m fine,” she repeated. “They’re freaking out over nothing.”

“The ambulance is here,” said Principal Turner.

Two EMTs came into the room with a stretcher. One of them was Glen Crow.

“Sarah,” he said, “Do you know where you are?”

“School,” she replied. “My name is Sarah, I’m seventeen, and I go to North Hampton High School. My mother is Alicia and my father-“ She broke off, tears welling up in her eyes. She was lifted onto the stretcher by Crow and the female EMT.

They took her out the door, where she was promptly put in the ambulance. The female EMT drove while Crow got into the back with her.

Principal Turner turned to me. “Maybe we need to have a discussion about your attitude, Mr. Emerson. Detention in-“

“Hold it right there,” said the nurse. “You were giving him a hard time when you should have been focusing on poor Sarah. If you give him detention, both Mrs. Powell and I will complain to the school board. If anything, you owe both of them an apology.”

Mother stood up and glared at Principal Turner, who turned a deep shade of red. My mother is a tall woman with thick black curly hair and crystal blue eyes that turned to ice when one of her children was hurt. Her anger was palpable, and trust me, you do not want to get on her bad side.

“Do you know who my son is?” Mother growled. “His father is one of the most well-known and richest men on the planet. My fiancé is soon to be the stepfather of my Reese. You do not want to mess with my future husband. When you mess with our children, you mess with us. Do you understand? Do I make myself clear?”

Principal Turner gulped. “Yes, ma’am.”

“Good. I will contact my fiancé and tell him what has occurred today. I don’t think he or my ex-husband will be happy with how you have treated our son. I will speak to Mrs. Powell and the nurse and get the full story, then get it from Reese. If I hear that you are unfair to Reese ever again, you will wish you had never been born.” With that, Mother turned and started walking out. “Come, Reese. Grab your things. We must see to Sarah.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Alexander found Mother’s threats to Principal Turner hilarious. He was furious when he heard how the principal had spoken to me and threatened me with detention, but he was proud of both me and Mother. Me, for sticking up for Sarah and staying strong, and Mother, for telling Principal Turner exactly what would happen if he ever threatened me again.

He was concerned about Sarah, though, as we all were. She was laying in the hospital bed, covered by a thin sheet. She found all of this irritating.

“Mom, I’m fine,” she said for the tenth time as Mother checked her vitals.

“Hello, may I come in?” said the nurse. She held a vase full of red roses and baby’s breath. “You have an admirer.” She handed the vase to Uncle Soren, who read the card out loud.

“’To my dearest Sarah: I hope you recover. From Glen.’”

“How nauseating,” Alexander said. He looked at Sarah. “Little girl, if you don’t do something about it, that boy will be your downfall.”

“Shut up, Alexander,” Sarah snapped, and then hid under the sheet as Alexander gave her a dark look.

“It’s not her fault,” I said. “He just can’t take no for an answer.”

“I know it’s not her fault, Reese.”

“Both of you shut up,” Sarah said. “I feel dizzy and lightheaded.”

“Close your eyes,” Mother advised. “I will be here when you wake up.” She stroked Sarah’s hair, then kissed her. She started purring as she nuzzled her. She turned and looked at Alexander. “I love you, Ambrogio Nicolai, but if you do not respect my children, then we cannot marry.”

“I do respect them,” Alexander said, looking panicked. “I love them just as much as you do. But I love you more.”

“You should love them more.”

Alexander wrinkled his nose. He had dug himself into a hole. Tension was thick in the room. Sarah snored. She had fallen asleep. She looked like an angel laying there. Alexander himself looked furious. Mother ignored him and petted Sarah. Alexander rolled his eyes, and Mother thumped him.

We were all crowded around her. Alexander was feeding a fussy Cirino, who was extremely gassy. Mother constantly checked Sarah’s vitals, occasionally smelling her, as if her health would suddenly change just because she was here. I was muttering the lyrics to “Second Chance” by Shinedown under my breath and humming the tune.

“Are you trying to tell me something?” Father said. He pecked me.

“Nope. Except that I’m getting hungry. You’re the parent, the provider. Go get food.”

He thumped me for my sass.

“Tough luck, cousin,” Louis chuckled. Uncle Soren thumped him.

“I’ve set up a perimeter around the territory,” Uncle Soren said. “Father and I spread our scents around the area.”

“Is there another vampire around?” I asked.

“A coven,” Grandfather said. “A large one; about ten members. Slightly smaller than Ambrose’s old coven. We still don’t know them, so we’re not taking any chances, especially given their size. I believe Louis mentioned it before.”

“He probably did, I just wasn’t paying attention.” Father thumped me again.

“Mom?” Sarah whimpered.

“Yes, baby, I’m here,” Mother told here. I went over to my girl’s side.

“Mom, I feel sick,” she said. Mother handed her a glass of water. “Also, I’m sorry,” she said. “I didn’t want to upset everybody. I just wanted to be perfect.”

“No one is perfect, my sweet,” Mother said. “Cella Kent should have known that. I have filed a complaint and will destroy her if she hurts you again.”

“Mom, it isn’t just me. Everyone wants to be thin.”

“And everyone wants to rule the world, but that’s not going to happen. Only God can rule the Earth. You are in charge of your own body and soul. You are beautiful, my love, both inside and out. You are my daughter, and I love you. I could not let you kill yourself.”

Sabine, who had remained silent, was now quietly crying. Mother pulled Sabine into her and kissed her blond locks.

“Both of you are my daughters. I will be your mother until the end of my existence.”

Sarah was crying now. Father said something about paperwork and left the room, followed by Louis, Grandfather, and Uncle Soren. Only Alexander remained with the baby. He seemed to be lost in thought.

“I’m so sorry,” Sarah said. “I had no idea I was hurting everyone else.”

“It’s okay now, turtle dove,” I said. She looked at me.

“Turtle dove?”

“Would you rather I called you a hawk?” I asked. She smiled a little, a forced smile. “Okay, how about a raven? Or a penguin? You know, all birds mate for life.”

“Even starlings and drackels?”

“All birds. So do lions, unless another male wins a fight.”

“Do cats mate for life? Or foxes?”

“Foxes, yes, Cats usually don’t if they’re feral. Do you remember when I took you to the edge of the woods, and we heard a fox?”

“I didn’t know what it was. I asked you what it was.”

“Yes, foxes can sound very gruesome if you’ve never heard one before.”

“There is a fox on your family crest,” Alexander said. Sarah looked at me.

“He’s right,” I said. “My family crest is a fox and a raven over each other with the Helm of Awe in the middle, along with the Valknut.”

“The Helm of Awe means protection and might, and the Valknut means death,” Alexander helpfully explained. “Mine was the wolf Fenrir with Thor’s Hammer before my brothers died and my family split into mortals and immortals.”

The girls looked surprised and interested all in the same look.

“How many kinds of vampires are there?” Sabine asked.

“Several,” I said. “Vampires who were originally humans, like Alexander and my grandfather, are called human vampires. I’m a natural-born vampire, meaning I was born from two vampires.”

“My son Kieran is a hybrid,” Alexander said. “He’s half-human. There are also vegan vampires, which we refer to as vampires who drink the chlorophyll from plants, vampires who drink animal blood, which is a joke to the rest of us, strigoi, evil vampires known for taking souls, and so on. Each culture has their own version, and each version is mostly accurate.”

CHAPTER FIFTEEN – MITRA

It was a simple mistake. I hadn’t meant to go onto another vampire’s territory. I didn’t realize it was hers. Now, as I faced the female, I couldn’t help but notice that she was very pretty. She had chin-length shiny black hair, a smooth, dark tan, and hazelnut eyes. She was at least seventeen when she was turned, and now she stood in front of me, hissing.

I gently and silently backed away, being careful not to turn my back or bare my teeth, as much as I wanted to snarl at her.

“I didn’t realize this was your land,” I said.

“This is Lenape land,” she corrected. “I am their guardian.” She muttered a curse in another language that I didn’t catch.

“A guardian of humans?” Alexander scoffed.

“Who is the big dumb one?” the female asked.

“This is Alexander Nicolai,” I told her. “Who are you?”

“My name is Mitra Dearwood. You are all trespassing.”

“A dumb one, am I, little girl?” Alexander said lowly.

“Well, you’re big, and you’re dumb, so yes, I’d say you are.”

I was amazed at her cheek. No one speaks to Alexander like that and gets away with their life, unless it was me, Mother, or one of the girls.

“Well, Mitra Dearwood, you are sadly mistaken on several counts,” Alexander said. “One, this is royal vampire territory, two, I am the oldest human vampire around, and three, whatever humans you are protecting are in danger anyway. There is a large coven near the area.”

Her eyes widened. “Where?” she demanded.

“Who says I’m going to tell you anything?” Alexander said.

“She has a right to know,” I said.

“I like the little one,” Mitra grinned. I found that ironic, since she was smaller than me, a six-foot two-hundred-pound natural-born. She was a five-foot-four, skinny human-born vampire.

“What’s taking you so long?” Father asked, coming toward us. He stopped at the sight of Mitra. “Hello. I didn’t realize that there was anyone else here. How long have you lived here?”

“My whole life,” Mitra said. “I was changed last year. I’m the guardian of the Lenape people who live here.”

“I didn’t realize,” Father said. “Who is your sire?”

Mitra’s face fell. “I don’t know. He left, promising to return someday. He left me with no knowledge of who he was or what he was. I had to find out through my great-grandmother.”

“I’m sorry to hear that,” Father said. “What is your name?”

“Mitra Dearwood,” she repeated. “Is the big asshole a friend of yours?”

“The big asshole is no friend of mine, but unfortunately, we are related,” Father told her. “And I see you’ve met my son as well. What school do you go to?”

“I went to Martin Luther King Jr. until last year. I didn’t really have a clique. I just have one friend on the reservation, and he’s a guy.”

“I hate girls, too,” Alexander said, frowning at her.

Mitra smiled. “I only hate bitchy girls. Unless I’m fucking them.”

“Oh, you’re gay?” I asked.

“Bi. I like boys, too. I just think boys are less bitchy for the most part. I think there’s an exception in front of me,” she griped.

“Watch it, little girl,” Alexander growled.

“What on earth is going on?” Uncle Soren asked, trailing off as he got closer to Mitra. His eyes trailed over her body, landing on her eyes. She returned his look with a cold gaze.

“Before we get any more people out here, is there anyone else coming?” Mitra said. “I don’t want to have to repeat myself several times.”

“J-just m-me,” Uncle Soren stuttered.

“Hi then, whoever you are, I’m Mitra Dearwood. So far I like the blond guy and the little one, but the big dark-haired one is kind of a turd,” she said.

“Sometimes he is, Mitra,” I said.

“Hello, Mitra, I-I’m Soren,” Uncle Soren said. I watched as his Adam’s apple moved up and down. He was nervous. He only got this way when he fell in love on first sight. It happened with Ariella, it would happen again if Mitra dumped him.

“Great. Nice to meet you, Soren. It was nice to meet most of you. Well, I have to go. My mother wants me back on the reservation before sundown.”

She took off, running faster than I’d ever seen a vampire run.

“What a woman,” Uncle Soren breathed.

“She can’t be more than seventeen,” Alexander said. “All of you, I swear. Girls, girls, girls. Or werewolves. Sometimes both. Why can’t any of you find a decent woman?”

“Watch it,” I warned him.

“She’s a fast runner,” Uncle Soren said.

“It must be a gift,” I joked.

“That, and her beauty,” Uncle Soren said.

“She’s definitely one of the more naturally pretty ones,” Father said. “I didn’t see an ounce of makeup.”

“She mostly hangs out with herself,” I noted. “And whoever her guy friend is, he’s probably seen her without makeup.”

“Guy friend?” Uncle Soren questioned, a growl creeping into his tone. “She has a guy friend?”

“Sarah has guy friends,” I said. “You don’t see me complaining.”

“On the contrary, I hear you complaining all the time,” Father grinned.

“Get out of my head,” I growled.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Uncle Soren was definitely in love again. He would constantly ask about Mitra, how did we know her, was she a new vampire, what kind of vampire was she, who is her guy friend, who is her family, was she a part of the Lenape tribe, who is her guy friend, how did we meet her, do you think she’s single, and most importantly, who is her guy friend.

He couldn’t get her out of his head.

Louis thought it was hilarious, given their history of female companions.

“Girls are nothing but trouble,” Louis said. “That’s why I bang ‘em and leave ‘em.”

“You’re a slut,” I told him. He grinned at me and ruffled my hair as if I was a child.

“I’m in love,” Uncle Soren muttered to himself. “I have to see her again.”

“The reservation’s not far from here,” I said. “About ten minutes if you run.”

He looked at me, then pulled out his phone.

“You’re right,” he said after a minute. “I can make it in less than ten minutes if I run at my fastest. I can have her in my arms in that time.”

“She’s pretty stubborn,” I said. “Little Miss Independent.”

“She will be mine,” he said sincerely.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I helped Sarah as she climbed into Mother’s soccer-mom car. After a few days in the hospital, she was a little better, well enough that the hospital decided to let her go. She was eating without puking, at least. She was a little less thin, and a lot more hydrated. She had made a promise to Mother to be more honest and to tell her when she was thinking about harming herself. I wasn’t there for it, but Mother told me about it.

Sarah laid in the backseat with a bucket in front of her in case she threw up on accident. Mother put a thin blanket over her and kissed her before she climbed into the driver’s seat and I climbed into the passenger seat. I kept glancing back at her as Mother put the car in reverse and drove down the parking lot and onto the highway.

When we reached the house, Sarah had only thrown up once, but she still felt sick. She opened the door and threw up on the driveway. Zie, the housekeeper, was outside smoking a cigarette, and she looked surprised at the look of Sarah. Mother got out and picked up Sarah while I emptied the bucket into the yard. The smell was unbelievable.

I went to help my girl into bed. As I walked into the house, the smell of bleach and ammonia hit me.

“Zie,” Mother said, turning to the housekeeper, “Did you mix bleach and ammonia?”

“No, I do not clean with ammonia,” Zie said, looking confused.

“Do you not smell it?” Mother asked, gesturing to the air around.

“No, I clean without ammonia,” she repeated. “My sister help me clean today. And another lady, my sister said she was okay.”

“What did this other lady look like?” I asked.

“Black hair, black eyes. Very soulless. You could tell that she was not very friendly.”

“Did she have ivory skin and wear hoop earrings?” I asked. “Red lipstick?” Zie nodded. I looked at Mother. “Scarlett Hart. She must have thought it would be funny.”

“The bitch who tried to hurt my baby?” Mother said. “I must have a talk with her parents, and with Zie. This is unacceptable. My daughter is sick, and they want to make her sicker!”

I took Sarah from her and carried my girl upstairs to her bedroom. Coffee was on the purple duvet, wagging her tail and barking. The little brown Chihuahua jumped off the bed and scurried around my feet. I put Sarah on the bed, taking her shoes off and her jeans. I carefully took her jacket and her shirt off as Coffee jumped onto the bed and started licking Sarah’s face. I shooed her away, but the dog insisted on making sure Sarah was okay. I gave her a kiss and put a bucket next to her. Mother came in with bottles of water and straws.

“Her bathroom is to the left,” Mother pointed out.

“It’s nice to have a bathroom inside my room,” Sarah said, smiling weakly.

“Love, I’m so sorry,” I said, stroking her hair. “I should have known.”

“Don’t beat yourself up. You are the best boyfriend I’ve ever had,” she said.

“I wish I didn’t have to go,” I said. “I’ll talk to Father and see if he’ll let me stay here on weekends.”

“Zat would be wonderful,” Mother said. “I can see my son and he can make sure his love is okay.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

My heart fell into my gut as I approached my father’s house. I smelled other vampires; vampires I did not recognize. Before I reached the porch, though, my father ran out and grabbed me, carrying me back inside.

“They’re on the edge,” he said. “You probably didn’t see them, but they were at the edge of the woods, looking at us.”

“That’s creepy,” I said. “Dad, put me down.”

“No, I will not do that. You are in danger. I have to protect you.”

“Put me down! Actually, I wanted to talk to you about something. Can I stay at Mother’s house this weekend?”

“What for…oh. Sarah. And Marina is your mother. Yes, I give you my permission.”

He set me down gently.

“Where is everybody?” I asked.

“I don’t know where Dimitri is, but Toby is out hunting, and Spencer went with Louis to some event. Your grandfather is in a bad mood, so he secluded himself. Your uncle is talking to him, making sure he won’t…do anything violent. Of all the times for the guys to be missing…well, Toby and Spencer both have good reasons. Toby hasn’t eaten in a week, and Spencer was needed because Louis needed protection. Dimitri is my best guard. I don’t know what I’ll do if I have to fire him. And Faolan is talking to the pack. Apparently, there is some internal issue.”

“Where’s Other Mordecai?”

“He’s in the guest house. By the way, we found Peter and Dean. We had assumed they left, but they didn’t. They were hiding in the dungeons. You should have seen Dean…actually, I’d rather you didn’t. He looked like a wraith. Peter was very thin and had lost most of his spark. They were close to death. We sent for Ambrose to come get them.”

“I find it odd that Other Mordecai isn’t joined by Other Alexander.”

“Don’t mention that again. I think I may vomit.”

“Sorry. Anyway, any luck finding Torrance or Other Reese?”

“Toby spotted Torrance, but he sped away before Toby could chase after him. He’s one of the fastest runners I’ve ever met. Along with Mitra Dearwood.”

“Uncle Soren’s in love again,” I said.

“That he is,” Grandfather said, coming down.

“Where is he?” Father asked, looking past Grandfather.

“I do not know, I assumed he was with you.”

“Crap,” Father said. “Who wants to bet that he went to look for that girl?”

“Three bucks says he’s staring at her through her window, falling more in love with everything she does,” I said.

“No wager says that he’s doing that,” Grandfather said.

Toby came in the door then, looking exhausted.

“I barely escaped their gaze,” he said. “I may have messed up when I used the trees above their heads.”

“At least you’re okay,” Father said. “Father, we need to confront them.”

“Not without Soren and a full guard, we shouldn’t. Remember last time?”

“Last time, my baby was nearly killed!”

“I’m not a baby,” I muttered.

“You’re my baby, no matter how old you are.”

“Either way,” Grandfather interjected, “-we have to confront them.”

“You just said- “

“I know, I know. But we still must wait for Soren and Spencer.”

It would be a week before we were able to confront them, and it was in late October, on Halloween. Sarah had planned to go out with her friends to a party that night, and Noah had invited me to go with him and Duke to a haunted house.

It was in early morning when I was out walking in the woods. Louis and Toby were with me, lagging behind. I spotted an unfamiliar vampire about a hundred yards away.

“You’re in our territory, buddy,” I called out. Then nine more vampires jumped down from the trees. I arched my back and hissed.

Toby ran up to me and stood in front of me, crouched defensively. “We know you’ve been watching us,” he said. “What do you want?”

“Forgive us,” said the coven leader, stepping forward. “Your lifestyle has confused us. I am Bartimus, the leader of this coven.”

“I am Toby,” Toby said. “I’m the guard of Prince Reese Mordecai Emerson.”

“Oh, you must forgive our rudeness, then,” said the leader, kneeling. “We had no idea we were in the company of royals.” The rest of the vampires bowed or curtsied.

“Go get your father, Reese,” Louis said.

“They already know where we live.”

“Do it.”

Grumbling, I did as my cousin told me to do and flitted home. I found my father in the garage, working on his Rolls Royce.

“We had an encounter with the coven,” I said. “We need you and Grandfather.”

Father cleaned himself and dressed in record time, then grabbed Grandfather.

We ran back to the forest, where Bartimus and Louis were talking.

“Hello,” Grandfather said. “I am King Eilief. You have been on my son’s territory for some time now.”

“Our apologies,” Bartimus said. “We had no idea we were on royal territory.”

“Eilief?” A vampire came out from the crowd. He looked strangely like Alexander, the same black hair and blue eyes, except his hair was longer.

“Uncle?” Grandfather said.

The vampire and Grandfather stared each other down, then embraced. Grandfather turned to us, smiling a rare smile.

“Boys, this is your great uncle, Alexander’s father, Apollo Nicolai. Uncle, I had no idea you were still alive.”

“Nor I you, nephew,” Apollo said. He turned to Bartimus, who looked shocked.

“You did not tell us- “

“That I was one of the Ancients? Yes, I kept it a secret deliberately. I wanted to hide myself while my traitor son lives.”

“He means Alexander,” Louis shout-whispered to me. Apollo pursed his lips.

“Yes, that’s what he calls himself now. He used to be called Ambrogio. I have never really forgiven him for his part in the plot to kill me, nor his responsibility for the death of his brothers.”

“He said that you killed them,” I said.

“That is a lie! He has lied to you from the beginning, young one.”

“Why haven’t you shown up before now?” Louis asked. “I mean, you must have seen Grandfather before and known who he was.”

“Yes, I admit that I knew who he was when I saw him. Soren as well. I learned all your names by observing you. For example, you are Louis, the son of my great-nephew Soren. The little one is Reese, the most recent addition to the family. Only eighteen years old, born on the first of October. And you are Mordecai, Soren’s younger brother.”

Father beamed.

“Come with us,” Grandfather said. “We have much to discuss.”

“Indeed, we do,” said Apollo. He turned to Bartimus. “Is my coven welcome as well?”

“Yes, they are,” Grandfather said. “As long as they are kept in line and do not harm any of ours.”

“They won’t,” Apollo said firmly, looking back at the coven.

A few minutes later, we were back at the house. Other Mordecai was standing there, rubbing his belly. Apollo stared at him.

“He’s from another universe,” I explained. Apollo took on a look of understanding. He came into the house, ordered his coven to stay back, and stepped into the foyer. He smelled the air.

“I smell human,” he growled. “A young female.”

“She’s mine,” I told him. “Her name is Sarah. She’s my soulmate.”

“Aha. Then why hasn’t she been changed?”

“It’s complicated. She doesn’t want to be changed.”

“How strange. Well, then…I also smell Ambrogio.”

“He comes over sometimes,” I said. Apollo grimaced.

“Toby, give him a tour of the house,” Father said. Toby nodded and took Apollo on a tour of the whole house, and showed him where the dungeons were buried, and pointed out the guest house.

I sat on the couch and pet Shadowfang.

“Who’s the new guy?” he asked. I jumped.

“You can talk like a real person?”

“Of course I can. I just used your mind reading thing because, well, I really have no excuse. But yes, Mishka and I can talk like humans can. The kittens can’t, but they’re learning.”

“What am I going to do with you?”

“Give me a treat. Salmon-flavored.”

“Very funny.”

“I’m serious.”

“So am I.”

“You’re no fun,” he said, pricking up his tail.

“A talking cat,” Apollo mused.

“He’s Reese’s familiar,” Father said. “There are quite a few cats around. Soren and I found a mother with her litter last winter in a ditch. Well, it was cold, and it would have been cruel to leave them where they were and let them get eaten by wolves or freeze to death.”

“The cats’ names are Shadowfang, Mishka, Catniss, Remy, Belle, Anakin, and Frodo. They are quite shy and often prefer to be by themselves,” Grandfather explained. “They even have their own little room upstairs, full of toys and cat trees and food and water dishes. We kept the litterbox in there for a while, but it stunk too much, so we’re teaching them to use the toilet instead and flush.”

That was news to me. Normally we had a maid or one of the guards clean out the box, but since our sense of smell is so powerful, I suppose it made more sense to teach the cats to use the toilet like a human.

Shadowfang seemed to grin at that.

“I’ve gotten it right,” he said. “You just need to put your butt over the bowl and let things happen naturally.” We all looked at him. “Then again, vampires don’t pee or have bowel movements, so I can’t speak for you jerks.”

“Thanks,” I said sarcastically. I settled on the couch and turned on my favorite industrial metal channel.

“Reese is a big hard-rock and heavy metal fan,” Father explained.

“Like my Reese,” Other Mordecai muttered.

We all started as the door opened.

“Do you mind?” Father snapped at Alexander.

“Hey, I’ve as much-“ He cut himself off as he caught sight of Apollo.

“Hello, traitor son,” Apollo grinned.

“What is that bastard doing here?” Alexander cried.

Mother stepped in front of him. “I’m so glad I left the girls at home,” she said.

“Ah, your lovely wife?” Apollo stepped over to Mother and kissed her knuckles. “I am Apollo, Ambrogio’s father.”

“Ah, my fiancé has told me much about you,” Mother replied.

“Fiancé? How wonderful, a wedding. What is your name, my sweet?”

“Marina Santorino. I am the mother of Reese Emerson and Selena Santorino.”

“Your daughter has your maiden name?”

“Her father left me before she was born. As far as I’m concerned, she has no father.”

“How cruel, that a woman as lovely as yourself should have a man leave you before you birthed the babe. I can relate.”

“Enough,” Alexander snarled. “Come, Marina. We’re leaving. I was going to wring Mordecai’s neck because I have vampires crawling all over my territory, but there has clearly been a setback.”

“What do you mean, you have vampires in your territory?” I asked.

“A great ugly one with a German accent. Red eyes and long black hair.”

“Torrance,” I said.

“A name does not help, son.”

“Believe me, I’ve faced Torrance,” I said. “He was there when I was tortured by Other Reese.”

Other Mordecai looked shocked and saddened.

I felt worried. “Do you think he’d go after Sarah?”

“I doubt it,” Father said. “It’s you he wants, not her. And I don’t think he’s the type to kidnap her to get to you.” He gave Alexander a pointed look. Alexander glared at him.

Uncle Soren walked in the door then, looking both happy and a bit frazzled.

“Oh, hello,” he said, looking around. “Oh, Apollo! I haven’t seen you in thousands of years!”

“Hello, great-nephew,” Apollo said. He sniffed the air. “You have the scent of a female on you.”

“Her name is Mitra Dearwood,” Uncle Soren said. “She’s part of the Lenape tribe.”

“She’s only seventeen,” I said.

“Eighteen,” Uncle Soren corrected.

“That little girl is Miss Wonderful?” Alexander scoffed. “More like Miss Bad Attitude.”

“You’re one to talk,” Uncle Soren retorted.

“Enough,” Grandfather said firmly. “Alexander, what do you need?”

“None of your fucking business, Eilief. I need the boy.”

“Why me?” I asked.

“Not you, Reese. Louis.”

“I’m not a boy,” Louis growled.

“You act like one. You are needed because of your computer skills.”

“My computer skills don’t come cheap-“ Louis cut off and gulped as Alexander gave him a dark look. “But you’re family, so I’m going to risk my life for whatever you need.”

“An old vampire who doesn’t know how to use a computer? That’s a first,” Apollo said. “Then again, you always were the smartest one.”

“Watch it, old man.”

“Excuse me, you tried to kill me, remember?”

“You were a tyrant! A bully, a murderer, and a tyrant!”

“I shed no blood with my own hands. I merely made murderers out of others.”

I inched closer to Father. He noticed, and wrapped his arms around me.

“You killed Mother,” Alexander said lowly.

“That wench killed my baby! She deserved to die!”

“She did not kill Baby Celine on purpose!”

“That’s the name of Kieran’s mother,” I noted out loud.

“Smart boy you’ve got there, Mordecai,” Apollo grinned. Father let out a low hiss. Apollo laughed. “Oh come, I’m not going to harm him.”

“He’s my boy, too,” Alexander growled. “He’s my soulson.”

“Oh, I never believed in those, anyway. You just want Reese as a son because of his hair and because Kieran hates your guts, my traitor son.”

Alexander leaped at Apollo. Father picked me up and ran out the back door where Apollo’s coven was situated. Other Mordecai followed us.

“My Alexander is not this violent,” Other Mordecai said.

“They’re going to wreck my house,” Father complained as Alexander kicked Apollo through a wall. Apollo got up and ran out the back. Alexander followed him and pounced on him. He started pounding him, then Apollo’s coven interfered, two big male vampires pulling Alexander off.

“You haven’t killed me yet, Alexander,” he said.

“I swear, one day, I will kill you, Father. You had best watch your back.”

Alexander grabbed Mother’s hand and left, Louis following behind.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

That night, I went out by myself wearing my usual outfit. I get comments like “You know it’s not Halloween, right?” all the time when I’m out in public, and this night was one of the few nights a year where I could be out in public and not be judged for how I look-long black hair ith white tips (unless it’s been recently trimmed), a large, beak-like nose, yellow eyes, and goth attire.

I’ve been told that I get my hair, nose, chin, and lips from Mother, and I get my eyes and build from my father.

I reached the haunted house, spotting Noah’s car by the entrance. I parked my Nissan GT-R next to his Kia Soul, and got out, seeing him loitering with Duke. He and Mason were still in a fight, which I found exasperating and stupid. They were supposed to be best friends, and yet Mason lied to him and held things back and pretended to like Amara, who was Noah’s crush.

I found that amusing, because Amara had a crush on Noah until she got with her current boyfriend, Cole Powers, a pug-nosed rockstar with long blond hair and a motorcycle.

“Reese, you made it,” Duke said, clapping me on the shoulder. “Dude, the chicks are coming out now.”

We all watched as Sarah and her clique exited the haunted house, giggling. Sarah looked a little better; she’d been keeping food down, and went to therapy appointments with Mother. She smiled at me when she saw me, and I smiled back.

“Dude, you and Sarah Cresley,” Duke said. “That’s fucking hot.”

“Say ‘dude’ again and I’d bloody your nose,” Noah told him.

“Chill out, du-oh. Maybe I do say it a lot.”

I paid for our entrance into the haunted house. The first attraction did scare me, as it was a zombie grabbing my shoulder. A fake vampire came out and shouted “I vant to suck your blood!”

A werewolf came out next, followed by an army of skeletons brandishing spears and swords. Evil laughter echoed through the room.

“Do you actually see any of this stuff?” Noah asked me.

“It was a nice try, but I’ve been scared of freakier things. For example, real vampires don’t have fake accents. All of our accents are real. I’ve seen a real werewolf in wolf form, and they don’t have human legs. Oh, and zombies are extremely hard to find, as they are dead beings who have been cursed to walk again even though their bodies are decaying or have decayed.”

“That’s nuts,” Duke said. “Are the werewolves you’ve seen like the ones in Twilight?”

“They’re bigger, uglier, and stinkier,” I said. “And a lot more vicious. They can’t control themselves in wolf form. They are totally controlled by the moon, and they can’t control when they change. They also can’t control their actions or thoughts. My father’s dating one. He stays away from the rest of us because when we smell each other’s blood, we go nuts. There’s no stopping us if we want to kill each other.”

“He? Is your dad gay?”

“He’s bi, like me. Many vampires are sexually ambiguous. They don’t care who their sexual partner is. Finding a real relationship is extremely hard because there’s a limited number of matches for each vampire. Some vampires date other species, including humans, Elves, fairies, and so on. I even knew one who married a centaur.”

As Nick Cave started singing “Red Right Hand”, we reached a woman laying on a table with her heart missing. Her heart was under a glass bell jar. I gasped as someone grabbed me around the waist. I turned and saw one of the skeletons grinning at me.

“Very funny,” I said, prying his clothed hands off of me.

“I said, it’ll be hard to scare him,” he said. “So, my friend says that I couldn’t scare you. I tell him he’s on, and now he owes me five bucks.”

“I wasn’t scared,” I lied. He laughed. I shook him off.

As soon as the guys and I reached the end, the terror became real. I was roughly shoved into a metal vault along with Duke and Noah. Noah cursed loudly.

I did a belly flop on the hard cement floor, which hurt like hell. Duke and Noah landed on me, Noah being the first one to scramble to his feet. The door was shut behind us. Noah pushed on the door. I aided him, kicking the door as hard as I could. The door barely dented. I tried again. The door dented again, but hardly budged.

“We’ve tried,” said a voice behind me. I turned around. There was Cole Powers, Amara Ruick, Elliot, Caden Cartwright, and a few other guys who went to our school.

“He dented it, though,” said Dante. “That’s something.”

“Who the hell are these people?” I demanded.

“Martin Luther King students,” said Tiffany Schulton, a gossip and cheerleader. “They think it’s funny.”

“How? We don’t even have a rivalry with them,” I said. No one answered. I turned and kicked the door again. Then I pulled out my cell phone.

“We’ve tried that already,” Caden said. “No one can get a signal.”

I tried to text Father, to no avail. Unable to send. Damn.

Father? I tried mentally to contact him. Father?

Reese? What is it? I was watching you, then everything went blank. What happened?

Some people apparently decided it would be funny to kidnap me and some other people who go to North Hampton High.

Okay, stay put. I will try to locate you.

I’m at North Hampton Haunted House in some kind of vault.

I’ll be there as soon as I can.

“I managed to get a hold of my father,” I said. “He’ll be here as soon as he can.”

They all looked relieved at this.

“Damn, how’d you do that?” Elliot asked. I raised an eyebrow at him.

“Don’t ask questions you don’t want answered.” I enjoyed the look of confusion and fear on his face.

“Not cool!” A shriek pierced my ears as a female was shoved in. It was Sarah. She kicked the door, her heel breaking on contact. “These are my best shoes!” she complained. She turned around, her eyes widening as she took her high heels off. “Okay, my story is that I was looking for my friend Mia, and some asshole skeleton grabbed me and shoved me in here. What’s everyone else’s story?”

“The same thing happened to me, Duke, and Noah,” I said. “Except for looking for the friend part.”

A voice came over. “Welcome to the High School Games. You are all students of North Hampton High School. Each of you has a secret. Each of you must tell the others your secret if you want to leave.”

Sarah stood next to me, tearing up. “I’m scared, Reese.”

“I know, baby. I am, too. I contacted my father. He’ll be here as soon as he can.”

“This is fucked up,” Mason said, speaking up for the first time. “Reese, Sarah and I already know each other’s secrets. Why do we have to tell everyone else?”

“Because we keep each other’s secrets,” I said.

“Some friend you are,” Noah snapped. “I’ve been your best friend for how long? And you turn around and lie to me!”

“Fuck you, Noah. I don’t have to tell you anything!” Mason shouted back. “Who else thinks this is lame?”

Without waiting for an answer, he got up and kicked the door. It didn’t budge.

“Let’s just tell each other something about ourselves,” Caden said. “I’ll start. My father’s name is Puck. Like in A Midsummer Night’s Dream. That’s as much as I’m willing to say. Who’s next?”

“I’ll go,” Sarah said. “My father died from stomach cancer two years ago. My mother is an alcoholic. He was the only one who could control her. When Daddy died, we all kind of went off the deep end. I was raped by Michael Nales. I had his baby. Reese’s mother and stepfather adopted the baby. I get to see him every day, because I live with them. My mother is in rehab.”

Everyone looked surprised and shocked at this revelation.

“I’d heard that Michael hurt you,” Elliot said. “You had a baby?”

“I named the baby Cirino,” Sarah said. “I’m glad I didn’t abort him, but I want that option to be available to every victim.”

“Abortion is evil,” said Clarissa Brawn. “Only Jesus can decide what to do with a fetus.”

“You know what? We all have different opinions,” Sarah said. “It’s deciding which one is fact and which one is the right thing that’s hard. Republicans and Democrats fight all the time over what’s the right thing. Not just them, but every religion, every politician, every party, even us. Most of us want to do the right thing.

“I also didn’t abort Cirino because my grandparents wouldn’t have liked it. My nonna and grandpa are Orthodox Jews.”

“You should have said something,” Dante said. “Patrick was saying all those offensive things about Jews.”

“You’re right, and I wish I had. And I wasn’t the only one who was offended.”

“I’ll go next,” Noah said. He looked at Amara. “Amara, I’m in love with you. I’m sorry it took me this long to figure out, but it’s the truth.”

Amara, surprised, said nothing. But Cole did.

“Dude, do you honestly think that she’s going to you just because you said you liked her? She’s my woman. You had your chance.”

“I know, and I screwed it up. I’m sorry, Amara.”

“I have been in love with Sarah since freshman year,” I said, amid gasps and intakes of breath. “I got together with her last year after I helped her after she was raped by Nales.”

“I love him,” Sarah said, to more gasps. I hugged her and kissed her hair. “He’s my boyfriend.”

“I tried to kill myself several times,” Mason said. “My father or Reese always stopped me before I could go through with it, though.”

“I lost my virginity to a guy,” Dante admitted.

“Dude, so did I,” I told him. “I’m bisexual.”

“Bisexuality is wrong,” Clarissa continued. “You are betraying the opposite sex when you-“

“Hey Clarissa,” Sarah broke in, “It doesn’t bother me one bit. I actually think it’s kind of hot. Honestly, no one expected this to come from you. You’re one of the most goth people in school.”

“I’m not goth,” Clarissa said. “I went to a Christian camp last summer and found Jesus. I realized that I’ve been a sinner all my life.”

“All of us have sinned, even Jesus,” Sarah said. “Did He or did He not say ‘Let he who has never sinned cast the first stone’?”

“He said that,” Clarissa said. “And I thought you were Jewish.”

“I’m half-Jewish,” Sarah corrected. “On my mother’s side.”

“Yet you say your mother drinks like a sailor.”

“She does. She abandoned Judaism earlier this year. She’s now an atheist.”

“She’s going to hell, then.”

“Hey, Clarissa,” I said, “A stab sounds the same in every language. Shut up and leave her alone.”

“It’s okay, Reese,” Sarah said. “I’m used to offensive comments.”

“That doesn’t make it right,” Amara said, speaking up for the first time. “The truth is, I’m also bisexual. I didn’t know or admit it until recently when I realized I was attracted to you, Sarah.”

“A chick, really?” Cole said. “Super lame, Amara.”

“You’re a pug-nosed asshole,” I told him. He stood up and got chest-to-chest with me.

“Want to fight, weirdo?”

“No,” I said. “I don’t want to fight anyone tonight.”

“I’m dying,” Elliot said. We all looked at him. “I’m a compulsive overeater. I gain weight quickly, and it stays. My stomach has actually almost burst because of it. Now I have diabetes and thyroid problems.” He paused. “Also, I’m in love with Sarah. Sarah, you are the kindest, sweetest, most incredible person I’ve ever met. I am completely and totally head over heels for you. The truth is, I’ve been using our study group to spend time with you. I know you have a boyfriend, and I respect that.”

“What about Britt?” Sarah asked.

“The only reason why I’m with Britt at all is because she practically begged me to go to Homecoming with her. Now she clings to me like glue. I was trying to get away from her when I got thrown in here.”

“I claim to be a vegetarian,” Dante said, “But the truth is I eat meat. Mostly pot roast. My dad makes the best pot roast. Also, my sister thinks she’s white. She called herself white sexual. I don’t even know what that means. It’s annoying.”

“My family is rich,” I said. “We’re up there with the Rothchilds and Trump.”

“It’s true,” Sarah said. “I get a part of the family pay.”

“Then why do you go to our school?” Caden asked.

“My father wanted me to be as far removed from his world as possible. Also, I wanted everyone to like me for who I am, not my money.”

“These are all good secrets,” said the voice over the intercom. “Let’s see if we can dig deeper. Reese, who is your father?”

“Mordecai Emerson, son of Eilief Emerson and brother of Soren Emerson,” I replied. “Grandson of Emery, uncle to Louis Emerson, and father to Reese Emerson.”

“He’s a prince, is he not?” said the voice. All eyes went wide as my classmates focused on me.

“Fine, yes, he’s a prince. Not of a country, but of a race. I…am a vampire.”

Some of my classmates laughed nervously, others looked downright scared.

“Did you know?” Elliot asked Sarah. She nodded.

“I did. I’ve known for a while now.”

“Demon!” Clarissa Brawn shouted. “Spawn of the devil!”

“I’m not Satanic,” I said. “I’m actually a believer in the old Norse and Olympian gods and goddesses. And the Christian God, of course.”

“Do you drink blood?” Elliott asked me.

“I do, mostly donated blood. My family has several bloodbanks all around the world. We use that instead of hunting humans,” I half-lied. “My father’s family is from Denmark. My mother is from Greece. She’s three hundred years old. My father is over two thousand years old.”

Sarah slid down onto the floor. I sat beside her, holding her. Elliot got up and sat on her other side. She leaned against him. I bit back jealousy and assumed that he was warmer.

“So, do you turn into a bat?” Dante asked.

“No. I don’t turn into animals at all, actually. Some vampires can shapeshift, but no one in my family can. However, we can communicate telepathically, and my father gets flashes of the present. We also have the ability to hypnotize others.”

“Can I see your fangs?” Caden asked.

I obligingly grew my fangs, amused by my classmates’ shock.

“Have you ever bitten anyone?” Tiffany Schulton asked.

“I have. I turned Evan Byrd into a vampire.”

“Do you have soulmates?” Elliot asked.

“Yes. Sarah is my soulmate. Each person on Earth has two or more potential soulmates, but only one true soulmate. Sarah is mine.”

“And you’re okay with this?” Elliot said to her.

“Well, I can’t say that I won’t miss the sun, but I think I’ve mostly accepted my fate.”

I was happy to hear that.

“Does the sun burn you?” Caden asked.

“Yes. I can only spend a few minutes in the open sun, and then I start to feel nauseous and my skin burns. I can handle cloudiness, but nighttime really is the best time for us. We can see in the dark like a cat. And yes, I sleep, but not in a coffin. In a regular bed.”

“Do all vampires wear black?” Tiffany asked.

“That, like most things, varies with the vampire. I recently met a female vampire who dresses sort of tomboyish. She calls herself a guardian of the Lenape tribe.”

“You didn’t tell me about this,” Sarah said.

“I have no excuse. Her name’s Mitra, and she’s a member of the Lenape. My uncle is taken with her.”

“Are werewolves real?” Dante asked.

“Yes. They’re big, ugly, and stinky.”

The door opened again, and in came Ariella Spears and Damon Sage.

Damon immediately kicked the door, which did nothing.

“Fuck,” he said. He turned around and looked at me. “Oh, it’s you. What are you dorks doing here?”

“Watch it, wolf,” I warned. Ariella looked at me wide-eyed. “They already know. We’ve been telling each other secrets. You already know mine.”

“I’m so tired,” Sarah complained, leaning against me. I kissed her hair.

“Try to sleep. I’ll wake you up when my father gets here.” She held herself and put her head in my lap. I pet her while Ariella and Damon sank against the wall.

It didn’t take long for us to be rescued, though. The door opened, and there stood my uncle, looking surprised.

“You are all free, children,” he said. “The police would like statements from each of you.”

“Damn vampires,” Damon said. “Damn cops.”

Sarah woke up and grabbed her shoes. I carried her out the door.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Several students from Martin Luther King Jr. High School have been charged with kidnapping and imprisonment of several students from North Hampton High School. Each of the students from Martin Luther King claim they only did it as a Halloween prank. The parents of the North Hampton students, however, don’t find it funny. One parent, Mordecai Emerson, had this to say:”

“I’m appalled at the sheer gall of these students. If my son hadn’t gotten a cell phone signal, I would have not known until it was too late. Upset does not even begin to cover my emotions. I’m glad my son and the other children are okay now. I think there needs to be consequences.”

“Mordecai Emerson was not the only parent upset about the incident. The mother of another student said that her daughter was forced to tell the other students her secrets because the only way that they’d escape, they were told, was if they told each other their secrets. One student was only pretending to be a vegetarian. The female student in question had a crush on another female student in the room. One student even claimed to be a vampire.”

“I’m not happy with you,” Grandfather told me for the tenth time.

“For the last time, Father, it was not his fault,” Uncle Soren on my behalf. “He was forced to tell the truth. Somehow, one of the King students found out who Mordecai is.”

“When I find out who did it, I’ll rip his throat out,” Father said for the zillionth time.

“As will I,” Apollo said.

“It was the Other Reese,” I said.

“Even if that was true, how can we know?” asked Louis. “None of the assholes showed their faces. They were all in costume.”

“Can’t you do a facial recognition software thing?” I asked.

“It doesn’t work like that, little buddy. Their faces were just too obscured.”

Father hugged me. “I’m sorry, baby. I’m sorry I wasn’t there sooner.”

“It’s not your fault,” I told him.

“Still, I should have been there. Shit…”

A gorgeous reporter appeared on the TV again.

“A video of what happened in the room has just been released. Here is the video.”

It started when I was shoved into the room with Duke and Noah. It played the whole conversation, including the part where Sarah entered, and including the part when I admitted that I’m a vampire prince.

“The Council is not going to like this,” Father said.

“Council?” I questioned.

“The Council is responsible for the vampire world when all of us are unavailable,” Louis said. “Grandfather is sick right now, and my father and your father are taking care of him. My dad doesn’t think I’m ready, and you’re too young. Those assholes think they run the world.”

“I’m not fond of them, either, but they are a necessity,” Father said.

“This is the first I’m hearing about it,” I said.

“Another piece of your father’s weak attempt to protect you from his world,” Uncle Soren said, folding his arms across his massive chest. Father’s lip twitched, and he gave his older brother a look that said he wanted to kill him. “Your fault, not mine, Mordecai.”

“Go to hell, Soren.”

“Be nice,” I warned him.

“I’ve been faking niceness since before Louis was born. I know how to be nice.”

“Clearly,” Uncle Soren said sarcastically.

“Arm wrestling contest?” Father asked him.

“You’re on.”

“It’s useless, he wins every time,” Louis muttered. Both our fathers ignored him and sat at the dining room table.

Shadowfang sat on my lap and watched the proceeding arm wrestling contest, in which Uncle Soren was once again the victor.

“Is this what vampires do to settle scores besides kill each other?” the big cat asked.

“It must be a vampire thing,” said Mishka. I did a double take. “Yeah, I can talk, too. Get over it. All of us cats can.”

“She’s not lying,” said Frodo.

“How…what…?”

“I can see you’re confused. Come on, you’re a smart guy, for a teenager. You knew we weren’t ordinary cats. Heck, Shadowfang is your familiar.”

“Why can’t he be my familiar?” Louis whined.

“I thought only witches had familiars,” I said.

“Not quite, Reese,” Apollo said, looking amused. “Humans, vampires, witches and warlocks, Elves, aliens all have familiars.”

“Aliens?”

“Don’t act dumb,” Louis said. “Only everyone on Earth has known that aliens exist for thousands of years. I met a pretty Pleiadean once. Damn, she was good in bed. Unfortch, her man had a thing or two to say when he caught us.”

Uncle Soren shook his head at Louis, muttering about whores and how Louis can’t stay away from anything with a vagina.

“Where’s my breakfast?” Shadowfang asked.

“You’ve already had it,” I told him.

“No, I meant my third breakfast of the day. Three breakfasts, two lunches, and three dinners. That’s how it goes.”

“Spoiled cat,” I muttered, grabbing some treats from the side table. “One of these days you’re going to get so big that you’ll be able to mop the floor with your belly.”

“Hey, I may not be as skinny as those cats on the litter commercials, but at least I’m not as fat as, say, Soren.”

“Hey, I’m not fat!”

“The scale begs to differ, brother,” Father teased him.

“Anyway, aliens?” I said.

“Don’t be stupid,” Shadowfang said. “Even I’ve seen them. I saw one at the Night Market when you and Soren went.”

“Huh? You were at the Night Market?”

“Yes. Of course, I could barely keep track of you, and a troll did try to eat me.” He shuddered, his black fur rippling. “How was I to know that you dingbats would nearly get yourselves killed? So I helped out in a few little ways.”

Father looked at him, then shook his head. “Unbelievable.”

“Elves,” Louis said.

“Yes, Elves are real,” I told him.

“No, I mean…do you remember the half-Elf who tried to keep you prisoner last year? Uriah Dreschler?”

“How could I forget?” I said sarcastically. Then something clicked. “Wait, you’re saying that what happened to me then and what happened to me a few days ago are related?”

“That’s exactly what he’s saying,” Shadowfang said. “I gave you too little credit, Louis. You’re not as stupid as you act.”

“How do you know?” I asked.

“What he’s saying makes sense,” Father said.

“Care to enlighten me?” Apollo asked. I gave him a brief description of the half-Elf half-human guy who tried to kidnap me last year.

“That’s also how we met Ethan Potter, who is the family nurse now,” I said.

“Interesting. A vampire working at a hospital. His control must be astounding. I understand the Elf working there, they have a penchant, a need, to nurture and care for others.”

“We have to question Dreschler,” Uncle Soren said. “I think I see the point you’re making, son.”

“I still don’t completely understand,” I said.

“Elves and vampires don’t like each other, little buddy,” Louis said.

“Wait, so you’re saying that Dreschler kept me hostage because he wanted to kill me?”

“Not necessarily. He could have wanted revenge.”

“For what?”

“Anything. Vampires have been killing Elves as long as we’ve been around. Their blood tastes even better than human blood, but the magic in their systems can have adverse effects. Not only that, but they’re more attuned with the planet, themselves, and other beings.”

“Come on, let’s go,” Father said.

“Go? Where?” I asked.

“To the hospital, to talk to Uriah Dreschler,” he said.

“Father, I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but he’s got the entire hospital security behind him.”

“Don’t be a wuss puss, Reese,” Louis said.

“I resent that,” Shadowfang said.

“Cats, bats, rats,” Louis replied.

“I think I remember mentioning that I don’t like rats at all. They’re disgusting little creatures intent on destroying all races.”

“Typical cat gibberish. Anyway, Uncle Mordecai and I will talk to this Dreschler guy. See if we get anywhere. We might bring him back for you, Reese.”

“I don’t think so,” Father growled.

“Dad,” I said, “I need to talk to Uriah. I’m old enough now to handle torture sessions, and I have. I’ve fought warlocks, crazy witches, a ghost, other vampires, and my own family for the past year or so. I can handle it.”

“Well…if you insist. My little boy’s growing up.”

“In Atlantis, boys were considered men at the age of sixteen,” Apollo said. “When I was king of the world, I had men to do my every bidding.”

“Yes, and look where that got you,” Uncle Soren muttered.

“Even a thousand years ago, I would have had all Elves killed if I’d known what was to happen.”

“You killed your wife because she had a sick baby,” Louis reminded him. Apollo frowned at the memory.

“Yes, I made a mistake. That will never happen again.”

“Well, we must go,” Father said. “Reese, stay here until I call you. Soren, if anything happens to Reese, I’ll rip your head off.”

“Such a sweet brother,” Uncle Soren retorted.

Father and Louis left to do their mission, while I sat on the couch and pet Shadowfang.

“Behind the ear…oh…little lower…by the tail…”

“Tell me about yourself, Reese,” Apollo said, sitting beside me.

“Okay, um…I have a girlfriend. Sarah Cresley. She’s a human. You might have met her. She’s a cute little brunette with green eyes and smooth brown skin. She has amazing curves, and she’s so sweet, and smarter than she gives herself credit for. Um, my favorite color is black, it’s pretty much the only color I wear. I really like hard rock, heavy metal, and goth rock. My favorite band and song varies depending on my mood. I like to read. I read almost every day. I like the classics, but I also like horror and thrillers and mystery. My favorite type of blood is type O, and my favorite book right now is David Copperfield. Tomorrow it will probably be something else. My favorite author is Stephen King. I apparently have a sister, but I’ve never met her. I didn’t even know about her until recently. I’m still trying to wrap my head around it.

“My favorite movie also depends on my mood. I like horror and adult animation the best. Movies like Rock and Rule, Heavy Metal 2000, Fire and Ice, Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Child’s Play, Friday the 13th, Nightmare on Elm Street. I also like psych thrillers. I met Alexander about a year ago, when he planned to adopt the baby that my girlfriend was going to have.”

“You have a sister you haven’t met? That’s not as unusual as you might think. And Alexander, adopting a child? Inconceivable.”

“He did it,” Uncle Soren said. “He was lonely because Kieran hasn’t spoken to him in years, and he was looking for another son anyway, so Sarah having Cirino was perfect.”

“He will twist the child’s mind,” Apollo said. “Just like he twisted the minds of his brothers. I did not kill them. He did, with his greed.” Apollo looked sad. “I will not lie, I miss my children every day. But it will be good if I can meet my grandson before I’m snatched from this realm. What is Kieran like?”

“Reese hasn’t met him yet,” Uncle Soren said. “He’s like Alexander in many ways. Stubborn, intelligent, always in a bad mood. But there’s some good in him.”

“There is no good or evil, that is a lie that we have been fed since before the first of us were born.”

“Whatever. Anyway, Kieran is also different. He’s nicer, for one thing. He’s a bit shorter, and less muscular. He’s also…how do I say this…he has a clear idea of what he wants and he’s not afraid to go after it. Last I heard, he was in South America learning about the different native tribes. He also hates Alexander. If we hold a ball, he won’t show up if he knows Alexander will be there. He blames Alexander for the death of his mother, among other things.”

“Have I seen him?” I asked.

“Possibly. He wasn’t at the Holiday Ball last year, but he was there the year before that. His most distinguishing feature is his long hair. It’s longer than Louis’. Longer than mine or your father’s. Almost as long as Toby’s. He has ivory skin and blue eyes. He usually dresses casually.”

“I think I have seen him,” I said, remembering a man from a couple years back that looked how Uncle Soren described him. “But why haven’t I met him?”

“He’s jealous of you, Reese,” Uncle Soren said.

“Me? Why?”

“You were supposed to be Alexander’s son, not Mordecai’s. He didn’t like the fact that Alexander was essentially replacing him, the failed prodigal son.”

“So he doesn’t like me?” I asked, baffled.

“Not particularly. He also feels like Alexander replaced Celine with Marina. Your mother has wholeheartedly accepted him, but he hasn’t accepted her. She’s quite upset about it, actually.”

“Celine,” Apollo said. “Is it possible that my baby was reincarnated?”

“That’s a little gross,” I said.

“It was not unusual even a hundred years ago for people to marry relatives,” Uncle Soren told me. “Get over it.”

“It’s still gross.” Shadowfang meowed and licked my hand. He rolled over on his back, then sat up, sniffing the air. He took off like a rocket, tail slapping me. I stared at him, shaking my head.

 

It was a few hours before Father and Louis came back. Louis had blood on his hands, and he immediately went to the kitchen sink.

“It was messy,” Louis said. “The King of Faeries wants to talk to us. In front of the full Court.”

“Damn,” Apollo said. “You’re in trouble”

“We’ll need Alexander,” Louis continued. Father grumbled under his breath. “I know, Uncle Mordecai, but if the King insists on talking to him again instead of us, we need to be prepared.”

“He’s not even the king or a prince,” Father muttered. “He’s just a huge asshole.”

“I’ll talk to him,” I said. “He likes me more than he likes you.” I quickly dialed my soulfather’s number and put him on speakerphone.

“Hello? Yes, Reese, what is it?”

“The King of the Faeries wants a meeting with us because of some drama that happened. Do you think you can help us?”

“Certainly. Cirino, don’t put that in your mouth! Where is Zie? ZIE!”

“Troubles in paradise?” Father teased.

“I am being a father, something you know nothing about. Son, keep that away…no, Spunk! Bad dog! You could have hurt the baby!”

“Is the baby okay?” I asked.

“Yes. Sarah’s stupid dog jumped up to try to get to his formula. The cur likes baby formula for some odd reason.”

“Well, he’s not very bright.”

We ended the call and I leaned back into my uncle. He ruffled my hair and my cat jumped up onto the table, once again with a dead snake in his mouth.

“Very lovely,” I said sarcastically. Shadowfang dropped the snake and preened himself, looking very pleased.

“How many times do I have to tell you not to bring snakes into my house?!”

CHAPTER SIXTEEN- THE FAERIE COURT/SELENA

I looked at myself in the mirror again. My hair was clean and combed, I smelled nice, and my clothes were clean and pressed. I wore a white button-up shirt with black pants. A belt encircled my hips and my girlfriend, who was next to me, looking stunning in a short red velvet dress and blood-red lipstick. It had been decided that since she was going to be a princess, she needed to be present. Besides, we hoped that her fairy DNA would endear the Fae to us.

It had been discovered that she was part sun fairy, a type of fairy from storybooks and tales. It was most likely on her father’s side, as her mother was an alcoholic and Faeries can’t drink alcohol. They also can’t touch iron, spend too long in isolation, have to count everything, and hate trolls, who like to eat them. Some of them can’t be in the sun or they turn to stone.

Sarah adjusted her curls, which were pinned up, and fixed the strap on her high heel. I ignored the temptation to peek under her dress. She would most likely punch me if I tried. She curled her eyelashes around a pencil one last time, and we were ready.

The drive itself was torture. Sarah kept looking at herself in the mirror, until Mother finally said that yes, she looked beautiful and didn’t need to worry. Mother was coming along partly for Sarah’s protection and partly because she was my mother.

When we reached the gated community that was the North Hampton, New Jersey Faerie Realm, Toby, who was driving, stopped and spoke into a speaker.

“Hello, my name is Toby McCree. I am the personal bodyguard of Prince Reese Mordecai Emerson and a loyal ally of the Emerson Clan. I am driving the Emersons to see King Fowley, who requested their presence.”

The gold gate swung open, letting us in. Immediately, we started to get looks. I saw pairs of eyes everywhere. Sarah clung to me as we moved deeper into Fae territory. She shuddered at the sight of the eyes.

“I’m part of one of these?” she asked.

“Kind of,” I said. “Sun fairies prefer the sun, though, not the moon.”

“It’s okay, Sarah,” Louis said, touching her leg. “Toby’s here. He’ll keep you safe.”

“Oh, and you won’t?” I snapped.

“Of course I will, snippy.”

Father leaned forward. He seemed to be in pain.

“Father?” I questioned. He smiled weakly at me.

We pulled up to a large house. Toby parked and let himself out before opening Sarah’s door and letting her out. I followed behind. I looked up. A gargoyle glared at us. Sarah noticed, and nearly shrieked.

“It’s okay, baby,” I cooed, stroking her arm. “He won’t hurt us. He’s just here for the King’s protection.”

A woman with green skin and branches for hair came out to greet us.

“Come with me,” she said, leading us inside the house. Sarah squeezed my hand, I squeezed back, reassuringly.

The inside of the house was nothing like the inside of a house. It was more like a lightened cave system, with stone walls and a throne in the middle. On the throne was the King of Faeries, Fowley. He had long blond hair and bright green eyes that appraised us, especially Sarah. Faeries like pretty things and people, and Sarah is very pretty. King Fowley wore a green outfit with a checked black vest, a crown of twigs on his head.

People entered from all around us. Satyrs, centaurs, Elves, gargoyles, tree people, petal women, fairies of all kinds.

“All of these are Faeries?” Sarah asked.

“No,” I said. “I have no idea what they’re doing here.”

“Eilief,” said Fowley in an accent, “Your son and grandson has harmed one of ours. Uriah Dreschler.”

“My son has not done anything wrong,” Grandfather said. “He and my grandson were defending one of ours. My other grandson, Reese.” He gestured to me. “And besides, Uriah is only half Elf.”

“Yet you have a human with you,” Fowley said. All eyes turned to Sarah.

“She is part sun fairy on her father’s side,” Grandfather said.

“If that’s true, then why isn’t she with us?”

“Sarah’s lineage has nothing to do with this. We came to defend our actions against one of yours.”

Mother stood behind both me and Sarah, arms around us.

“What exactly did Uriah do to warrant his attack?”

“He kept my grandson hostage twice. Once last year at a hospital, and again two weeks ago. Not just him, either. Sarah as well and some of their classmates. They were forced to tell each other their secrets and stay together in a cold cement room for an hour before they were rescued.”

“Why wasn’t I notified? Or my assistant?”

“We do not need your assistance to defend our own when push comes to shove. We rescued them and then Louis realized that it was Elves who were responsible for it.” All the Elves in the group muttered to each other angrily. “We do not need anything from you.”

“It was not Elves!” shouted a red-haired male. “He’s lying!”

“I assure you, I am not lying, or embellishing. I am telling the complete and total truth. I believed my son and grandsons when they explained their ordeal and how they figured out who it was.”

“Uriah is now in the same hospital where he works with a broken arm and a broken leg,” King Fowley said.

“I take responsibility for that,” Father said, stepping forward. “I was angry with him, so I got revenge for my son. I confess that I would have killed him if my nephew hadn’t held me back.”

More angry muttering.

“That does not fare well for you,” King Fowley said.

“This is why vampires shouldn’t be allowed to exist!” said the red-haired Elf.

“Enough, Marius. If it was indeed Elves who attacked first, then maybe it was justified. However, this does not endear you to us.”

“When have we ever been endeared to you?” Louis piped up. Uncle Soren smacked him on the back of the head.

“Shut up, Louis.”

“There is another issue, however,” King Fowley said. He turned to the green-skinned woman. “Analyze the girl.”

The woman came over to Sarah, tipped her chin up, and looked deep into her eyes. She grabbed a handful of hair and felt her skin. White magic came from her fingertips.

“She’s half sun fairy,” she confirmed.

“Dear one, I know you don’t know any better, but fairies and vampires do not mix,” King Fowley said. He held out his arms. “Come to us.”

Sarah looked at him like he was crazy. Then she spoke up.

“Do you think I’m stupid? I don’t know you; any of you. I know this family and I know Reese. They’ve protected me, my son, and my sister better than anyone else ever has. They’ve shown me love. My boyfriend’s mother loves me more than my real mother does. When my dad died, my mother went back to alcohol. She chose that over us. Marina chose me. She chose to be my mother instead. I have a mother again, and a father, and a boyfriend who loves me more than anything. You’re fucking crazy if you think I’m going to go to you.”

Mouths dropped, not just Faeries, but ours as well. Did Sarah say the F word? Mother was the first to react. She hugged Sarah tightly and looked smugly at King Fowley.

“Mine,” she said.

“Mine,” I corrected, taking her from Mother.

“You just made a very big mistake, girl,” the green-skinned woman growled, stepping forward.

“I’ll take my chances.”

“Three races will be united,” quoted a tree woman. “A princess who will be connected to the races of vampire, Fae, and werewolf will be the One to unite all three races.”

“Utter nonsense,” said Marius. He glared at Sarah. “She’s a traitor. She should die as well.”

“No one is going to die today,” Alexander said, stepping in front of us. “If you want to kill my children, you’ll have to kill me first.”

“Wow, Alexander, that was cliché,” said Father. Grandfather smacked him on the back of the head. “But for once, you’re right. Hurt our children, and you hurt the family. And then we will never be united.”

“We should not risk it,” said a satyr. “They are faster and stronger than all of us.”

“She called them a family,” said a female centaur.

“Because we are,” said Grandfather. “If you attack us, we will fight back. And we will defend our young ones.”

“There will be no fighting today,” said King Fowley. “We will speak to Uriah Dreschler and the Elves again. If there are any more problems, we will contact you.”

“Good riddance,” Louis and Sarah said in unison.

With that, we turned and went back to the car. Sarah slid in first, followed by myself and Mother.

“Assholes,” Sarah muttered.

“That pretty much sums it up,” I said.

“They always are,” Louis said.

“Sarah, I’m so proud of you,” Mother cooed. Sarah beamed. “You defended us and yourself exceptionally well, and you called me your mother and Alexander your father.”

“Because you are,” Sarah said. “You’re my mother, my real mother. You may not have given birth to me, but you love me and treat me like I’m yours. Alexander may be a huge asshole, but he’s like a dad to me sometimes. He could never take the place of my real dad, but he’s just as good.”

Within minutes, my girl was asleep with her head on my shoulder, We reached Mother and Alexander’s house first.

“Sarah, it’s time to get up,” I said softly. Mother picked her up and carried her inside. Suddenly, she hissed and crouched defensively.

“Mom?” Sarah muttered, rubbing her eyes.

“Hush, my little one. And don’t rub your eyes, you’ll get makeup in them.” Sarah stood up and wobbled in her heels. I grabbed her before she fell and hissed at the unknown threat. I heard a sob, then Mother’s eyes went wide.

“SELENA!”

Within moments, a woman with a large belly came into view. She looked almost exactly like Mother. Same wild curly black hair, same crystal blue eyes.

“Mom?” she whimpered. Mother rushed forward and hugged the other woman.

I glanced back. Most of my family was shocked. Louis had his mouth open and Uncle Soren rubbed his eyes.

“I don’t believe it,” Alexander said. “Selena is alive.”

“Impossible,” said Father. “We thought she died in the explosion.”

“I can’t stay,” Selena said. She grimaced and clutched her belly. “He’s coming.”

“Who? Liam? No, I’m not letting you leave!”

Sarah was wide awake now and staring. “That’s your sister?”

“He kept me for years…he’s the father of my baby....”

“Shhh, sweetheart. He won’t get to you. Stay here with us tonight. I will protect you.”

“No, I can’t…too dangerous…oh god, it’s coming!” She fell to her knees.

“Reese, take Sarah inside. Mordecai, let Reese stay here tonight. You can bring his clothes over tomorrow. I have a pair of sweatpants he can borrow to sleep in.” Mother picked up Selena and carried her inside. I carried Sarah.

Once inside, Mother took Selena to the spare room and shut the door. I took Sarah to her room and helped her out of her dress. She took her pills with some water and ignored Spunk, who was jumping up on her.

“Was it fun?” Sabine asked, still fully dressed.

“It’s past your bedtime,” Sarah said.

“Whatever. Where’s Mom?”

“There has been a development. We have a guest,” I informed her. “Don’t be shocked if you hear screaming and crying.”

Alexander came in just as Sarah was taking her bra off.

“Do you mind?!” she snapped at him.

“It’s nothing I haven’t seen before. Here are some of my sweatpants, Reese. You can sleep either in here or with me tonight.”

I undressed and pulled on Alexander’s sweatpants. Sarah pulled on one of my old shirts.

The ocean of tears was getting bigger. Mother was on a raft by herself, sobbing. Selena was on another raft, completely torn apart. I was on a raft with Sarah, but I was hungry, and she was the only source of nutrients around. I couldn’t help myself. I drank her until I felt like my stomach would split open.

We reached the shore of North Hampton, which was odd because North Hampton is an hour away from the nearest beach. Faolan was in werewolf form, the mouth on his stomach grinning, its tongue snaking out and swallowing my sister whole. Then Mother. Then Sarah. And then me. I cried out for Father, but he was already dead.

Faolan changed to his human form. His stomach was swollen with everyone he’d eaten. It was angry and red and full of marks. He moaned as I turned into Little Red Riding Hood. His tongue flicked out and grabbed me by the ankle. I kicked him in the stomach, and he groaned and clutched it. I could see bumps from the people moving inside.

Suddenly, Faolan’s stomach burst open, but he didn’t die. He still moaned in pain, doubled over. Father crawled over to him, tears in his eyes.

“Forgive me, Faolan, please forgive me,” he said, and then he bit Faolan.

The dream changed.

I was floating, Selena beside me, our fingertips barely touching. And then we were in a car, and I was driving, sitting on Mother’s lap. Mother was unconscious, and Selena was in labor. She screamed and cried for hours, and we still didn’t reach our destination.

Our destination was a house in the country, a three-story home with three bedrooms and a basement with a kitchen. A plum tree stood outside, a bean tree on the other side of the yard. Sarah ran out of the house wearing a white dress and heels. She ran forward, then suddenly tripped over the heels and fell down the steps leading to the front door. When I finally reached her, she was dead. Then I turned back to my sister.

Selena had blood pouring out of her. And then I heard a baby’s cry.

I woke up, suddenly aware of what was happening. Sunlight poured in from the window. My head was fuzzy, my sides felt cold, and, embarrassingly, I had a male issue that needed to be attended to.

When I came back from my cold shower, Sarah was also waking up. She had major raccoon eye going, and her lipstick was smeared on her cheek. I took a tissue and cleaned her as best I could. The rest she would have to wash off with face wash or makeup remover.

She suddenly snorted, sitting up. Her hair was tangled in the back, and she looked exhausted. She got up and grabbed a pair of underwear from her dresser, rubbed my chest, and went in to take a shower.

I went into the room where Mother took Selena. I knocked first.

“Come in.” I opened the door, only to be met with a grisly sight. There was blood everywhere. Selena was naked and crying, Mother holding a baby in her arms.

“I’m so sorry,” Mother said. “She’s a stillborn. She likely died just before you went into labor.”

Damn. A stillborn. Mother looked at me.

“Reese, you would have been an uncle if the babe had lived.” Selena’s sobs became more pronounced.

“Mom, why? Why did she have to die?” I asked.

“I’m sorry. She would not have lived long anyway. Vampires and half-wolves are not meant to mate. She died from her confused DNA. Should her heart beat or not? Unfortunately, her heart just gave out.”

I felt like crying. I had a niece, and then lost her.

Sarah cried just as hard when she heard the news. We buried the baby in the yard, in a small casket that Alexander bought. We prayed for her tiny soul. It was a tense meeting between Alexander and Selena, since he had believed that she was dead. It was even more tense between Selena and Sarah and Sabine. When Selena met Cirino, she burst into tears and ran from the room.

I was sure that Liam Wolfheart would arrive soon. He was obsessed with my sister. I was sure of something else. My sister had gone off the deep end, at least according to Mother.

Selena stayed in bed most of the time, only eating bagged blood and barely moving.

“Hello,” I said one day, coming in to see her.”

“So, you’re my little brother,” she said, looking at me. “Your father is Mordecai.”

“And you’re my sister,” I said. “I’ve always wanted a sister.”

“I’ve never known you,” she said. “You’ve never known me until now. I was kept locked up for years by Wolfheart. My daughter was his baby. She was my everything.”

“I’m so sorry,” I said. I was. I had a niece, and then lost her. She had a daughter and lost her. I wouldn’t even be able to imagine the pain she was going through. If she had been my daughter, or if Cirino my son, I might be able to.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I was walking by myself, trying to find clues. I didn’t know to what, just clues. To Other Reese, or Torrance, or Liam Wolfheart. I didn’t know what I was looking for. I tried to find the building that Other Reese had kept me in, but he’d burned the room he kept me in. There was nothing left, not a trace.

I marked my territory by spreading my scent around and rubbing my back into the ground. I probably looked like a dog, but it was necessary. I needed to make sure that none of my enemies would be able to go too far close to my family or my girl and her family. I talked to Other Mordecai and got some information on my adversary.

He and Other Alexander had gotten into a bad fight. Like, punching holes through the wall, trying to kill each other kind of fight. That’s when Other Reese disappeared and came to our universe. He was bent on taking over my life, but he screwed up. He let himself be discovered by my family. They knew better now.

Besides, he had a scar now that Louis had given him.

Torrance was also from the other universe where he came from. He was a killer-for-hire, hired to kill yours truly. When Other Reese screwed up, Torrance had also been caught. Now they were both hiding, and we had no idea where. Not even Other Mordecai. Other Reese hadn’t taken his cell phone with him, so we couldn’t track him that way. The only other option was to wait and see what they did next. That could take weeks, or even months.

Fortunately, it didn’t even take days. Torrance came to us. A female in Bartimus’ coven came to us and reported that she’d seen a red-eyed long-haired male nearby.

We went, myself, Louis, Father, Uncle Soren, Grandfather, Other Mordecai, Bartimus, and Apollo. We saw him come through the trees on the other side of the road, looking thinner than usual and tired.

“I surrender,” he said, holding up his hands. Uncle Soren and Apollo grabbed his arms.

“Where is my son?” Other Mordecai asked.

“I swear, I do not know. He left me and told me I was fired.”

The older men didn’t believe that, but Louis and I did.

“I’m so sorry,” Other Mordecai said later. He continually rubbed his belly, which had grown a bit since he’d come here. “Oh gods, it’s all my fault. I drove him to this.” He burst into tears and wiped at his eyes. “I’m sorry. This is just overwhelming. I had no idea he was capable of this. And with me being separated from my mate with a baby on the way…”

“Who is your mate?” Louis asked, grinning at Father.

“Alexander. Our marriage was technically arranged, but over time, we fell in love. But I’m beginning to see a side of him that I don’t like. It’s abusive. If I’d been a better father, if I had just watched out for my son…”

“I tried that, and my son is a womanizer,” Uncle Soren said. “He can’t get within ten feet of a pair of breasts without wanting to do naughty things with them.”

“That sounded so wrong coming from your mouth,” I told him.

“I think I’m gonna puke,” Louis said, looking green.

“Boys, get over it. You’re going to hear a lot of things that you won’t like.”

“I just miss both of them,” Other Mordecai said. That tore at my heart. I sidled up next to him and nudged him with my head. He smiled at me and ruffled my hair. “You raised a good boy, Mordecai.”

“I know. He’s mine. In other words, you can’t have him.”

“I don’t want him. I want my own Reese.”

I looked at Uncle Soren.

“Your father’s instincts are telling him to separate the two of you. Other Mordecai doesn’t have his Reese with him, so your father’s instincts are telling them that he’s trying to take you away from him.”

“I would never do that,” said Other Mordecai, looking surprised. “I came here for my own Reese, not this one.”

Father grabbed me and hissed at him.

“Mordecai, that’s enough,” Uncle Soren said. “I know your paternal instincts are kicking in right now due to all the threats. So are mine. If another Soren was here, I’d feel the same way, but I wouldn’t rip his throat out just because he talked to Louis or Reese.”

“I’m not you though, am I?”

“You’re acting ridiculous. Almost childish.”

“Soren, I swear to Odin, I will tear your intestines out of your stomach and use them as guitar strings.”

I shuddered and looked at him with wide eyes. He looked at me. His orange eyes slowly turned back to yellow and he sighed deeply.

“My apologies for frightening you, my son,” he said.

“I will never play a guitar again,” I said.

“How long do you think that’ll last?” Louis asked, grinning. “A week? Not even two weeks? He can’t even go two days without picking up a guitar or playing the piano.”

“I’m sorry, sweet one,” Father repeated. “I apologize to you as well, Mordecai. I don’t know what came over me.”

“No apology to me?” Uncle Soren grumbled. Father frowned at him.

“Be nice,” I warned him.

“Fine. I’m sorry I threatened to do what I’ve wanted to do for hundreds of years, Soren.”

“Father, be nice,” I said again.

“He’s never been nice to me. No, I take that back. He was nice to me in his younger years. Up until about the time I married Alga.”

“Oooh, a fight,” said Frodo. The grey cat jumped up onto the table. “Can I watch?”

Other Mordecai stared.

“We also have several talking cats,” I explained.

“That’s odd.”

I absentmindedly noticed two crows outside. Strange.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

When I saw Eric Martin and Faolan growling at each other in our yard after school the next Monday, I was only partly surprised.

“What happened?” I asked Father, who stood behind Faolan.

“You remember Bartimaeus’ clan, right? A couple of them ventured onto werewolf territory.”

“Damn. That’s not good.”

“No, not at all. I’m trying to help Faolan convince Eric that we had nothing to do with it.”

“Why does he think Faolan’s involved?”

“Because he’s aligned himself with vampires. The top vampires.”

“Shut up, ticks,” Eric growled. “If you go onto my territory again, I will kill the next leech who comes along.”

“That will do no good, Eric,” Faolan said. “Most of them are ignorant about territories and laws.”

“It turns out that Bartimaeus has been portraying himself as a king,” Father explained. “Your grandfather and uncle aren’t too happy about that, and I can say that I’m not, either.”

“Why did he come onto our land?”

“Most vampires are ignorant of our American territories. I kept this place a secret for a reason. Somehow, Bartimaeus found out where we live and decided to pretend to be our friend, then attack us.”

“What is this, middle school?”

Father smiled at me. “Unfortunately, Reese, most vampires who are bitten are frozen in time. Their minds are as mature as they were when they were human. Bartimaeus was bitten in his late twenties. A lot of men are still immature at that age. I don’t know what he was thinking. If he’d tried it with the Council, they would have seen it sooner, but both you and Father want to see the best in everyone. It’s not a compliment.”

I cursed aloud.

“I agree. I suggest a meeting of the pack and the vampires in the woods.”

“A splendid idea, Mordecai,” Grandfather said behind me. I literally jumped four feet in the air. “Sorry, Reese. Eric, do you agree?”

“Fine,” the wolf said, growling. “I can see I’m going to be outvoted.”

“Should have brought more wolves, dickhead,” Louis said. “I swear, wolves are becoming stupider by the generation.”

“You’re one to talk about stupidity,” Eric told him. Louis frowned. He would never admit it, but Eric had one on him there.

“More entitled,” Faolan rumbled.

“Oh, and what are you, old man? The middle-aged soccer mom?”

Faolan threw a fist at him, but Father caught it. “Not now, Faolan. Later.” Faolan grumbled.

“Go inside, Reese,” Father continued. “Take a shower and put on a shirt. You’ve been at school all day, surrounded by humans, and the last thing we want is the scent of humans at this meeting tonight.”

“Who says it has to be tonight?” Eric smirked. “We can wait until tomorrow.”

“Fine-tomorrow. But no later than that. Understood, wolf?”

“Understood, tick.”

The next day after school was over, I headed for the shower immediately. I used my Axe body wash and even spritzed myself with cologne. I debated whether or not to wear a black button-up or a white button-up. I decided on the black one. I would be less noticeable if it turned into a fight.

Night really is the best time for vampires and werewolves, so we waited until dark.

When I stepped into the clearing, I was shocked to see Mother and Alexander, and even Mitra, who was sitting on the ground cross-legged and blowing grass whistles. The self-proclaimed guardian of the Lenape tribe was singing Melanie Martinez under her breath between whistles.

“I’m losing patience, Eilief,” Alexander said to Grandfather.

“Sorry, Alexander, but that’s not my fault,” Grandfather said. “You’re the one who decided to arrive early.”

Mother sat on the ground beside Mitra. “Sarah wanted to come, but I told her no. It would be too dangerous if one of them got a whiff of her and decided to make a meal of her.”

“I’m glad you said that,” I said.

“She’s sulking, but she will get over it. I’m more worried about Sabine at the moment. She’s been acting strangely. Secretive and moody.”

“Like all teenagers?” Uncle Soren said, grinning. “I’ve met countless adolescent crotch goblins, Marina. They’re all like that, trust me.”

Mitra sighed loudly and uncrossed her legs.

“Hello, Mitra,” Uncle Soren said, sounding hopeful. She turned her head toward him and nodded in his direction. I would have laughed, except that my uncle looked truly hurt. Once again, he was moving too fast. She had zero to very little interest in him, and he had already fallen hard for her.

Bartimaeus’ coven showed up next. Bartimaeus and my uncle frowned at each other. The coven sat on the other side of the small clearing. They looked at our side curiously.

“This is Alexander, Marina, and Mitra,” Uncle Soren said, gesturing to each of them. “And you all know Reese.”

Mitra and Alexander glared at the other side, who shifted around. I realized I didn’t know any of their names except for Bartimaeus, until:

“Hello, Mitra. My name is Romeo,” said a male with long dark hair and a scarred face.

“’Sup?” Mitra responded.

“I have not seen you around.”

“I live on the Lenape reservation.” She left out that she lived with humans, her human descendants.

“Interesting. You are Native American, yes? I am from England.”

Mitra stretched her legs and stared at him. I saw a flicker of interest from her. Romeo was quite handsome, his scars interesting. Mitra looked at her watch.

“I told my friend Ellis to show up. He should be here by now. He’s bringing the silver bullets.”

“Mitra, we’re not killing the wolves,” I told her.

“I know, I know, this is just in case. Don’t get your panties in a twist.” I thought I saw a flash of fear when she mentioned the silver bullets and when I mentioned the wolves. I wondered if she’d had a run-in with one or a pack.

Before long, a vampire male with long hair and a goatee appeared, holding a rifle.

“You know I can’t shoot,” he told Mitra.

“For God’s sake, Ellis. You’re more of a girl than I am. Just aim it in the right direction and pulled the damn trigger!”

“Okay, Miss Bad Attitude.” Mitra winced and glanced at Romeo. Uncle Soren noticed, and he snarled.

Father and Grandfather came into the clearing, followed closely by Eric and the rest of the wolves. Immediately, all the vampires prepared for a fight.

“Get over it, leeches,” Eric said, glaring at everyone.

“Watch it,” I warned him. He glared at me.

“Well, if it isn’t the fairy-loving tick. This tick has a fairy girlfriend, you know.”

“You loved her too!”

“Loved her? Hell, no. I just wanted a piece of her hot ass. How tight was it?”

I had him by the throat in a matter of seconds. “Talk about her like that again, and I rip your throat out.”

“Let him down, Reese,” Father said. “This goes to everyone: no insults. Don’t even think them. We don’t want a fight tonight.”

“Not all of us want peace,” Louis said, frowning at Eric.

“Eric is an arrogant berk. Ignore him. Reese, don’t fight with him. Eric, don’t mention Sarah again.”

“A fairy?” Bartimaeus asked.

“Half-human. She has not yet been turned for personal and medical reasons. She is to receive the same respect as any other princess. If she doesn’t, I will know why.”

My thoughts turned to my sweet mate. I ached for her affection at the moment. I ached to protect her from the likes of Eric Martin and Bartimaeus. I would kill anyone who so much as looked at her the wrong way.

And I had.

Grandfather stepped into the clearing. “Now that that is settled, we have several issues to discuss. First of all, Bartimaeus is not the king of the vampires. I am. My name is King Eilief, son of Emery, cousin of Ambrogio Nicolai, the first vampire.”

Muttering broke out in the clan. Grandfather continued.

“Soren and Mordecai are my sons, and Louis and Reese are their sons. I am their grandfather. Normally, we reside in Denmark, but we are in America for personal reasons which I will not discuss. Bartimaeus, my sons and I have discussed your punishment. You will not be imprisoned, but rather, given a warning. We normally do not give out warnings such as these; however, these are exceptional circumstances, as we don’t believe your coven can survive without some form of leadership. Some of them are still very young and do not understand our world.

“My sons and I have decided on something. The coven will not be separated from each other, but will be given a new leader, which we will elect based on experience. Therefore, you will all be sent to Denmark in a private plane. There, you will be taken to one of our guest castles. You will be sent a temporary leader by the name of Bornac. He is a friend of mine. He will help you elect a new leader, and you will be taught all about our world and educated. You leave this Sunday.”

“Who says we’re leaving?” Bartimaeus said.

“Watch it, boy,” Uncle Soren snarled. “I am ten thousand years old. I am among the very few who still remember woolly mammoths and saber-tooth cats. I was able to take down a bull mammoth when I was sixteen. I was able to carry him to a human tribe who were desperate for food. I was one of the few creatures who helped the humans learn how to speak. They called me a god, a deity. I can crush your skull in a matter of nanoseconds. So watch how you speak to my father.”

He glanced at Mitra, possibly hoping she’d be impressed. She did look impressed, but only for a few seconds. Everyone else stared at my uncle in amazement.

“You are not to tell anyone where we reside over in this country,” Father said. “Give Bornac your names, and he will have IDs made for you.”

“Why are the wolves here?” I asked.

“To give them some information and a warning,” Father said. He turned to them. “There are vampires around who look like us, but are not us. The only one I believe you need to worry about is the one who looks like Reese. He’s trying to kill him.” He shuddered and pulled me close. “Leave everyone else alone.”

“Why are all the wolves here?” Mother asked.

“Because I don’t trust Eric,” Father replied.

“Too bad, so sad,” Louis chanted. Eric frowned at him.

“What makes you think I’d lie to my pack?”

“We are not your pack,” said a wolf. I recognized him as Justin Goode.

“What?” Eric said, shocked.

“You insult our women, have indeed lied to us, and intend to marry off one of our daughters. You cause needless fights. You just insulted the mate of a vampire, degrading her. We seek an alliance with the vampires. I vote for a new leader.”

The rest of the wolves were nodding along and agreeing.

“Who else votes for a new leader?” Eric asked. Hands shot up. More than half the wolves voted for a new leader.

“Fine, I’ll step down,” Eric said. “Just kidding!” he taunted. “I’m the leader, and you pansies need to get over it.”

“I challenge you, Eric Martin,” Faolan spoke up.

“Again? I’ll kick your ass again, old dog!”

“Faolan,” Father hissed. “Please don’t. Remember, your curse….”

“I’ll be fine, Mordecai,” Faolan said. “I have age as my advantage.”

“Please, Faolan,” Father pleaded. “Don’t do this. If I lost you, I don’t know what I’d do!”

“You’re going to lose, old man,” Eric said. He started taking his clothes off, and so did Faolan.

“Faolan, I’m begging you,” Father said. He grasped Faolan’s shoulders. “You don’t have to do this. I’m begging you, please, don’t do this.”

“The pack needs a leader,” Faolan said. “They need me. Eric, I accept your challenge.”

“Thank you, old man,” Eric grinned. He stripped completely, taking his boxers off. So did Faolan. Mitra covered her eyes, and Alexander covered Mother’s. Father tried to cover mine, but I nipped at his hand.

Fur sprouted on both alpha males. Their noses grew into snouts, their ears became pointed and hairy. They both grew, standing on bent legs that were both human and wolf. Weighing a thousand pounds each, the wolves faced each other, their yellow eyes glaring. The mouth started to appear on Faolan’s stomach.

“The darkness is rising,” Uncle Soren said.

“I don’t understand his curse,” I said.

“Faolan has another soul inside of him, one that isn’t his,” Father said.

“Another soul? You’re saying that Faolan has a soul that isn’t his?”

“Faolan sold his own soul many years ago,” Father explained, his voice cracking. “To save mine. And then the demon that took his soul gave him another, the soul of a bloodthirsty draugr.”

“A draugr is basically a zombie vampire,” Louis explained. “There comes a time, in a vampire’s life, when he has lost all feeling and becomes cold and indifferent. If there is no intervention, his soul begins to die. A vampire with a dead soul is a draugr.” He glanced at Alexander as he explained this.

“So Faolan has a dead soul inside him?” I said, as Faolan bit Eric’s leg. Eric retaliated with a swipe across the cheek. Father pushed me out of the way as Eric shoved Faolan back, almost landing on me.

“Watch it!” Father cried. “My son is right here!”

“Father, do something!”

“I can’t, Reese. He’s too far gone. The only thing we can do now is pray to the gods.”

“Gods?” Mitra said.

“We’re Asatru,” Uncle Soren explained to her. “We believe in the Norse gods.”

Faolan took a swipe at Eric, who kicked the mouth in Faolan’s stomach. It grabbed his leg and sucked him in slowly. Eric kept fighting, but the mouth pulled him in.

“That wasn’t a very good fight,” Louis complained.

“It’s not over yet,” I said, as Eric pulled free, his leg bloodied. His teeth clamped down on Faolan’s neck. Faolan whined and fought to get free. Father stepped forward, but I grabbed his arm and held him back. Eric kept his teeth on Faolan. Suddenly, a tongue whipped out and grabbed Eric around the middle. It dragged him between its lips, making disgusting noises.

Eric went in headfirst. I remembered my dream where Faolan burst open. Father looked at me, horrified, and I realized he’d seen my memory. Father jumped in, despite our protests, and grabbed Eric by the tail, pulling him out. The mouth continued to slurp, finally decided to let Eric go. Eric flew back and landed on Father.

The tongue grabbed Father around the middle and pulled him inside Faolan’s stomach in seconds.

“No! My son!” Grandfather cried. The mouth just smiled and chuckled. Then it turned its attention to me. I backed away, suddenly grabbed by Alexander, who took me by the shirt and held me back, glaring. Mother was standing up as well, crouched defensively.

“I lost my daughter once,” she snarled. “You can’t take my son!”

The mouth snarled at the same time it grinned.

“Vampire,” it hissed. “You are the son of the man who would have destroyed me. You will die as well.”

The tongue grabbed my leg, I was dragged along on my belly to the gaping mouth. Alexander grabbed my arms, Mother grabbed me around the ribs. While I was looking at Mother, I noticed Selena standing off a ways. Before long, though, she jumped into the fray and wrapped her arms around my middle.

“You’re supposed to be in bed!” Mother cried.

“I had to see what was going on!” Selena responded.

“Did you leave them alone?!”

“No, Zie’s there!”

Selena tightened her grip around me, then shoved her foot into the teeth. It clamped on her foot, and she fought to free it.

“Fuck it!” Uncle Soren and Mitra shouted in unison, rushing in to help. Mitra and Uncle Soren grabbed my legs, while Louis grabbed Faolan in a chokehold.

“Spit them out, fat ass!” he yelled. “Faolan, take control! I know it’s hard, but you’ve got to take control! You just ate Mordecai! He’s inside you, and not in the way you like! Spit them out right now!”

Faolan continued to whine as Eric made his move. He bit Faolan’s other arm, and Grandfather pulled him off.

“That’s cheating!” Justin shouted. The wolves assented. “What do we want, an out-of-control monster, or a total asshole for a leader?!”

“Neither!” some of the wolves shouted back.

I kicked the teeth, and it finally let go of my sister, but was still dragging me in.

Father burst out of the mouth, sending some of the teeth flying. He was covered in blood and other fluids that smelled terrible.

“I don’t want to kill you, Faolan!” Louis told him. Finally, the mouth let go of me, sending my entire family flying back except for Louis, who still had Faolan in his grip. Finally, the mouth, panting, disappeared, and Faolan turned back into a man.

He panted, laying on his hands and knees, covered in blood and dirt. The wolves turned and left, and so did Bartimaeus’ clan, except for Romeo.

“Intense,” Mitra said.

“My sweet, are you hurt?” Romeo asked.

“Nah, I’m fine. I’ve never seen that, though.”

“Nor I, but you are safe, and that’s all that matters.”

“Thanks for the help, asshole!” Mitra shouted to Ellis.

I collapsed in Alexander’s arms, tired and filthy and stinking.

“So tired,” I said.

“Then sleep,” Alexander said. “We will take you to our house.”

“Faolan?” Father asked, kneeling beside his lover. Faolan was crying silently, eyes staring and open and mouth parted a little. He stayed on the ground.

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN – AFTERMATH

I was bathed and in bed hours later. We did indeed go to the Santorino/Nicolai home, where I was washed and nurtured and fussed over by Mother and Sarah. Sarah was horrified when she saw my injuries, but I convinced her that I’d had worse, which I had. We watched several Disney movies together, and Sarah cried at the end of The Fox and the Hound.

Then we watched a couple of horror movies, in which Sarah stared fixedly and occasionally buried her face in my shoulder. She also cried at the end of Van Helsing.

Now, I was in bed, clothed and resting, trying to sleep. Faolan was in Father’s room with him. I could hear Faolan both raging and sobbing. He raged about his lack of control, his curse, and his appetite. He talked about killing himself, in which Father begged him not to.

Alexander came into my room around four in the morning, and snuggled in with me. He said that nearly losing me made him realize how much he loved me and how much I truly meant to him. He didn’t know how to be a soulfather, but he was beginning to realize that it was a lot like being a real father.

My father’s hate of Alexander would only increase as more days passed slowly. Bartimaeus’ clan left for Denmark, Other Mordecai was nowhere to be seen, and Sarah worked whenever she wasn’t studying or in school. She had found another job as a waitress, deciding her own hours and making more money than ever in addition to the family payroll. I was somewhat worried, even though she was going to therapy and no longer throwing up on purpose, although there were times when Sabine reported that Sarah ate so much that she threw up.

I was worried about her. She was becoming obsessed with making money. She had been part of a thief ring with the Beautifuls. She was one of the best thieves, but she felt the most guilty. The rest of them thought that it was no big deal because they weren’t stealing from small owners, but from chain stores.

Mostly makeup and clothes, but also books, electronics, movies, music, and food.

We had in common that we had both broken the law, with my crimes more serious than hers, but I felt less guilty about mine, because Michael Nales was a rapist and a creep. And now I was seeing his ghost everywhere.

I stared at the ghost as he glared at me.

“You killed me,” he hissed. “You will suffer.” Then he grinned like the Cheshire Cat.

Was I afraid? Absolutely? Was I terrified beyond all belief? No. If I was, I’d have screamed my head off, but I didn’t. Instead, I said, “Hello, Michael.”

“You killed me,” he repeated. “I will get revenge.”

“You raped Sarah! You got her pregnant!”

“He should have been mine. He belongs to my parents now.”

“Ah, no. That’s not how it works.”

He continued to grin, and then disappeared.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Several problems arose a few days later. I noticed a police car in front of my father’s house, and was confronted by Emma Greene and Suzanne Moon, two of the officers that worked on Sarah’s case.

“Hello, Reese,” Emma said. “Can you tell us how Michael Nales died?”

Uncle Soren shook his head a fraction.

“Sorry, I can’t. No idea.”

“Really? You’re not aware of any plot to kill him?”

“No.”

“It’s been almost a year, Reese, and a boy is dead.”

“I can’t say I was sorry to see him go.”

“Yes, because of your crush on Sarah.”

“Sarah and I are soulmates. We’re meant to be.”

“Some DNA samples came back from Michael Nales’ body. It was clear that he did in fact rape Sarah and fathered the baby, however, no one knows who killed him until today.”

“Are you accusing my son of something?” Father said. “If you are not, then leave.”

“Reese,” Suzanne spoke up, “Did you plan to kill Michael Nales?”

“No,” I said, a bit too harshly.”

“You still have no idea why he’s dead?”

“The reports said his body was drained of blood and his heart was missing.” I had, in fact, drained his heart of its blood and burned it.

“We know for a fact that you’re vampires,” Emma Greene said. I stared at her.

“That’s nothing new,” Uncle Soren said. “It’s no longer illegal for humans to know about us, at least in the vampire world. The human world is a different story. Last year, someone called me and thought that I would give him a big sum of money to keep his mouth shut about me. I basically told him that he was wasting his time, that I was well-known throughout the world anyway, even among the non-supernatural. He had only made a fool of himself. Now, if that’s all, you are welcome to leave.”

“We will get the truth,” Suzanne said firmly. The redhead glared at me. “No matter the cost.”

“How frighteningly cliché,” Louis said sarcastically.

“I will contact your superiors and inform him that you have threatened my son,” Father said. “You have no cause to accuse or arrest any of us, and you know it. Now leave. Last warning.”

Emma Greene and Suzanne Moon stood up headed toward the door. They almost ran into Mitra on the driveway, who was hurrying up the steps.

“I was hoping you come to see me,” Uncle Soren purred.

“I didn’t come to see you, old man. I came to see Eilief.”

“And what did you want with me?” Grandfather asked.

“To discuss territory issues.”

“Ah. I will be with you in a moment.”

As soon as he left, I freaked out.

“Oh gods,” I said. “They’re going to arrest either me or Father. I can’t let Sarah see me in handcuffs. It’s my- “

“Hey!” Uncle Soren grasped me and turned me to face him. “Look at me. Focus on me. Don’t look at him! Look at me. Focus, concentrate. Take a deep breath. Smell the air and the grass and the earth. Smell the cats, smell me. Relax. Retract your fangs.”

I relaxed and retracted my extended fangs. Father growled and moved me behind him.

“Mordecai, don’t be stupid. I’m not going to take him from you. I know- “

“MINE!”

“For Odin’s sake, I know, Mordecai! I know, I remember tearing your arms off when Louis was a baby. I reattached your arms myself.”

“Vampires are exceptionally territorial,” Shadowfang said to Frodo. “They’re almost like cats. Some of them even look like cats. I wonder if we’re related?”

“Father,” I squeaked. I was too anxious, too stressed.

“Hush, son,” he said, petting my hair.

“I can’t breathe!”

“You don’t need to breathe, remember!”

“I have to…I have to go…”

I started off, but Father grabbed me around the waist. I kicked and squirmed. He buried his nose in my hair, purring. His purrs soothed me. He turned my head so I was looking directly into his eyes.

“Focus on me. Regulate your breathing. You are colder than normal. Are you getting dizzy? Faint?”

I kicked him in the crotch. He doubled over, cursing.

“I think you broke it!”

I was already halfway across the room. Louis pounced on me and held me down.

“Take a chill pill, little buddy,” he said. I hissed and panted heavily.

“I’m calling Ethan,” Uncle Soren said. “I have a theory, but I hope I’m wrong.”

“Your theories are usually wrong.”

“Shut up, Louis.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“He still has porphyria,” Ethan said. He had finished analyzing the blood sample that had been forcibly taken from me. I had to be held down by my cousin, father, and uncle, according to them. I had blacked out during this time.

“What does a real vampire need with porphyria?” Louis asked. “He actually needs blood to survive.”

“Mostly in real vampires, it causes panic attacks and hallucinations,” Ethan explained. He ran a hand through his short brown hair. “I don’t know if there’s anything I can do. The best thing you can do is keep him calm and relaxed. He needs constant vigilance so he doesn’t, well, freak out.”

“So the cure didn’t work,” Uncle Soren said, rubbing his face. “I had been so sure…”

I was pacing the living room on all fours, my fangs extended and my eyes orange, according to Louis. I hissed at random objects and silently complained about being in a confined space. The room was too small. I needed to be outside. I needed air, and grass, and rain. No, not rain. Too wet.

I smelled blood, but it wasn’t human blood, it was cat blood. I didn’t like animal blood. It tastes like armpit. I needed a break. I needed to be outside, but my family and the vampire nurse refused to let me roam.

“Can I at least take him to the pool area?” Father asked, studying me worriedly.

“Not a good idea. He’ll abhor any kind of wetness or moisture, except blood. Your best bet would be to bring a human to him to eat.”

“I can’t…we’ve killed too many. People are starting to notice a pattern.”

“Daddy, I’m hungry,” I hissed. “So hungry…”

“Drink from me,” Father said, offering his arm. I looked at him. Ethan and Uncle Soren stared at him in shock. Louis pretended not to notice, as he was brushing Shadowfang.

Father bit into his wrist, and everything went red.

The next thing I remembered was waking up in bed. I was clean and dressed in a shirt and pajama pants. I was fang-free and oddly calm.

Father!

I sat up and flitted into his bedroom. Faolan was laying beside him, rubbing his chest. Faolan glared at me.

“What did I do?” I asked.

“You nearly killed him. You went crazy. You drained him dry. Soren had to offer himself instead.”

“Did I really drain him completely?”

“Almost. He had half a pint of blood left when you were pulled off of him.”

I knew that the only reason why I wasn’t getting murdered on the spot was because my family would kill Faolan, and that would devastate Father. Faolan whimpered, burying his nose in Father’s neck. I whined and crawled in next to Father. Faolan growled at me, and I growled back.

“He was mine first,” Faolan said firmly.

“He’s my father,” I told him. “I’m sorry, Father. I didn’t mean to do this.”

I know you didn’t, Reese.

You can hear me?!

Yes, I can, but I’m too exhausted to even open my eyes. I can’t sleep, though, because the leftover blood is keeping me awake. Faolan, I’m all right.

A pause.

It’s not his fault, Faolan. He had no control over it. Don’t blame him.

I curled up and sniffed. I laid my head on my father’s chest.

I’m so sorry.

Shh, it’s okay. Like I said, it wasn’t your fault.

Still, I’m-

Shhh. No more talking. I’ll live. Faolan is just angry-he’ll get over it. I will survive. You’re what’s important.

I went down to the basement and sat on the piano bench. I pressed a few keys. A tune formed in my mind, and I played that tune over and over again. I realized I was playing “Show Me What I’m Looking For” by the Carolina Liars, which is one of Sarah’s favorite songs. I needed to see her, but what if I hurt her? I wouldn’t be able to forgive myself. I still hadn’t forgiven myself for hurting her in the past. Learning to forgive others came easier to me than forgiving myself.

Unless they hurt my family or my girlfriend.

I hadn’t seen Cirino or Sabine in a while, and that pushed me out of the basement and into my Toyota. I missed my Chevrolet Astro.

Sarah was in the yard, jumping rope. She stopped when she saw me pull up.

“What are you doing?” I asked.

“Exercising,” she replied matter-of-factly.

“Have you eaten today?” She didn’t answer. “Uh-huh. I’ll fix you something.”

She looked thinner than usual, and I could hear her stomach growling, which she knew. I adored Sarah’s figure, but no so much that I wanted her to suffer from bulimia. She took her braid down and let her curls flow loosely. She retied it into a high ponytail and went to Cirino, who was in his bassinet. He glared at me, his green eyes sparkling. Blond tufts of hair peeked out from the top of his head.

“Is he talking yet?” I asked.

“No, he mostly burps and coughs still. He probably won’t start babbling until he’s six months old.”

She smoothed back her son’s hair. I stared at him. I hate myself for this, but it was hard to like Cirino at times, even though none of what she went through was his fault. I knew that. But sometimes children are blamed for their parents’ actions. It’s not kind, or true, but it’s a fact of life. But I am in no way defending myself for not liking him. I tried to like him. He was sweet and quiet. But as I looked at the top of his hair, I became angry. His hair came from Nales.

If he’d been mine, it would be black or dark brown. Sarah’s hair was medium brown with flecks of blond in it.

“Hey, little guy,” I said. He passed gas. “Where are the dogs?” I asked, noticing that Spunk wasn’t jumping on me and trying to lick my face and Coffee wasn’t barking at me from a distance.

Sarah’s shoulders slumped. “Coffee was attacked by what we think was a coyote,” Sarah said. “She’s at the vet. Spunk is just on a walk with Sabine.”

“Is that safe?” I asked warily.

“Alexander’s with her,” she said, which surprised me. Alexander doesn’t like teenagers, especially middle schoolers. It hit me just how close he was becoming to the girls and Cirino.

Sarah left Cirino with Zie and took me upstairs to her bedroom. She sat on the bedcovers, looking sad.

“Hey, Coffee’s tough,” I said. “She’ll live.”

“I hope you’re right,” she said.

“Want to come back to Denmark?” I asked. “This Christmas, I mean.”

“Of course,” she said. “I’m a princess now, aren’t I?”

“You’re my Belle,” I informed her. “December starts in a couple of weeks.”

“Thanksgiving is next week,” she said. “Are you going to stuff yourself like you did last year?”

“No. I can still feel the pain from my jeans digging into my belly. Plus, puking it all up was not worth it.”

She kissed me. She pulled me on top of her, and we kissed. The heavens opened up, Valhalla sang, someone lost their virginity to the person they loved most in the world. Of course, I’d lost my virginity before I started dating Sarah, but she was my first female partner. I could remember Evan calling out my name as I fucked him.

I rolled her onto her belly, gently pulling down her shorts. Then I paused. She was sick. She didn’t need this right now. I pulled them back up, promising to give myself a short break later on.

“What’s wrong?” she asked.

“I can’t do this to you. You’re still sick. Your heart will beat too fast, and you’ll burn too many calories.”

“Reese, just once?”

“I’m sorry, Sarah. Not today.”

She pouted for a moment, then smiled and kissed me. I nibbled her lips, my fangs protruding, nipping her lip. I licked the blood away, enjoying the taste. I undid my jeans, getting excited. I was about to break my silent promise.

And when she screamed my name, it was worth it.

I lay with her for an hour afterward, keeping her encased in my arms, loving her, protecting her. I growled when Alexander entered the room without knocking, giving him a warning hiss.

“There’s been an Elf spotted in the area,” he told me. “A red-haired one named Marius.”

“He was at the meeting with the Faery King,” I said. “He insulted Sarah.”

“I know. I have a theory about what happened to Coffee. It turns out Marius is a shapeshifter. He can take the form of a wolf. I’m going to kill him if I can reach him.”

With that, he left. Sarah was in tears, pulling herself up.

“So it’s my fault Coffee got hurt,” she mumbled.

“Don’t be silly,” I said. “It’s not your fault. I shouldn’t have brought you to the meeting. Besides, it doesn’t concern you. There are some supernaturals, like certain Elves, who think that humans shouldn’t be involved or know about us at all. What happened at the meeting was my fault. Don’t blame yourself for something that we should have known would happen.”

I leaned over and kissed her tears away, tasting the saltiness and licking my lips. She looked at me and stared at my mouth. She leaned against me and started crying. Then I smelled fresh blood.

Sarah looked down. “Oh, shit,” she said, closing her legs and pulling a stray towel around her. She grabbed a pair of clean underwear and ran to the bathroom, where she stayed for exactly three minutes.

Her scent assaulted my nose. I bent down and tasted the blood. Excitement coursed through me. I felt adrenaline intrude my veins. I grabbed the sheet and sucked on it. Sarah walked in, wearing pajama pants and a tank top. She looked at me sucking on her bedsheets and squeaked. I looked at her with my fangs out, my eyes red and my pupils blown wide. I growled and crawled toward her on all fours. She was frozen in fear. I smelled the adrenaline in her, and more blood.

Mother entered the room, looking concerned.

“Reese, calm down,” she said. She stood between me and Sarah.

“Where were you, Marina?” Sarah asked.

“Call me Mom. And I was out…making preparations for the wedding. Alexander keeps terrifying everybody we hire.”

“Mom…what’s going on?”

“Have you been taking birth control?” Mother asked her. Sarah averted her eyes. “Darling, you have to take all your medications. I’ll shove it down your throat if I have to. Reese, hold your breath.”

I relaxed, my shoulders loosening, my stomach untightening, my manhood limp.

“I’m sorry,” I said, standing up. I told Mother and Sarah what Ethan had determined.

“Porphyria?” Mother said, horrified.

“I thought only humans got that,” Sarah said.

“Oh, vampires get it, too,” Alexander said, crossing his arms and startling her. “It mostly causes us to go crazy at random times. What you just witnessed was a prime example. Reese should have full control around you by now, but the disease caused him to temporarily lose his mind.”

“Is there anything we can do?” Sarah asked.

“Eilief and Soren are searching for a cure as we speak,” Mother said. “Sarah, Sabine wants to speak with you about…her new computer. I think she likes Facebook a little too much.”

“I’ll talk to her.” Sarah gave Mother an odd look and left the room. Mother waited until Sarah was gone before letting out a sigh.

“Boys, I did something that will break the girls’ hearts,” she said.

“What did you do?” Alexander asked.

“I killed Alicia.”

I was stunned. Alexander burst into laughter.

“I wondered when you would! Did you enjoy snapping her neck?”

“I drained her,” Mother said. “I didn’t snap her neck.”

“They already lost their father,” I said. “Was that really necessary?”

“Alicia begs Sarah for money, and when she doesn’t receive it, she calls her a selfish bitch. I had enough of that.”

“You’ll have to tell them,” Alexander said, still smirking. Mother shuddered.

“You’re right. I must tell them. They will be upset, they may even start crying. That alone will break my dead heart.”

“Girls, we have something to discuss,” Mother said, sitting on Sabine’s pink bedspread. Spunk greeted me with his usual kisses. “I’m afraid that your mother has passed away.”

The girls burst into tears. They started crying and holding each other. I held Sarah while Mother held Sabine.

“I’m so sorry, girls. I truly am.”

I can’t say I was upset myself. I hated Alicia for how she treated her daughters. It was terrible.

Sarah cried the hardest, her sobs breaking through my chest. I sang softly to her in Italian, and Mother spoke in rapid Greek to Alexander. He replied, saying that he was staying out of it. She glared at him and gave him the finger. Then she yelled at him, saying that it was his fault that everyone they had hired was quitting and he needed to do something to help.

Alexander rolled his eyes, but he sat behind me and patted Sarah’s back. Spunk whined, sensing the sadness and stress in the room.

Selena came in, also hearing the crying. Mother told her what happened in Latin, and Selena’s eyes widened. She sat behind Mother, rubbing Sabine’s back. I noticed that my sister looked stressed. Her black curls were tangled, her skin looked tired and stretched. She also smelled strange, a sort of musty scent, not like a werewolf, more like a zombie.

Mother, why does Selena smell strange? I silently asked.

Her soul is dying. Losing the baby broke her. Mother started crying herself as she told me this. If her soul dies, I’m afraid she will die or turn into a draugr.

I needed a break.

“I have to go,” I said. I looked at Alexander. He got the message and stood up, following me out the door after I hugged and kissed Sarah and hugged Sabine and Selena, barely tolerating Mother’s rib-crushing squeeze.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Alexander and I combed the forest for Marius, even looking around the lake and the cemetery. I used my sight and smell, ready to kill the shapeshifting Elf.

“I must speak to King Fowley,” he said. “This has gone too far.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~

I took a long shower when I got home. I felt dirty, filthy. I told Uncle Soren had had been discovered and what happened. He sent out Spencer, Toby, and Dimitri to find Marius.

Shadowfang did not appreciate me reacting in disgust to his present, said present being a half-dead snake that tried to bite me before Uncle Soren reached over and snapped its neck.

“It was supposed to be a meal,” Shadowfang insisted.

“For who?” I asked, staring at the biblical creature who tempted Eve.

“It’s blood,” the cat said.

“I drink human blood,” I told him.

“But snake blood is really tasty!”

“Anyway, I wouldn’t be able to even get a snack out of him. He’s too small.”

“It’s a she, actually. And she laid eggs near a bird’s nest.”

“Poor birds,” Uncle Soren smirked.

“She is too small to eat birds,” I said. “Anyway, take it outside.”

Shadowfang gave me a look of deepest disgust before picking up the creature and taking it outside, hopefully far away.

I leaned against my uncle, who petted my hair.

“He’s a cat,” I said. “He’s killed birds before.”

“Not young birds,” said Mishka, who was watching from a windowsill.

I ran outside and threw up. I felt a hand on my back. I was surprised to find that it was Other Mordecai, looking concerned.

“Are you all right?” he asked.

“Porphyria sucks,” I said. His eyes widened and his mouth dropped.

“If you have it…my son…Reese…my god…”

He fell to his knees. If I had porphyria, Other Reese most likely did as well. Other Mordecai threw up next to me on the grass.

“It’s all my fault,” he said. “I wasn’t paying attention. And now Sawyer’s…Odin’s beard, Sawyer…he still has no idea…he’s probably devastated…”

Uncle Soren and Louis pulled up Other Mordecai and helped him into the house, where they set him on the couch.

“You need to relax,” Louis said. “Stress isn’t good for the baby.”

“I have more than one baby,” Other Mordecai muttered. “I should have realized that. Gods, he’s gone crazy because of porphyria! Your Reese has it, too.”

“How long do you think he’s had it?” Louis asked Other Mordecai.

“I don’t know…I just realized…”

“Probably a long time,” Uncle Soren said. “He’s quite possibly at the point of becoming a draugr.” Other Mordecai let out a distressed moan.

“Hey, Dad, keep your comments to yourself.”

“Shut up, Louis.”

“Don’t tell me to shut up! That’s all you ever say to me! ‘Keep your mouth shut, Louis. Don’t be an asshole, Louis. Shut up, Louis.’ I’m sick of it!”

“Boy, I have seen the rise and fall of many civilizations. I fought alongside Robert Burns. I watched Jesus die on the Cross. I was there when Caesar was killed.”

“No you weren’t, you were hundreds of miles away in Denmark with- “

“Both of you shut up!” I snapped. “You’re making it worse!”

Other Mordecai was drifting in and out of consciousness. He kept moaning, one hand on his head, the other on his swollen belly.

“It’s all my fault,” he muttered. “My fault. Even my husband thinks so. That’s why he didn’t come with me. Oh gods, he doesn’t care about Reese or me anymore. He never did. He just wants the money and a proper heir.”

He ran his nails across his forehead and cheeks, scratching lines of blood. “It’s all my fault,” he repeated.

“Keep an eye on him, Louis,” I said. Then the door opened, and our Alexander stepped in.

“It’s a mountain of estrogen at the house,” he said. “I had to get away.” He paused and looked at Other Mordecai, who stared back at him. “Great, another one? Thanks, whoever brought him here. As if I didn’t have more than enough Mordecai in my life.”

“You’re in his house,” Louis reminded him.

“Because Reese is here. And you are here. You are still my family, even if I must also consider Mordecai my family.”

“Are you growing soft?” Louis teased him. If looks could kill, Louis would have died then and there.

“I most certainly am not, boy. If you ever suggest that again, I’ll rip your head off.”

“Watch it,” Uncle Soren growled warningly.

Other Mordecai was in tears now, sobbing into the pillow. Alexander looked down at him and smirked.

“You know, that’s your kid inside him,” I told him. His expression became one of shock, then disgust.

“For centuries, women have been the only ones to- “

“Let me stop you right there,” I said. “Seahorses and leafy sea dragons have been around for millions of years, and the males give birth. Plus, sexes are not black and white. Women race cars, drive stick shift, work on vehicles, ride motorcycles without a man in front of them, and men can sew, knit, wash dishes, cook, clean, and watch their brats. There are also intersex people, people who can have both male and female organs, and transgender pregnancy is becoming quite common.”

“Still wrong,” Alexander said, and I wanted to smack him. “Transgender is a mental illness, a lifestyle choice. I have been around for thousands of years. You have only been around for seventeen years and two months. I think I know more about it than you.”

“The world is constantly changing,” Uncle Soren said. “Besides, you’re both forgetting that he’s from a different universe, where men and women really do live on different planets in separate societies. The men can impregnate each other or themselves, and same with the women.”

“Aha, so it’s a cultural thing,” Alexander said. “You have either been forced to accept the fact that- “

Louis put his hand over Alexander’s mouth.

Uncle Soren and I both started laughing, and even Other Mordecai cracked a small smile. Alexander nipped at my cousin’s hand, but I saw a small smile on his lips.

“Do you have any homework?” Uncle Soren asked me.

“What?” I said. He never asked that question before.

“Your father put me in charge until he gets better,” he explained.

“Aha. Well, I have a test I need to study for. And a Psychology paper due on depression and anxiety and why they are often connected.”

“Like you won’t get an A plus even if you don’t study, little buddy,” Louis rhymed.

“Hey, no one expects perfection. Well, no one sane expects total perfection all the time.”

“I like your family,” Other Mordecai said to Uncle Soren. “There is humor, love, and understanding, despite all of your problems. I wish I could say the same for mine.”

“I’m sure Alexander loves you,” I said gently. “He just needs time to think.”

“I can’t believe that no one has seen Reese in weeks. He must be hiding. Maybe he’s ashamed.”

That was a thought.

“Or maybe he’s biding his time, hoping to catch you off-guard,” Alexander growled. Louis smacked him upside the head. Alexander snarled, and Louis yelped and hid behind his father.

“Touch him, and I rip your head off,” Uncle Soren warned him. Alexander stared at him, then started laughing.

“I deserved that.”

I stared in shock at this man. Was it really my Alexander, my soon-to-be stepfather and possible soulfather?

“Who are you and what have you done with Alexander?” Louis sputtered.

“I am Alexander, stupid boy. Don’t ask stupid questions. In fact, just don’t be stupid. I know you can’t help it, but you can at least try.”

“That sounds more like the Alexander I know.”

“Shut up, Louis.”

“If one more person tells me to shut up- “

Other Mordecai cried out, clutching his head. He screamed again.

“Oh gods, no! Sweetheart, don’t do it! I can get him myself! Where am I? I’m at the other Mordecai’s house in New Jersey! I know, New Jersey, of all places? Where are you? No, my love, don’t!”

He burst into tears and hid his face in his hands.

“What’s wrong?” I asked, sitting beside him.

“Alexander…my husband…he’s coming! He’s angry, I can feel that. He’s livid beyond belief. He keeps talking about righting wrongs, fixing mistakes…oh god, he’s going to kill Reese! I have to find him!” He got off the couch.

“Let us find him,” Uncle Soren said, pushing him back down.

“I can sense both my husband and my son. One of us is going to die!”

“He’s not going to kill Reese,” I assured him. “He cares about me too much.”

Alexander grunted, neither denying nor assenting.

“It’s all my fault,” Other Mordecai continued.

“I’ll help,” I said.

“No- “Uncle Soren began.

“Dad, let him help,” Louis pleaded on my behalf.

“Fine, but if you get hurt, Mordecai will have my head. By the way, someone should stay here with him. Not you, Alexander. Don’t even think about it. Damn, are there no good choices?”

“Faolan’s here,” I pointed out.

“He has enemies aplenty himself,” Uncle Soren reminded me. “And someone should keep an eye on the Lenape reservation.”

“You just want to flirt with Mitra,” I said.

“Hey, I was going to say that,” Louis complained.

“The guys are out looking for the traitor Elf. Fine, I suppose Faolan will have to do.”

With that, we set off to find Other Reese, with Other Mordecai in the backseat of an unused camper that Father received as a gift several years ago. Alexander drove the camper, while I stayed beside Other Mordecai, who moaned and groaned in pain. I had tried to convince them that a camper was not the best idea, due to the lack of speed. But Other Mordecai needed to be comfortable, and the camper had several beds.

Uncle Soren and Louis ran, which was much, much, much faster.

I found Other Alexander! Louis thought through the telecommunication link.

“My husband!” Other Mordecai cried out, gasping for air. “My love….”

The door slid open, and in entered another Alexander. His hair was longer, he had a five o’clock shadow, and his eyes were wild.

“Where is he?” he demanded. He saw Other Mordecai on the bed and went to him immediately. “My love, I am so sorry! I should have gone with you!”

“Get off me!” Other Mordecai pushed him off. “You put me through hell!”

“I know, and I-“ He paused when he saw himself in the driver’s seat, then his eyes flickered over to me.

“Amazing,” he said, looking me up and down. “He looks just like him. Except for the chin. Our Reese has my chin.”

“What a development,” Alexander said sarcastically. Other Alexander glared at him.

“Drive!”

“Whatever, losers,” Alexander said, stepping on the pedal.

“We don’t actually know where Other Reese is,” I said. Other Alexander looked at me. “Well, I suppose you just call him Reese.”

“Indeed.”

“Reese has been very busy,” Alexander said, grinning. “At least, your Reese has. He tried to burn my Reese to death. He couldn’t open his eyes for a week.”

Other Mordecai moaned.

“Better keep it to yourself,” I told Alexander.

“No, I want to know exactly what he’s been up to,” Other Alexander cut in. I sighed and explained what had happened with me and Other Reese, including Torrance’s involvement.

“Torrance is an old enemy of mine,” Other Alexander growled. “He tried to steal Mordecai from me!”

“Torrance seemed to harbor some regret,” I said.

“Oh, I guarantee that he did not. Guilt, yes. Regret, no.”

“What’s the difference?”

“There’s a huge difference between guilt and regret,” Other Mordecai said. “Nales is guilty of raping Sawyer, but he didn’t regret it, not even when he died.”

I did a double take. “Nales? Michael Nales?”

“Yes. He also has a brother who has been harassing Sawyer and Reese. I believe his name is Jordan?”

I nearly fainted. I laid down on the bed beside Other Mordecai. He smiled and wrapped an arm around my middle.

“It’s all my fault,” Other Mordecai said again.

“No, it’s my fault,” Other Alexander sighed. All of us looked at him, including my Alexander. “I know that it will be hard to forgive me, if you forgive me at all. I would like another chance to be with you and be a proper father. It was my poor parenting that led to this. First Kieran, now Reese. Am I cursed?”

“And the baby?” Alexander asked.

“The baby is still inside Sawyer. If you mean Cirino, then yes, I consider him a son as well. When Sawyer has this baby, he will need all the care he can get. Lord knows his father is no help.”

“Sawyer is going to die,” Other Mordecai said. “If Reese doesn’t go to him soon, he will die. He’s going to die either way, and he might as well be given a second chance.”

I thought about Sarah, and our life together. Both of us had had several near-death experiences, and her latest one was caused by herself. I loved her deeply, madly, passionately, but who was I to meddle with Fate? No, I couldn’t think like that. Sarah was my world. Like my family. I would destroy Karma herself if she messed with my girlfriend, family, and friends.

We reached the abandoned hotel where I’d been taken when I was kidnapped and nearly burned to death. It still had faint traces of vampire scent, even in the camper.

“It’s him!” Other Mordecai gasped. “My baby!”

Alexander pulled up, and I climbed out of the camper with Other Alexander and Other Mordecai, who seemed to be in pain. He was clutching his belly and moaning.

“Is it starting?” Other Alexander asked him.

“No,” Other Mordecai breathed.

“You’re lying. Stay in the camper.”

“I’ll be fine. Reese is what I’m concerned about.”

“Do you remember what happened when you tried to hold him back after almost ten months? Both of you nearly died.”

“That won’t happen this time. Gods, I’m so bloated.”

“Maybe he should stay back,” I said. “I can stay with him.”

“You’re a sweet boy,” Other Mordecai said. “But I’ll be okay.”

“You’re clearly in labor.”

“I can’t be! It’s only been eight months!”

“My husband gave birth to Kieran after seven months,” Other Alexander said.

“Celine gave birth to my Kieran after only seven weeks,” Alexander said. “My boy still blames me for her death.”

“Oh gods, I’m going to split open,” Other Mordecai complained.

“There’s a bed in here,” I said, pointing out an empty room that still had sheets on the mattress and a frame.

Other Alexander scooped up Other Mordecai and brought him into the room. Seconds later, I heard a loud burp that I thought vampires couldn’t make.

“It’s just air!” Other Alexander exclaimed. “Damn you, Mordecai, you scared me!”

“It feels just like labor!”

“I highly doubt that.”

“Why does my stomach still feel swollen?”

“Could it be because you have a baby inside of it?”

“Don’t be sarcastic. You know, this really is all your fault.”

“It’s your fault, too! Both of us screwed up!”

“Fuck you!”

While they argued, Uncle Soren and Louis finished checking out the room.

“He’s been gone for a while,” Louis reported. “HEY, SHUT UP ALREADY! IT’S BOTH YOUR FAULTS!”

They shut up.

“He’s right,” Other Mordecai said, still holding his huge belly. “Both of us are to blame for this. We both screwed up.”

This new knowledge kept both of them quiet while Other Alexander picked up Other Mordecai and carried him back to the camper. Damn. No bites otherwise.

Other Mordecai was settled on the bed in the camper, looking pale and sallow. I laid next to him, and he pulled me into him and nestled his nose in my hair. I felt wetness on my head, and realized he was crying. Other Alexander settled himself behind his husband, looking upset.

“What a colossal waste of time,” Alexander muttered.

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN – MOTHER’S INSTINCT

Mother was chopping vegetables when I arrived at her house. Her hair was tied up into an elegant knot, dressed in capris and a t-shirt and wearing an apron.

“What are you making?” I asked.

“Ratatouille and steak,” she replied. “The girls need to eat a filling dinner. They barely ate breakfast or lunch.”

“You like cooking for them?” I asked.

“Yes. I love cooking for them. I love taking care of them. And Cirino. Check on him, will you?”

I listened carefully, heard him snoring. “He’s asleep.”

“Mother knows best,” she said.

“What?”

“Nothing, nothing. I am a good mother, aren’t I?”

“Yes, you are,” I said, confused.

“She sees all of this as her second chance,” Alexander explained, coming into the room. “My dearest believes that her second chance is her last hope to prove she’s a good mother.”

“I am a good mother!”

“Yes, you are, my love. You adore Kieran. No other woman I’ve courted has liked my son, but you love him. And he accepts you, or at least he has. If he didn’t approve, I’d hear about it. And you destroyed one of the people destroying Sarah and Sabine, their biological mother.”

“Shh! They may hear!”

“They’re human, Marina. Their ears are not as well-honed as ours. Besides, Sarah is out doing her cheerleading thing in the backyard and Sabine is taking a bath. The girls won’t know unless somebody directly tells them.”

“If Mordecai hadn’t killed Michael Nales, I’d have done it myself.”

“And that’s what makes you a good mother. You love Sarah, you see her as an extension of yourself and you want to do everything you can to keep her safe and happy.”

“She feels the need to work.”

“She wants to atone for her past mistakes and take care of the leftover debt, which she feels responsible for, as she’s the elder one. Her mother placed all kinds of responsibility on her, responsibility that she didn’t need or deserve to have. Cleaning up binge drinking, making sure the bills got paid, taking care of her younger sister, dealing with a questionable group of friends. Which, by the way, I still don’t trust. You know that they are out in the back with her?”

“They are?” I asked.

“Indeed, at least the cheerleaders are.”

Mother turned back to the cutting board and kept chopping zucchini.

“I am a good mother,” she repeated. “I protect my children, all of them, with the fierceness of a lioness and the strength of a bear, with the body and mind of a vampire. I am a good mother.”

Selena came downstairs, greeted me, and then turned to Mother. She was thinner, I noted, with dark shadows under her eyes and a rat’s nest of hair.

“You’re a great mom, Mom,” she said. “What happened with Liam Wolfheart was my fault, not yours. You warned me to stay away from him. I should have listened to you.” Her eyes glistened, and I knew she was thinking about the dead baby that she never even named. I would have been an uncle if the baby had lived. That knowledge tore my heart open. I would have been an uncle, had a nephew or a niece.

Sarah and I would marry and have several kids with a cousin. I silently counted out ten and named all of them. Caitlin Juniper, the imaginary daughter that Sarah thought Cirino had been at first, Cirino himself, and several others. He’d be the oldest, followed by Caitlin and Reese Junior and Sarah Junior. I purred as I thought of a bunch of little Reeses and Sarahs running around.

I continued my thoughts, even as the doorbell rang. We looked at each other-no one lived this far out except for myself and Father.

I was surprised when I opened the door, to see an albino. He was covered in a black cape, but I could see his pale features and pink eyes.

“Is this the home of Louis Emerson?” he asked.

“It isn’t, but I know him,” I said. “What do you need with him?”

“He is my father.”

Time seemed to stand still. Louis, a father? And it wasn’t even noon yet.

Alexander started laughing, holding his stomach and doubled over.

“It’s about time!” he guffawed. “With all the women he fucks. Come inside, friend.”

The albino took his invitation to heart. His eyes roamed over the house, landing on Mother and Selena, who stared back.

“Beauties,” he purred. “I assume you are Marina, wife of Mordecai?”

“Ex-wife,” she corrected. “Fiancée of Ambrogio Nicolai.”

His eyes went to Alexander. “The loud one?” He looked at me. “A little one. Can’t be more than eighteen years old. Tall, but smaller than most male vampires. About two hundred pounds. Yellow eyes, black hair, beak-like nose. You must be Reese.”

I self-consciously touched my nose. Was it really like a bird’s?

“My son,” Mother said.

“Yes, you have the same nose and chin. Except yours makes you look very attractive and distinguished.”

Ouch.

“Enough flirting,” Alexander growled. “What do you really want? Money? We have an endless amount. Whatever sum you want. A house? We can get you one? A lover? I know lots of young women and men, whichever you prefer.”

“I happen to like both,” said the albino. “But what I really want is to know my father. I can see that I really am at the wrong house. Perhaps I’ll go…”

“The sun’s at its highest point,” I said.

“True, and my condition doesn’t help.” He lifted the hood off so we could see his face properly. He had handsome features, with a sharp nose and full lips. His eyes were full of depth and sparkle, his chin was slightly narrow due to his heart-shaped face. He was cute. Really cute. And I wasn’t the only one who noticed.

Selena flushed, as much as a vampire can, and hid behind Mother, who still brandished a butcher’s knife.

It didn’t take much for Louis to come along. By then, all the cheerleaders had gone home, (all of them stopping to look at Kellan, the albino), and Sarah had introduced herself to him. She blushed and fumbled as she greeted him. He smirked, amused. I gritted my teeth. I decided that he was a potential rival.

We merely had to tell Louis that someone from his past was here, and he came quickly, along with Uncle Soren.

“We came across Mitra at a small pool,” Louis said. “She wore a cherry red bathing suit, and damn. She’s hot.”

He paused as he saw Kellan, who smiled. “Hello, Father.”

“Excuse me?”

“Forgive me, where are my manners. My name is Kellan, and I am your son.”

Louis froze. When he didn’t move for three minutes, Uncle Soren poked him and said something about a hot alien chick.

Louis stared at Kellan. “Who? How?”

“You remember Annabelle, yes? She was my mother. She died recently, and told me the truth just before she passed.”

“Annabelle Murkwater? The English brunette in the purple dress?”

“Ah, so you do remember my mother.”

“I remember everyone I fuck, even if they’re not that important to me.” He studied Kellan. “You’re not shitting me, are you?”

“No. My mother told me just before she died,” Kellan explained.

“Annabelle is dead?” Louis asked. “When?”

“Just the other day. She was tired of living, and thought me dead because we had not seen each other in years.”

Louis paused. “I don’t think you’re my son.”

“You may think what you wish, but it is fact.”

“No one else in our family is…is…”

“An albino? I know, I did extensive surveillance on the rest of the family.”

“He’s lying,” I said. “He thought this was where you lived, Louis. It doesn’t even have much of your scent.”

“I don’t think he’s telling the truth at all,” Alexander said, crossing his arms. “What say we torture him for information?”

“Alexander,” Mother said quietly, wrapping an arm around Selena.

“I agree,” Selena said. “Who are you, and what do you really want?”

“Okay, the truth is…I knew this wasn’t where Louis lived. I followed Reese.”

“Why?” Louis asked.

“My name is Kellan, but Louis isn’t my father. He’s my brother. And Annabelle Murkwater isn’t my mother. Alga is.”

“How did you know about Annabelle, anyway?” Louis asked.

“Like I said, extensive surveillance. Years and years of it. Before Alga died, she and Soren had one more romp. I was produced. Mother wanted to hide me, so she sent me to live with monks in Italy. I lived near the Vatican for years and years.”

“If there’s a grain of truth in that, we won’t kill you,” Louis said. “If you’re telling the truth and you are my brother, Dad needs to know.”

I still didn’t believe a word of it. It sounded to me like a load of bologna.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Uncle Soren thought it was a load of bologna as well.

“It’s true that Alga and I did get together one last time before she died, but she died a few weeks later. Even vampire babies need more time than that to develop. He’s lying.”

“So far, he’s lied about everything,” I said. “Why should we believe anything he says now?”

Father, who was strong enough to lift himself up, added in his two cents. “I say we kill him.”

“Hold on, he could be working for another party,” Grandfather said. “He’s clearly trying to infiltrate the family, but he’s not doing it very well. We need to find out who the other party is and why.”

“I still say we torture him,” Alexander said, pounding his fist against his palm.

“You’ll get your wish, Alexander,” Grandfather said. “I will say, though, he looks a lot like Kieran.”

“Kieran is not an albino,” Alexander sniffed. “He has brown hair and blue eyes.” He stood up straight. “I’ve had enough. I’m going to find Kieran if it’s the last thing I do!”

“You won’t have to,” Toby said, looking outside. “He’s here.”

Time stood still once again. Alexander ran to the window, then ran outside. I followed after him, followed by Uncle Soren and Grandfather. Father stayed behind, to much begging from Faolan.

“Hello, Father,” said a handsome vampire with long brown hair and bright, crystal-clear blue eyes.

“I’d heard you were in St. Louis,” Louis said.

“I was. My mate…he died. I couldn’t stay, so I came here. I remembered the house that Mordecai had purchased not long after Reese was born. You must be him,” he said, nodding to me.

“He’s Reese, all right,” Louis said. “Did you say your mate died? I had no idea.”

“Neither did I,” Alexander said.

“I didn’t come back for you, old man. I came back for the rest of the family. I smell that you’ve already met Kellan.”

“Yeah, we can’t figure out who he is or what he wants,” I said.

“You’ll have to forgive him. I’m afraid his mind has gone, well, haywire, ever since…it’s not important. But he is a friend, and possibly related to us, I just don’t know how.”

Kieran scented the air. “I smell Marina. Is she still around? I always liked her. And…gods, is it possible?”

“Selena survived,” Uncle Soren said.

“But the fire…the explosion…”

“I know, we thought so too, until recently when she returned after being held captive by Wolfheart for years.”

“Come inside, you’re much too thin,” Grandfather told Kieran.

“Thank you, Eilief. You were always kind to me.”

“Of course.”

Faolan growled at Kieran, and Kieran crouched defensively until I told him that Faolan was my father’s mate. He looked bemused.

There were now so many family members in the house that Kieran would have to stay in the guest house if he didn’t want to live with Alexander. Kieran replied that that was better than anything Alexander could have done for him. My soulfather could not mask the look of hurt that flittered across his hardened visage.

I showed Kieran all the bedrooms, told him where the dungeon was located, and pointed out the guest house. I told him that there was another couple living there who resembled Alexander and my father, that they were from another universe where men and women lived on separate planets. He looked at me like I was nuts, until he saw Other Mordecai crossing the yard.

“He looks pregnant,” he noted.

“He is,” I told him. A look of disgust crossed his handsome features.

“I also smell human,” he said. “Female.”

“That would be my girlfriend,” I told him. “Her name is Sarah Harper Cresley and I’m going to marry her.”

“I fell in love with a human once. He became my mate.” Kieran sniffed.

“You loved him, didn’t you?”

“More than the universe. He was my universe.”

“What was his name?” I asked.

“Thomas. Thomas Gold. He was my gold.” His eyes shined with tears. He casually wiped at his eyes. “It really is my fault he’s dead. But whatever. Show me where I’ll be sleeping.”

I took him to the house, briefly introduced him to Other Alexander, and showed him a free room.

He accepted it and settled himself under the covers.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Alexander paced.

“I have to see him,” he said. “He’s my son. He’s hurting. I need to help him.” He sat on an ottoman. “But he hates me. He blames me for Celine’s death. It was technically my fault. But I would have had to marry her, and I did not love her. My place is with Marina, my soon-to-be wife. As a father, I should support him.”

He looked up and saw me. He got up and hugged me tightly, making Father growl. Pure instinct told me to back away, but my love for Alexander told me to stay where I was. Yes, I loved him; he was like a second father to me. Father read this in my mind and snarled.

“He’s mine,” he growled.

“You’re mine,” Faolan responded.

Jealousy made the room tense. Growls erupted from everywhere. Father and Alexander growled at each other, Faolan growled at me and I growled at him in return. Then Alexander and Father both growled at Faolan, and Faolan buried his head in Father’s shoulder, looking abashed.

I hissed a bit as Alexander pulled me into him, growling at Father. Father growled back at his archrival, warning him not to crush me on accident. I slid out from my soulfather’s arms and walked around in a circle on all fours, releasing some pent-up energy.

My stomach growled and my throat burned, and I realized how hungry I was. I purred, feeling odd, almost dreamlike. I settled onto the floor and rubbed my scent into the carpet.

“What is he doing?” Faolan asked.

“Marking his territory,” Father replied, smiling at me. I purred and adjusted myself so my body language was inviting him to play. Shadowfang jumped off his perch and greeted my invitation with a playful twitch of his tail. I grabbed my hoodie string and moved it around the carpet.

The cat grabbed at it, pretending it was a bird or a mouse. Or a snake, as he preferred killing.

“He needs blood,” Father said. “Hey useless, go get my son some food.”

“Burn in hell, Mordecai.”

“I’ll see you there.”

“Whatever. Reese, calm down.”

I growled and prepared to pounce.

“Don’t even think about it, boy.”

Then I remembered who he was. I continued to purr, but I turned to Faolan instead.

“Not me, either, teenager.”

I kept purring and marked my territory again. My cat climbed onto my chest, purring just as loudly. I kissed his nose, and he licked my hand with his papery tongue. His yellow eyes shined at me, and I saw myself in them. Both supernaturals, both with black hair and yellow eyes, purrers, growlers, hissers. He was a parent, and I was a child still. Well, no, I was legally an adult, but I was the child of two vampires who had once claimed to love each other.

I only stopped purring when I noticed the others looking at me strangely. Father was smiling, Faolan was frowning, and Alexander had a smirk.

I yawned widely and got up, causing Shadowfang to jump off and hiss. I needed blood, so I went into the kitchen, trying to ignore my exhausted, dizzy feeling. I could no longer ignore it when I started to fall toward the floor and my eyes blurred.

Alexander reached me first, being the one to catch me before I hit the hard tile.

“He fainted!” he called out.

“Alex?”

“Shh, my son. Hush. You nearly split your head open.”

Father was there in a split second. He hissed at Alexander and took me from him. I noticed Faolan didn’t look happy. Why was he jealous of me? I would always come first in my father’s life. I had thought that Faolan had accepted that, and wondered if he didn’t like me for some reason.

Father read my mind, and he turned and glared at Faolan.

“I’m okay-“ I started to say, before it felt like my head really did split open. I grimaced and fell back into my father’s arms.

“Something’s wrong,” Father said. “I need Ethan here as soon as possible. Alexa! Call Ethan Potter!”

“You got an Alexa?” I asked, wincing as my head throbbed. It felt like my skull was squishing my brain.

“I’m glad I did,” he said.

“I thought you of all people would know those things are mind-control devices.”

“Oh, hush. It was a gift.”

“From who?”

“None of your business.”

“Speaking of which, I noticed a new Lamborghini in the driveway,” Alexander said. “Explain, Mordecai.”

“Shut up, Alexander. My son is more important right now.”

“He would have been mine if you hadn’t interfered!”

“Shut up again.”

They would have thrown themselves at each other if I wasn’t more important. I whined as my head continued to ache and throb. I sat up, feeling like my neck was severed from my spine.

Father picked me up and took me to my bedroom, where he took my boots off and settled me under the covers.

“I…Rosita Bleedfellows is still after a marriage,” Father said. “I don’t know what we’re going to do.”

“I’m not going to marry her.”

“Oh no, I know you’re not. But I might have to, just to shut her up.”

“Why can’t we just kill her?”

“You know we can’t do that. Anyway, the Council wants to track the creation and destruction of as many vampires as possible.”

“Hang the Council!”

“Son, you know better than that. They’re responsible for keeping the vampire citizens in line while we are occupied elsewhere.”

“They’re power-hungry monsters bent on world domination.”

“I know, and we have to fix that. Your grandfather is going to have to be in Denmark for a while. Your cousin Louis is going with him. I know why Soren isn’t going; he’s obsessed with Mitra, that cute Native girl with the short hair.”

“Romeo’s interested in her, and she seems more interested in him.”

“Girls like scars, son. However, girls also like big arms like your uncle’s got. So who knows? Anyway, it’s not our business right now, we have too many other things to take care of. Rest, my son. Rest.”

I felt my eyelids getting sleepy. When I realized that he was using hypnotism on me again, I tried to smack him, but missed.

There was so much to think about.

Marius, and his obsession with Sarah.

Coffee, her well-being and how it affected Sarah.

Faolan’s rivalry with me over Father.

The Council, and their ridiculous idea of cataloging vampires.

Rosita Bleedfellows and her obsession with my family and power.

Grandfather’s mental health and his support.

My own detoriating health.

Suzanne Moon and Emma Greene realizing that we were responsible for the death of Michael Nales.

I fell into unconsciousness seconds later.

I was being pursued. By a slayer, or another vampire, I didn’t know. I needed to keep moving, to get away. My heart felt heavy in my chest, unbeating and cold. Why did natural-born vampires have hearts, anyway? We had no need for them, at least as far as I could tell. Then I remembered Father talking about how having a heart was still important for vampires and our need for blood. Keeping the life force moving, even after death.

I was born dead, so why did I care? I turned and saw tons of steel thorns surrounding me on every side. I realized I was running from Destiny. I turned and saw her. She was beautiful, one of the most beautiful women I’ve ever seen. She had flowing blond hair and bright blue eyes, skin like pasteurized milk.

And then I was reaching the ocean, I kept running until I was under water completely. I couldn’t breathe. I was drowning in my own guilt and sorrow, my own mistakes. I saw Sarah ahead of me, wearing a gorgeous white wedding dress. She was clawing toward the surface, then she turned and saw me.

“We’re sharing a dream,” she said, and I realized it was true. We were sharing a dream. Our connection was growing stronger, our destiny closer than ever.

I produced a large diamond gold ring from my pocket.

“Marry me?” I asked, and before she could answer, her own humanity pulled her closer to her death, closer to the ocean floor. Her doubts and insecurities about us and her future were killing us, as was my guilt and depression.

“Will you marry me?” I repeated. She paused.

“Yes.” And then she was pulled toward the floor and drowned.

Another dream.

“If I do die, I owe you a ‘pology,” said the birdlike reptilian creature. I didn’t know what he was talking about, then I turned and saw Rosita Bleedfellows.

“You’ll die anyway,” she said, throwing a knife and hitting the creature’s heart. I heard the faint pop as blood spilled out of his chest. “I will be an Emerson, even if I have to kill one of them.”

I had to warn Father.

Father! Father!

Reese?!

I showed him the dream. He was quiet for a moment.

Thank you for showing me this. It seems I also owe someone an apology.

Father?

It’ll be all right, Reese. I promise.

My sleep became dreamless after that.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~

When I woke up, I felt refreshed, if a bit apprehensive. My father came into my room and read my dreams. He was intrigued by the one with me drowning. It scared him. If I was sure of one thing that my dreams told me, it was that time was running out for me and Sarah. I had to turn her, and soon. But I couldn’t force her into this life.

I laid with my back against my bed, unsure about everything else. I closed my eyes and tried to think about something else. The War of 1812. This year’s Holiday Ball. Rumor was that Father had procured a group of angels for the music. That was unlikely, as angels and vampires don’t usually get along.

A group of sirens was more likely, despite the dangers. I had nearly been entranced by a siren once. Their voices are so high-pitched, humans don’t usually hear them, unless the siren lowers her voice on purpose. Dogs hear them, and so do other animals with sensitive hearing. They were like mermaids in that they were from the same sea-dwelling family, but unlike mermaids, sirens were transparent and ugly.

Mermaids had the ability to shift their features to resemble beautiful women, and some could even walk on land, albeit with great pain and suffering. A mermaid’s true features came out only when she was among other mermaids or when she was about to feed. Gills, webbed fingers, long, beautiful tails, fin-like ears. Frightening, as they had qualms about feeding on land creatures, including humans.

I thought about my dream with Sarah. I had to call her. She got to her phone first.

“Did you have the ocean dream?” she asked, sounding frightened.

“Yes, I did,” I said. “Are you all right?”

“I…I don’t know. I’m scared, Reese. Coffee might die, my mother’s dead, and Marina is overprotective of me. I need to throw up, but I can’t. I don’t know if I want to become a vampire, I don’t know if it’s worth it. I need to explore my fairy side and get some answers. I realized something: it was my dad who had the fairy blood, not my mom. Fairies can’t lie, right? My dad always told the truth, no matter how painful it was or how much trouble it got him into. Also, he avoided iron at all costs. We never had it around the house. Also, fairies can’t drink alcohol, right? My dad never drank.”

“That makes sense, and it’s certainly worth looking into.”

“Do you not believe me?”

“How could you say that? Of course I believe you. We’ll get this sorted out, I promise. Meanwhile, both you and Sabine are invited to this year’s Holiday Ball.”

“Why wasn’t she invited last year?”

“Last year, she had Alicia and the rest of your family. This year-“

“That doesn’t make any sense! My mom was a terrible mother. She barely bought us the necessities, let alone gifts. I had to pay for everything. I was forced to steal for my wants and needs.”

“Nobody forced you to steal, Sarah. And please don’t get upset. That’s not what I’m trying to do.”

“I can’t help it! I’m tempted to steal again. I need the satisfaction. I need…something. I refuse to smoke cigarettes, they stink. Maybe I will, though. I need to break up with you, but I can’t! I love you too much, and your mother and Alexander might not help us anymore. I’ll kill myself if I do that. But at the same time, I don’t want to break up with you. Like I said, I love you too much.” I heard light crying. “I need…something. Some sort of satisfaction. I’m being forced into this destiny, a destiny I don’t want.” More crying.

“I may be pretty and popular, but I’m twisted and depressed. I’ve gained weight, weight I don’t want. I constantly worry about Cirino. God, I’m a bad mother. I barely see him, unless we’re all together. I’m the co-captain on the cheerleading squad. I’m the best dancer in dance class. I can draw, sing, and paint. I need something more.”

“You should write a book,” I joked.

“Maybe I will. It will be the best damn book ever, And I play videogames. How many girls like me play videogames? A surprising amount, actually, it’s not just the nerds and the uglies that play videogames. As for the book, it will be about a girl who dies of a broken heart.”

“Sarah, don’t say that. Maybe you should get a new hobby. You used to like designing clothes. Maybe you should get the needle out again.”

“I’m not allowed near needles. I…I cut myself with them.”

“You…cut yourself?”

“Yes. Next time you take my clothes off, look at my breasts. Of course, you look at my breasts, anyway.”

“Oh, baby.” My heart shattered.

“My mother left a shit ton of debt. Marina and Alexander took care of it, but I still feel like I owe them something.”

“Sweetheart, they would tell you that you owe them nothing. You’re overworking yourself. You need a break.” I had an idea. Girls like spa days, right?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I pulled up to the driveway, where Sarah had pulled up her shirt and was showing Sabine and Selena. I noticed a glint of gold around her belly button.

“I got a belly ring,” she proudly told me as I got out of the car. She pulled up her shirt, and I admired the gold ring with a diamond center.

“It’s pretty damn great,” I told her.

“Yeah. Hey, listen, I’m sorry about the other day. I was in a bad mood.”

“Oh, hon, you have nothing to be sorry for. You’re going through a lot, more than most people do. So you got a belly ring?”

“Yeah. And I’m getting a nose ring next Saturday. Maybe an eyebrow ring.”

“Have fun with that,” I said.

“Oh, I will. And my ears need to be re-pierced. I’m thinking about getting a tattoo next. Maybe of a rose. You say I smell like gardenias, so maybe a gardenia.”

“Your scent is more than gardenias,” I said, my voice becoming deeper and huskier. She blushed and smiled at her feet.

“And I decided to take up crocheting,” she said. “Marina is teaching me how. And I got a new job. Instead of working at Pon’s, even though the tips are great, I’m working as a waitress again. I’ll be working at that restaurant we went to one time; you know, with the jerk waiter who switched our meals?”

“That’s a high-end restaurant,” I said.

“I know, and the tips will be even better. Alexander told me that if I wanted to pay him and Marina back, I was allowed to, but it isn’t required, and I can change my mind at any time. I had a serious talk with them about what I’m going through. Your mom was amazing. Of course, she’s amazing anyway, but I love how she actually listens and gives good advice. Talking to Selena helps, too.”

“You and Selena are becoming friends,” I noted.

“We are! The other cheerleaders love her, because she’s so pretty and she’s a great coach. She even agreed to help us overthrow Cella Kent!”

“The bitch coach?” I said.

“Yeah. You know she called Stella a heifer? And she told McKenzie that her roots were clearly noticeable. I mean, they are, but you just don’t say that to a fake blond. Chances are that she knows. And McKenzie was thinking about going red, anyway. And then she told Rachel Griffin that she’s obviously Irish, and all Irish are drunks. Can you believe it? Rachel isn’t even Irish!”

“Because of her red hair and freckles?”

“Yeah. But don’t remind Rachel that she has freckles; she hates them. She wants to go tan, but the last time she went tanning, she turned orange, which may I say is not a good look for her.”

“Why doesn’t she use a…what are they called, gradual tanners?”

“That’s what I said! She should use a subtle tanning lotion if she wants to go bronze. Also…off topic, but I started keeping a diary again. I wrote down everything that’s happened so far in my life. It took up half the book. And also, I took your advice. I’m going to start writing a book. I have a vague idea of what I want it to be, but I also want your approval.”

“I’ll give you anything you need,” I told her. “Also, my father has connections in the publishing industry, so if you want to publish it- “

“I don’t know about that. I sort of want it to just be for me, you know? Something for my eyes only, and yours. Maybe a book about a shopaholic who goes into debt. Wait…there’s a whole series around that. Confessions of a Shopaholic series by Sophie Kinsella. I can’t believe I forgot it, I love that series. Maybe a vampire book? Something similar to our lives, maybe?”

“You could write down our story.”

“Maybe I should. Well, let’s go inside. It’s cold.”

Inside, it was warmer. Sabine was watching a vampire movie, where a vampire drank blood directly from the heart. She turned and looked at me.

“Do vampires really do that?”

I smiled wryly. “Don’t ask questions you don’t want answered, Sabine.”

Sarah shuddered in my arms, and looked up at me frightfully.

“Sweetness, I’d never hurt you or Sabine. I promise.”

“You killed Michael Nales.”

I froze. How did she know?

“How did you know?”

“It wasn’t that hard to figure out. Who else would hate him that much besides me? Besides, you just gave it away. His heart was missing, and he was drained of blood.”

“Technically, my father killed him. I simply asked him to.”

“I don’t know whether I want to kiss you or smack you.”

“Smacking me would hurt your hand, and anyway, I prefer kissing.”

She stood on her toes and pecked me. Her pink moist lips made me happy. I carried her up to her room, where I set her on the bed, and, ignoring Spunk, I climbed on top of her. I took a deep breath and smelled the blood in her veins, flowing, smooth. I leaned down and nipped her neck. She cried out as a bit of blood appeared. I licked it up, loving the taste.

“Your eyes are orange,” she told me.

“I’m excited,” I said. “I need blood. I’m so hungry. I don’t remember the last time I fed. I’m sorry, Sarah.” I leaned down, fangs bared, before I was pushed back by a hard force. It was Selena, and she was glaring at me.

“Go to the kitchen,” she ordered me.

“Selena- “

“Go to the kitchen.”

I calmly went down to the kitchen, where Mother was already fixing me a glass of blood.

“Did I really just try to eat Sarah?” I said aloud.

“Yes,” Mother said. “But it wasn’t your fault. You haven’t eaten in a while, and that is Mordecai’s fault. Even though you are an adult, you are a young adult, still youthful and irresponsible. Besides, you are ill, and it is up to the family of the sick to care for them.”

I took a deep breath. I drank the blood that Mother offered to me, and then I went back upstairs to my mate.

She was sitting on the bed, Selena rubbing her back. Selena hissed a little at me as I approached. I sat beside Sarah and kissed her temple. She turned to me, looking confused.

“Forgive me, my sweet,” I said. I kissed her again. Selena looked furious. “I love her,” I told her.

“So do I,” she said. “Not like you do, but she’s my new sister.”

Sarah looked up at her. “Sister?”

“Yes, you and Sabine are my sisters now. Besides, you need someone to take care of you. You’ve been taking care of everybody else for years.”

Sarah’s eyes shined with tears, and then she opened her mouth. My cell phone rang. Toby’s ringtone blared at me from my pocket.

“Hello?” I said, irritated.

“Hello, Master Reese. We’ve caught Marius.”

“Thank you. You may do whatever with him.” I turned to Sarah when I hung up. “They caught Marius. I gave the guys permission to do whatever they want with him.” She buried her face in my shirt, letting out a relieved sob. I kissed her soft hair, then turned to Selena. “I’ll take care of her.”

“You’d better,” she said.

As I watched my sister leave, I wondered if she liked Sarah more than she liked me. I had once thought that with Mother, only to be proven wrong. I hissed as I held Sarah, tightening my grip.

“You’re squishing me,” she said.

“Oh, sorry.” I loosened my grip. I looked into her green eyes, sparkling with love, kindness, and tragedy. I kissed her. Her soft lips felt nice under my own. I nipped her a bit, possessively.

Mine. Mine! MINE!

CHAPTER NINETEEN – PUNISHMENT

The next few days were fraught with excitement. The talent show, Mother and Alexander’s wedding, the Holiday Ball. First, the talent show.

We arrived at the school precisely thirty minutes before it was set to begin. I brought my acoustic guitar, sitting in the music room, strumming it. Soon, everyone would know the truth about me and Sarah.

“You’re not gonna do something stupid, are you?” Noah asked me when I told him this. He pattered drum sticks on his thigh.

“Is publicly declaring my love stupid?”

“I swear, you’re obsessed with Sarah. It’s not healthy, bro.”

“What about you and Amara?”

He grimaced. “She can do much better than Cole Powers. I mean, look at him. He looks like a fucking burned-out rockstar.”

“Uh-huh.”

Noah’s feelings for Amara came a little late. She had moved on in her crush from him to Cole. This week, she had let her natural blond hair relinquish all the dye, leaving only lavender tips. Personally, I preferred her crazy colors. She now wore a Killstar-esque outfit, a shredded black skirt, zebra-print grey and black shirt, and studded ankle boots. A chain cascaded down her back, reaching both shoulders. Her makeup was…well, there was a lot of black. Almost raccoonish, if I’m being honest. Black lipstick, blue powder on her cheeks. I wondered if she was trying to look like a corpse.

Sarah herself was with the rest of her clique, including Ariella. They had planned to do a group number, then Sarah would do a solo routine later on. She wore a figure-hugging green dress with black stilettos, and gold hoop earrings, and gold bracelets and an armlet. Around her neck was a locket that said BC & AA, which I knew meant Beckett Cresley and Alicia Abraham.

Her mother’s death had been hard on her and Sabine. Two parents, lost in the span of three years. Beckett had died from stomach cancer the year before I started going out with her. According to her and Sabine, Beckett was the only one who could really control Alicia. He hid bottles, cleaned up after binges, made sure she had enough money, and didn’t abuse or harass the girls.

After he died, Alicia spiraled out of control, Stealing Sarah’s debit and credit cards, asking her for money, taking cash from her and Sabine’s purses, failing to take care of the dogs, failing to be a good parent in general. I wished that Sarah and Sabine had anyone else for a mother.

The rest of the Beautifuls wore different colored dresses: Angela Montgomery wore pale pink, Rachel Griffin wore purple, Mia Rayport wore blue, and Sara Blynn wore red. Ariella wore a black and white striped dress. It set her apart from the rest of the group, a group she would truly never be a part of. She played in a band, she had a werewolf boyfriend, she hurt me, Sarah’s boyfriend.

I missed my friend. I missed having a confidante to confide all my secrets in. Of course, I had Mason Godfrey now. I was still irritated at him for saying he liked Sarah, and then Amara. First of all, Sarah’s mine. Secondly, pick one, dude. Love triangles do nothing but hurt people, especially when the feelings are unrequited.

I continued to strum my guitar as I looked around. A group of drama girls were planning to sing something from Grease. Two boys rapped badly. The choir sang a song that had to do with birds and roses.

Finally, Mr. Scott, the music teacher, let everyone know it was time to start the show. The choir would go first, followed by the drama girls, the boys, and all the way to me, and then the Beautifuls, and then Sarah, and then Scarlett Hart. I rolled my eyes at the last one. She just wanted to steal everyone else’s thunder.

First, the choir sang three songs, then the drama girls went. I headed out to watch Noah and Duke perform a guitar and drum piece. It would have been nice, I thought, if all the guys formed a band. Unfortunately, that was unlikely to happen soon, as Noah hated Mason at this point. His ex-best friend, fighting over girls.

Okay, no one had liked Rouge, the fairy in disguise that pretended to like Noah so she could kill him. Fortunately, he didn’t know that last part, just that she was a bitch and Sarah had a history with her. Everyone likes Amara, though. She’s nice, very nice, and very, very intelligent. She didn’t put up with Jody Williams’ gossiping about me and Sarah.

Amara liked Cole, though, who was older, drove a motorcycle, had long blond hair, wore leather jackets, and chain-smoked cigarettes.

But Noah liked Amara now, so they were in a pickle. As far as I knew, Amara was totally unaware of Noah’s growing affection for her. She just thought of him as a good friend at this point.

Finally, it was my turn to go on the stage, and I went out there with my guitar. It was a good-sized crowd tonight, and I could see my family in the back. Mother held a video camera. I cleared my throat and began:

I don’t trust my heart

Because I don’t want to lose you

No one else can love you as much as I do

No one else can have my part

Even though I’m a prince

I can’t compare to you

Do you know what I wanted?

I want you

I’ll always be yours

If I don’t want you anymore

You’ll know I’ve lost it

 

I continued on with the song until the very end. The resounding applause hurt my ears.

Mr. Scott clapped my shoulder. “Astounding, Reese! I had no idea your voice was so deep and clear!”

Sarah hugged me, getting more gasps and stares.

“We’ve been dating for a year, people!” she said to the gawkers. Then she and the Beautifuls gracefully waltzed onto the stage. I went out to the auditorium to see them in action. All of them looked gorgeous on the stage, especially my girl.

Sarah started with a short solo. She sang the beginning of “Set It All Free” from the movie Sing. The Beautifuls chimed in after the first verse. Sarah and Ariella were perfect, of course. The rest of them had improved, but could still use some improvement. Angela sang way off-key, as did Sara Blynn.

Sarah sang the main chorus every time, the rest of the verses filled with all of their voices. The song finished with a flourish, and the Beautifuls bowed at the same time, holding hands. The audience clapped hard for them as well.

Next was Sarah by herself. It was “A Thousand Miles” by Vanessa Carlton.

Her voice was clear, high-pitched, sweet, perfectly in key. Her tones were perfect, her melody, the harmony, absolutely perfect.

Something caught my eye. Apollo was here. I hadn’t seen much of him over the past few weeks. Avoiding Alexander deliberately. Now that Kieran was back, however, he stayed close. I looked up into the crowd. Mother was still filming.

Other Mordecai and Other Alexander were also here, hiding in the back, away from the crowd. They watched Sarah fascinatedly. As if she were important to them. She was significant, but more significant to us, in her universe.

I noticed a flash of red…Marius! What the fuck was he doing here? I was going to kill the guards.

He had an odd look on his face, one of shock, then regret, then hatred, then happiness and love. I’d deal with him later. I shot Father a quick text letting him know Marius was here. He responded quickly, telling me to let it go for now and he’d deal with it later.

Sarah finished the song, and the audience clapped for her.

Last was Scarlett. She sang an odd rendition about love, and psychotics, and danger, and witchcraft, vampires, and hatred. She got little more than polite applause for that one.

I packed up my guitar and met my family out in the front.

“Good song, son,” said a random man.

Father was waiting for me. He looked furious.

“I can’t believe Marius is here!” Mother said, practically pulling her hair out. She was getting some looks, not just because of her incredible beauty, but because she was yelling and could be heard over the din. And she was getting a lot of looks, even from other women, due to the fact that she wore a tight black minidress and sharp stilettos.

Her normally wild hair was pulled back in a clip, and her lips were painted dark red. Her legs shimmered with lotion, smooth and creamy. My own mother would be considered a MILF to the other guys. I would kill them if they so much as made a comment about it.

Gross.

Sarah herself had a bevy of admirers, so it took her a while to reach us.

“You were wonderful tonight, darling,” Mother purred.

“I saw Marius,” Sarah said. She looked at me.

“I suppose I wasn’t specific enough with the guys,” I said.

“It isn’t your fault, Reese,” Father said. “Dimitri is the lead guard. He, at least, should have known better.”

“We’re getting a lot of looks,” Louis said, looking around.

“Because we’re tall and powerful,” Uncle Soren told him. “Not to mention the beauty of our women. And talent.” I hissed at him. “Hush, Reese.”

I noticed Elliot approaching Sarah with a rose.

“You were great, Sarah,” he said, handing her the rose.

“Thanks, Elliott,” Sarah said. She yawned.

“Time for bed, I think,” Mother said.

“Hello, gorgeous,” said a man with a lecherous smile.

“I’m with my husband,” Mother replied instantly.

“Shucks. All the gorgeous ones are taken.”

Alexander glared after him. “The trials of love. Possessing the most gorgeous woman on the planet.”

“Be quiet, Alexander.”

Alexander shut up, without even a glare.

Sarah had to fight off more admirers, finally able to break away.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

When we got home, I pulled the guards aside.

“I meant for you to kill Marius!”

“I told you he wouldn’t be happy,” said Toby to Dimitri. Dimitri looked guilty.

“What’s going on, Dimitri?” Father asked. “You have been lax in your service lately. What is going on? Is it a woman?”

“The Council,” Dimitri finally admitted. “They asked me to keep an eye on you.”

“The Council?” Father was aghast.

“That doesn’t explain why you let Marius go!” I shouted. Uncle Soren put a hand on my shoulder.

“We’ll take care of him later, Reese. I know he hurt Sarah’s dog, but he’ll have to wait. Alexander and Marina will take care of him. It’s their responsibility, anyway.”

“Are you saying that we don’t have a duty to protect Sarah?”

“That’s not what I said. Calm yourself, nephew. Father, we have to disband the Council. They are power-hungry and controlling.”

Grandfather pushed on the counter. “We have to let the vampire world decide. Would they rather have us, who have always been fair, or a Council?”

“A vampire democracy?” Father said. “Father, you’re not serious.”

“I am, boys. I’m getting old. I cannot…I will not be around much longer. Soren, you will have to step up as king.”

“Father…”

We were all stunned.

“I thought you said Louis was taking him back to Denmark,” I told Father.

“I did say that. Father, what’s going on?”

“I’m tired of living. I want to die.”

“Father…”

“Reese, room,” Father said. “We have to talk to your grandfather.”

I shot him a dirty look and stomped up to my room, making a cacophony of noise.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Nothing was settled the next day. Dimitri had been let go, fired. Spencer stepped up as head guard. A meeting was called to decide the fate of the Council. I hadn’t even known about the Council weeks ago, and yet here we were. Forgive me if I complain about trust issues.

The worst part was, I couldn’t trust my guard, not even Toby, and he was also a friend.

I went to a bookstore and bought about twenty books, then purchased a cup of coffee. Forcing myself to drink dirt was my own form of self-punishment. For not making sure that Marius was dead. I sat in a chair and read a fantasy novel for about two hours.

The coffee turned sour in my gut, churning and sloshing. Since vampires can’t pee, I’d have to hold it in until I found a private place to throw it up. I turned to the next novel, but something caught my attention. A black cat.

The cat was a shorthair, probably Burmese. It stared at me, the blue collar around its neck twinkling with sparkles, and I realized it was female. Her yellow eyes pierced mine, one species to another. She yawned and stretched, her claws out. She continued to stare at me, her pink tongue lolling out. She jumped up and settled onto the arm of the chair in which I was sitting. I offered my hand for her to smell.

She did smell it, then frowned, as if she smelled something she didn’t like.

“Sasha, quit bothering the customers,” said a pretty blond witch. I could tell she was a witch by the scent of her blood. Witches, wizards, and warlocks have an earthy smell, very clean. “Sorry about that,” she said, picking up the cat.

“Oh, she’s fine,” I said. “I haven’t seen you around before.”

“Oh, I’m new here. I just moved here from Salem.”

“The witch town.”

She laughed a hearty laugh. “Exactly. Too much magic in the air. Too many psychics and witches competing for the same clients.”

“I hope you’re not like that.”

“Oh, no, I’m not. I’m Mary Twain.” She held out a ringed hand.

“Reese,” I said, taking it. She pulled back at my touch, shocked by the cold. She took a closer look at me. “Yes, I’m a vampire.”

She gasped, her hand flying to her mouth.

“I’m sorry,” I said. “I’ll leave.”

“No, no! Do you have a girlfriend named Sarah Cresley?”

“Yes,” I said carefully. “How do you know her?”

“Not personally, but she is…well, your destinies are special. She’s the one. The princess. The one who will bring all the immortals together.”

“My Sarah? My girl? My future wife?”

Mary nodded excitedly. “It was the talk of Salem fifty years ago. My great-grandmother, Tara, made a prediction. ‘She will bring the immortals together. The one with the power to vanquish the evil from her life forever. She will bring the immortals together. The vampires and the werewolves and the Fae and the Chosen.’”

“The Chosen?”

“Witches, wizards, and warlocks, Reese!”

I had personally never cared for The Chosen One trope, for many reasons. Nor did I believe in it in real life. I packed up my books and got up to leave.

“Where are you going?” Mary asked.

“I don’t believe a word you’re saying. I think you’re a creep. Leave me and my girlfriend alone.”

“But Reese, it’s the truth! She’s special!”

“She is, but I don’t- “

What didn’t I believe? That she could change the world? I knew she could. She changed the attitude of an entire school. She was a princess, or she soon would be. Her name alone meant princess. I didn’t want her to have a bigger burden than she already had.

Was I being selfish?

I looked back at the blond witch. “Tell me everything.”

“I already did. She’s the one.”

“Can I have your phone number?”

“Oh, absolutely!”

We exchanged numbers and I texted her to make sure it was right.

When I got back to Mother’s house, I found Sarah doing sit-ups and stretches in her room on a yoga mat. I admired her smooth, stretch-marked stomach. She had gained weight, which was good.

“Hello, boyfriend,” she cooed.

“Hello, girlfriend. What’s up?”

“Coffee’s doing better. We can pick her up tomorrow.”

“That’s good. I know how much you love her.”

The little brown Chihuahua didn’t particularly like me, but she tolerated me. And I knew how much the girls loved the little yappy tyrant with a Napoleon complex. I sat on Sarah’s bed, staring at her diary cover.

“How’s the book coming along?” I asked.

“I don’t know. I don’t know if I should plan it out, or just go in.”

“Wing it. Planned books are boring.”

“That’s not true, and you know it.”

“Yes, I know. But do you know what you want it to be?”

“I have a rough idea. A girl who falls in love with a vampire.” She looked at me as she planked.

“I like that idea. And then she becomes a vampire herself and marries him.”

“Maybe. That’s a huge maybe. She’ll miss the sun for sure. She has to decide who she likes more, her humanity or his immortality.”

“She’ll live forever, which is a huge bonus, because he’ll live forever no matter what.”

“Her family will die out and she’ll be alone.”

“No she won’t. She has his family, which she’s gotten close to.”

“She has to decide if she’s being selfish enough to live for him or die for her family.”

“She has to realize that love isn’t selfish, and she won’t be considered such if she were to choose his path, a path that he didn’t choose.”

She thought about that, her lips pursed.

“I got you a book,” I said, holding up the newest poetry book by Jamie Williams, her favorite author. She squealed and jumped up, flipping through it.

“He’s so gorgeous,” she sighed.

“Um, I’m right here.”

“You’re more gorgeous, Reesie.” She pinched my cheek. But she stared at his photograph.

He had a clear, prominent jawline and cheekbones, his eyes bright ocean blue and his hair was long and blond. He wore a black turtleneck and a black blazer. Barf. I wanted to kill him.

I struggled to keep my jealousy under control, but I snarled at his photograph until she slammed the book shut and kissed me passionately, throwing her arms around me.

“You’ll always be my guy,” she purred. “Besides, sex with you is amazing. You have the biggest one I’ve ever seen. And felt.”

“That’s a big freaking compliment,” I said, my ego growing.

“Dance with me?” she asked. She pressed a button on the stereo remote, and “Beauty and the Beast” began playing. I grabbed her around the waist, taking her hand in mine. We moved around her large room, my heavy boots making more noise than her small feet. She gazed at me, her green orbs piercing my heart. Cupid’s arrow hit me again.

She turned off the stereo, making the music stop after the song was done. She settled herself on the bed, patting the spot beside her. I kicked off my boots and cuddled with her, wrapping my arms around her waist and pulling her into me.

“Oh, hi Spunk,” Sarah said as the golden retriever made his way into the room and jumped on the bed. He rolled over, asking for a belly rub. She rubbed his belly, then rubbed my leg.

“Oh, something poked me!”

“It’s just me,” I said, putting my head on her shoulder. Spunk climbed into her lap, wagging his tail and grabbing the stereo remote.

“You can’t eat the remote, silly! Just like you can’t eat rocks!” Sarah took the remote from him.

“He eats rocks?”

“He tries. It actually caused a blockage when…when my parents were still around.” She choked up, her eyes shining with tears. I kissed her. I started singing softly, singing “Crazy in Love”. She settled up to me, cuddling. She tried to get up, but I growled and pulled her close.

She went to the window, squinting. “Is that Toby?”

“Probably. I asked him to keep an eye on you. He won’t bug you or invade your privacy, he’ll just be around in case something happens.”

“Alexander’s yelling at him.”

“I hear him. He’s complaining because the guards let Marius get away, and he’s blaming Toby for it.”

“Why? Dimitri is the head guard.”

“Yes, but neither Toby nor Spencer stood up to him or did the right thing. They’re just as responsible for letting him go.”

“It doesn’t make sense to me.”

“That’s because you weren’t born royal. You weren’t raised in a royal or even noble household with servants. Anyway, I thought you’d be angry as well.”

“I was. But well…it’s not entirely their fault. We weren’t specific enough.”

“They’re not children, Sarah. Toby was frozen at eighteen, Spencer was frozen at fifty. Dimitri has been around as long as my father has. And Dimitri betrayed us to the Council. He’ll be punished for his actions.”

“I understand that. I guess I’m just trying to understand how it all works.”

“You don’t need to worry about that yet. You’ll learn when you become my princess.” I bent down and kissed her. I put her hand under my shirt. She stared, amazed at my stomach muscles. She accidentally poked my navel, glancing up at me to see if I would react. I didn’t, other than purring. Spunk nosed his way between us, and I lifted him up and put him on the floor. He whined and jumped on the bed again, begging for a belly rub.

Sarah settled beside me, wincing at something.

“What’s wrong?” I asked.

“Nothing.”

I sighed. “Sarah.”

“Reese Mordecai Emerson, I doubt that you want to hear about random pains and rubs in my most sensitive spot.”

That peaked my interest. “Oh?”

“It’s not fun, Reese, or sexy. It’s just random pains, like sharp pains.”

“Should I get Mother?”

“God, no! Don’t tell her; every girl goes through it. Sometimes I hate having a vagina.”

“Sometimes I hate having a penis. Unless, of course, I’m fucking you. Either in front or behind. Then again, I fucked Evan from behind, too.”

“Reese!” She smacked my arm, blushing. “Don’t tell me things like that!”

“Jealous?”

“NO. It’s kind of hot, actually.” She paused, realizing what she just said. She buried her face in my arm. “Shut up.”

“Spunk, should I punish her for her insolence?” I asked the dog. He tilted his head adorably. I purred, speaking in rapid Greek.

“What?” she asked.

“I said, o agapitós mou erastís, i kardiá mou, o adelfós mou, o gnostós mou. Thélo mia aioniótita mazí sou. That means ‘My dearest lover, my heart, my soulmate, my familiar. I want an eternity with you.’ Do you want an eternity with me?”

“You know the answer.”

I growled. “Sarah.”

“Reese, you can’t expect me to make that decision so quickly. I’ll miss the sun, I’ll miss my human family, and what about my sister?”

“You’re right, I should be nicer about it.”

“Hello, son,” Mother greeted me, carrying a load of laundry into the room. “Sarah, sit up straight. Sternum up. Stomach in. See how strong and beautiful you are?”

“Yes, Mom,” Sarah rolled her eyes. Mother grinned. I knew she liked it whenever Sarah or Sabine called her “Mom”.

“What are you doing with the laundry? Isn’t that Zie’s job?”

“Zie had to help her sister take care of her new baby. So I’m doing laundry for the girls. Oh, by the way, I found a new guard. Her name is Sanderson.”

“Sanderson? She’s a bounty hunter for us,” I said.

“I know-I knew her when Mordecai and I were married. She’ll be your personal guard, Sarah. She usually gets on well with humans and has excellent control, so don’t worry. She won’t bother you or be rude. If she is, I’ll tear her limb from limb.”

Sarah gulped. She still hasn’t gotten used to being around beings with violent thoughts.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I met Christie Sanderson officially when I was ten and hadn’t seen her since. She hadn’t changed much. She had the same dark blond hair in a tight bun, the same leather pants and heavy boots, and the same makeup-free face and dark blue eyes. She bowed to us.

“Hello again, Prince Reese. And you must be Sarah.” Her British accent had lightened, I’d noticed. Not as thick. She held out her hand, and Sarah took it. Sanderson kissed Sarah’s knuckles. “My name is Christie Sanderson.”

“Hello, Ms. Sanderson,” Sarah squeaked.

“Please, call me Christie. Or Chris, either one works. I will be your personal guard, princess. I will also watch your sisters on occasion, but I am mostly here for you.”

“When will my sisters get their own guards?”

“Very soon. I was also suggested for Selena, but Ms. Santorino thought my personality would work better with yours.”

“Do you have any hobbies?”

“Yes, actually. I’m fond of card tricks and children’s magic games. By the way, what is that in your jacket pocket?”

Sarah pulled out an ace of spades of her denim jacket. She smiled.

“How did you do that?”

“Magic, princess.” Chris smiled at her.

“Do you have kids?”

“Alas, I do not, although I have always wanted a little girl. My job does not allow me to have children, or even a mate. My occupation is too dangerous.”

I smiled. They got along perfectly. Chris and Sarah continued to talk about Sarah’s hobbies and ideas, their mutual love of violent videogames, WWE, and their love for their sisters. While Sarah only had one biological sister, Chris had three, two of them younger, and a fraternal twin. nWhile Sarah was more girly, Chris was more tomboyish, and while Sarah’s sister was sort of bratty and wasn’t particularly close, Chris’ sisters looked up to her.

Mother smiled at the scene. “I knew Sanderson would be perfect,” she said. She turned to Selena. “Now we need to find someone for you and Sabine. Shouldn’t be too hard now.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The next few days were filled with job interviews. I went to the restaurant where Sarah worked. She looked stunning in her orange apron and cute peach skirt and white tank, her ass pert and round.

“Hello, my name is Sarah, and I’m going to be your waitress,” she said to a family with unruly kids.

“Five waters, no ice, three Cokes, two of them diets. And be quick about it!”

I frowned. But despite the rudeness, she still had a smile plastered on. I read her mind. She was thinking about going home and starting a new book series by Holly Black, one of her favorite authors.

I asked meekly for a water and a rare-cooked steak. Of all human foods, rare steak is the least disgusting.

After I finished the disgusting human meal, I walked over to the bookstore next door. Keeping an eye on my mate was exhausting. Keeping up with her lifestyle was exhausting. Working, working, working. School. Homework and studying. Friends. Cheerleading.

I tried not to react when I saw Glen Crow. He was nursing a black coffee and watching my girl. His black wavy hair framed his handsome face like a dark curtain framing a window that led to a stormy day. His dark eyes noticed me, and he quickly averted them.

“What do you want with her?” I asked. He sighed.

“I want her. You know that. I’m starting to realize that she may never be mine, though. You win.”

“I-what?”

“You win. Do I have to repeat it? I love her, but she’ll never be mine. She never was, and she never will be.”

I was suspicious. “What is this?”

“Gods, do I need to say it again? I was wrong. You were right. She’s yours. I’m backing away, just like Eric Martin did when she told him that she was not interested in him. Of course, he only wanted her for her hot ass. I actually…when I saw her in your mind, I fell in love with her right away. But I’m a warlock. Her future is with you, almost human but not quite. Not dark magic.”

“I’m not almost human.”

“Not physically, but your soul is. You’re innocent, good in your heart. So is she. I’m not. I can’t give her the life you can. That you have already. I will always love her, but my time with her is over. She never loved me, and never will. My attitude is too abrasive, my ideas too dark for her girlish mind. She belongs with you, Reese Emerson Nicolai.”

“Nicolai?”

“Of course. That name is in your blood, isn’t it?”

While I thought about that, Glen finished his coffee and left. He picked out a book at random and went to pay for it.

Of course, I was technically a Nicolai. Apollo and Emery were brothers, so technically, Nicolai should have been my surname. So why was it Emerson?

That was a question for my grandfather.

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE – CHANGE

Finishing the tome of Shakespeare’s works, I was done with my required reading for school. Father was talking loudly to Uncle Soren, probably arguing as usual. Faolan was resting by the pool, Grandfather was in the library reading, and Louis was out flirting with a new girl.

I rolled over and spooned Sarah. She was reading a fanfiction on her phone. My eyes glazed across the bright screen, briefly reading about a vampire who preferred drinking animal blood to human blood. I scoffed. There were vampires who chose to do that, and they were seen as weak and pathetic.

I kissed her ear, and she giggled. I knew she was ticklish there. I nipped her lobe, trying not to shatter the pearl earring in her ear. I moved my mouth down to her shoulder, her ribs, her side, her hips. I growled at the scent of her and rolled her onto her back. She looked terrified. My eyes roved over her form. I slipped her shorts off, pausing when the smell of blood assaulted my nose. My eyes widened, my nostrils flared, my fangs grew.

My stomach tightened and my heart clenched. No wonder she had been complaining of pain the other day. I pulled her shorts back up, growling. I started as I realized that, in my haste to undress her, her earring had nicked the area behind her ear, which was now bleeding.

“Forgive me,” I said, my voice deeper than normal. I ran to the bathroom and hid, nearly tripping over Frodo. I heard my uncle enter my room.

“Did he hurt you, Sarah?” he asked.

“He didn’t mean to,” she said.

“What happened to your ear?”

“He got excited and…he…um…”

“No need to say anymore. I’ll take care of that for you.”

I sang to myself softly while I relaxed, trying hard to keep my appetite under control. I went to my room, where Uncle Soren was taking Sarah’s earrings out and setting them on the counter. I noticed her gaze at his arms, his rippling muscles. Jealousy twisted my gut, especially when she sighed softly as his chest bumped her. She glanced at me and blushed, looking down.

I wanted to tear them away from each other.

“Did Reese tell you about my earrings?” Uncle Soren asked her.

“No, he didn’t,” she said, looking at me.

“He used to wear a gold hoop,” I said.

“That’s true,” Uncle Soren said. “In my left ear. I still have the piercing, but it’s barely noticeable now.”

I growled. She’s mine.

Mine. MINE!

“Mine!” I growled, snatching her from him.

“Reese, calm down,” Uncle Soren said. “Let me finish cleaning her up. Reese, I see her as a niece.”

“NO! You have no mate, so you want mine!”

“Don’t be ridiculous. She’s yours. And too young for me.”

“Like Ariella?”

“I learned my lesson with Ariella! I’m not going to try to take her from you!”

“Reese,” Sarah whispered. I looked at her, blinking. She looked like a frightened rabbit. I was angry with myself. I frightened her yet again. My heart clenched; my stomach tightened. I growled softly, then slowly let go of her. I hissed when I saw that I’d accidentally bruised her.

Uncle Soren finished cleaning her up.

“You need to hunt,” he told me.

“I’m not hungry,” I said obstinately, even though my throat burned, and my stomach growled.

“Stop lying to yourself. Go eat, I’ll watch over her.”

Hissing, I left the room through the window.

Before long, I came across a man lying in the gutter, half-dead from a knife wound. I drank my fill, careful not to leave hair or fingerprints. I climbed onto the roof of a building and ran across the rooftops. The day was cloudy, dull.

I kept running until I reached the poorest side of town. I continued to look for a meal. I saw kids fighting, graffiti painting, and other rituals of violence. Violence is all over, not just in the projects. Look at me. I live in a mansion, and I’ve killed people. Sometimes I live in a castle. Sometimes I hate being a prince.

I kept running until I came across a girl who had been raped. I called for an ambulance, and left the scene, as there was blood on my shirt. I kept looking until I came across the guys who had raped the girl.

“Vanessa won’t talk again,” one said, grinning.

“Vanessa?” I said to myself. Vanessa Slaughterman was a prostitute I had drunk from and then assisted last year. The name had stuck with me, as a friend of Sarah’s who was an angel had also mentioned the name.

I realized that the girl I’d come across was Vanessa. I went back to the scene, where she was being loaded into an ambulance and questioned by, of all people, Detective Emma Greene.

I followed the ambulance to the hospital, where Vanessa was taken to the trauma ward. I sent Father a text, detailing what I’d found. He replied back quickly.

Father: Don’t get involved further. Walk away. Don’t try to be a hero.

When I arrived home, there was an argument occurring in the yard between the wolves and my family. Sadie was there, and so was Faolan.

“Reese, there is a problem,” Faolan said. “Did you and Sadie have sex?”

“Y-yes,” I admitted, carefully, because Sarah was there. “It was when Sarah and I were taking a break.” I looked at Sarah. She was biting her lip, trying not to cry.

“Then, under werewolf law, you and Sadie are married,” Faolan said.

“Fuck. Is there anything I can do to divorce her?”

“You want a divorce?” Sadie asked, looking horrified.

“Sadie, you were a good fuck. When I was a werewolf, I couldn’t control my emotions. I couldn’t control anything.”

“He’s right,” Father said. “He has porphyria.”

All the vampires shuddered at the name of the disease.

“So what you said…wasn’t real?” Sadie asked.

“What did I say? And why didn’t you try to get me before this?”

“I thought you were…I don’t know. I thought you need time and space.”

“Are you fucking crazy? I don’t want to be tied to a wolf for all time!”

“Watch your tone, Reese,” Faolan said warningly. “Sadie is like a daughter to me.”

“Some father you are,” I said sarcastically. Father hissed at me to be quiet.

“The only way to divorce, or separate, is if one of you dies or goes through a lengthy spiritual process,” Faolan said. “But if you choose to go through the spiritual process, you have to be a were of some kind or a shapeshifter.”

“Damn, damn, damn,” I muttered to myself.

“You have such a dirty mouth,” Sarah said, looking angry.

“And how would you know that?” Sadie snapped.

“Because he’s my boyfriend!”

“Well, he’s my husband. Husband outranks boyfriend.”

“What a day,” I said. “Fine. Bite me.”

“No!” Father cried. “Faolan, if you bite him, I swear I’ll kill you!”

“Dad, I don’t want to be married to Sadie!”

“But I do!” Sadie cried. “I love you, Reese. I have for a long time. I don’t care if you have a girlfriend. I love you.”

“Wrong choice of words, bitch,” Sarah hissed. I smirked. In a fight, Sadie would win, hands down, but it would be enjoyable to see Sarah fight for me.

“Fine, I’ll bite him!” said one of the wolves standing by. He stepped forward, only to be punched by Father.

“No one’s getting bitten! Especially not Reese!”

“Mordecai, we don’t have a choice!” Uncle Soren said. “It’s either that, or one of the kids dies. And we don’t want that.”

“There’s too much anger in the air,” Grandfather spoke up. “Let us take a few days to cool down, and then we can figure out where to go from there.”

“The Council,” I breathed.

“Crap, he’s right,” Louis said. “The Council cannot find out about this!”

“No, I mean…maybe they can help.”

“Okay, you have officially lost your mind. They are trying to overthrow us, remember?”

“Louis is right, Reese. We can’t rely on the Council,” Uncle Soren said. “Bite him already!”

“NO!”

“MORDECAI, STOP INTERFERING!”

While Father and Uncle Soren shouted at each other, Sadie and Sarah started shouting at each other, and Faolan and I started shouting at each other. So it was a shock when Grandfather told us all to shut up.

“EVERYONE, SHUT UP! Now that I have your attention, there may be something else we can do.” He turned to Uncle Soren. “Where is the book?”

“Father, we can’t rely on the book either!”

“Whoa, what book?” Sarah asked.

“It’s not meant for mortal eyes,” said Uncle Soren.

“The only mortal here is Sarah! And she won’t look at the book or read from it.”

“Father, you of all people should know better! The book is full of dark magic!”

“It was your fault the book’s here in the first place! Honestly…killing a vampire lord’s son over it…taking Reese to the Night Market…”

“When are you and Mordecai going to stop harping on about that? I know I made a mistake! Honestly, though…”

“Enough,” I said. “This isn’t helping. Sadie, I want a divorce.”

She burst into tears. “Well, I don’t. So it won’t work like that, anyway. The only way we can get divorced if I want it. And I don’t want it. So you’ll have to deal with me forever, or at least for a long time.”

Sarah walked over to me and wrapped her arms around my waist. “Mine.”

Gasps all around ensued, and Father smirked.

“What did I do?” Sarah asked, looking around.

“You claimed Reese,” Faolan explained. “That makes it more complicated. Under werewolf law, a werewolf cannot have two mates. This makes Sadie’s predicament more complicated because Reese now has two mates instead of one. He will have two mates until one of you stops loving him, or if he stops loving you.”

“As if I would ever stop loving her!” I shouted. “She’s mine. Mine and no one else’s.”

“You sound like a Fury,” Louis said. He nudged his father. “Remember that Fury we fought about two hundred years ago? She stole the book and kept saying ‘Mine! Mine mine mine mine mine!’”

Sarah stood up and kissed my jaw. “You’re fuzzy,” she noted.

“I haven’t shaved in a while,” I admitted.

“Oh, sure, tease the slut,” Sadie sarcasted.

“Get over it,” Sarah snapped. “He’s always been mine. No one else’s. Except Evan’s.” She glanced up at me.

“Oh, another whore?” Sadie said.

“I’m bi,” I told her. I heard giggles and gasps and oohs.

“Bilingual?” she said.

“Don’t be stupid,” I snapped. “I won’t lie, I’ve fucked a guy before. Yes, I also speak multiple languages. Sadie, I don’t like you. I don’t love you. Faolan, bite me.”

Faolan leaped forward, much to Father’s protests, and bit me hard on the neck. I felt pain, then dizziness, then nauseous. I fell over, heard Sarah screaming. Father was yelling loudly at Faolan, and Sadie was crying.

I woke up in a haze of drugs. I felt my ribs crack, and my heart…my heart was beating. Pounding. Hard. My stomach growled, and I craved raw meat. I got up, my ribs smarting, and kicked off the covers. I was dressed in a plain white shirt and grey sweatpants. I got up and stalked down the stairs to the kitchen. I opened the fridge, my mouth watering at the sight of all the meat. I chose a big roast first.

The blood seeped into my veins and made me immortal, while the meat satisfied my cravings. I ate the whole roast, juice dripping onto my shirt. My fangs had sharpened exponentially, as had the rest of my teeth. I had another set of fangs on my lower jaw, about half an inch long and pointing up.

I ate the rest of meat until my belly felt like it would split open. Happy, satisfied, I turned to find my family and my girlfriend watching me, some with looks of amusement, others with worried looks. Even Mother, Alexander, and Selena were there. Even Sabine was there.

Mother and Father looked the most worried. Alexander had a blank expression. Selena looked heartbroken. Sarah and Sabine looked apprehensive. Uncle Soren and Louis looked amused. Grandfather merely looked concerned.

“That was good,” I said, licking my lips.

“I will never forgive Faolan for this,” Father said after a moment.

“Son, it was the only way,” Grandfather said. “The only other way would be to kill one of them. You don’t want that, do you?”

Father and Mother shuddered. Mother approached me cautiously and hugged me.

“My sweet boy,” she cooed. “Mommy’s here.” She broke away after two minutes and sniffed. “You stink, though.”

“Sorry, I don’t mean to stink,” I said.

“It’s not you, it’s the wolf infection,” Louis explained. “Werewolves normally stink to vampires. It’s odd, because vampires smell unusually good to wolves. They’re attracted to our blood.”

“Not to mention competition over food,” Uncle Soren added. “Our food sources are similar. The same, really. Both of us consume blood, with wolves also consuming meat.”

“Don’t be upset with Faolan,” I told Father. “He did it to save my life and my relationship with Sarah.”

Father said nothing. Finally, Sarah spoke up.

“Now I get to say that I’ve had sex with a werewolf too,” she said. Mother and Selena laughed at this, although the guys looked confused.

“Competition over women, too,” I told them. “A tale as old as the beginning of Rome.”

“Remus and Romulus were adopted by a she-wolf,” explained Grandfather. “Possibly werewolf. And they had their legends about our kind as well. In Greece, anyone with red hair was considered a possible vampire.”

“You have red hair,” Uncle Soren pointed out.

“Ah, but I never went to Greece unless absolutely necessary. And only at night. They would not have liked my Danish ancestry, anyway.”

“Even when I was a human, my mother distrusted anyone with red hair or anyone from Italy,” Mother said. “Which was ironic, because her hair was strawberry blonde.”

She pulled me close and pecked my hair. “Wow, you really do stink.”

Sarah approached me and hugged me. I purred and lifted her up. She wrapped her muscular legs around my thin waist, and I kissed her. She made a noise and placed her head on my chest.

“I love you, too,” I replied to her silent statement. I kissed her hand. I could smell her blood flowing through her veins, moving fast, keeping her heart pumping. My fangs elongated, my heart pounded, my throat burned. A hiss could be heard, and Selena was pulling Sarah away from me. I hissed back at my sister and pulled my girl back. For a moment, we hissed at each other, then Selena bowed her head and I buried my nose in Sarah’s soft curls.

She looked confused, and she looked at Mother questioningly.

“They had a brief argument because he likes the way you smell,” she explained. I growled lightly and nibbled on her uninjured ear.

“Mate,” I growled, my voice becoming husky and deeper than normal. “Wife. Girlfriend. Fiancée.”

“Fiancée?” Sarah asked.

“When all this is over with, I’m going to ask you to marry me,” I said.

“You know my answer,” she said quietly.

“You don’t have to become a vampire. You can stay human, or we can turn you into something else. You’re already half fairy, so that’s partly taken care of.”

“How will that work out?”

“The same way it works out now. We can stay like this forever, if that’s what you wish.”

“I really think you should give more thought to becoming a vampire, Sarah,” Louis said.

“Your opinion doesn’t count,” I informed him.

“Wow, thanks.”

She clung to me. I kissed her again.

She said nothing as I carried her to my bedroom, then went to take a shower. When I came back, she was singing Sarah McLachlan. I sat beside her, purring. I took a deep breath.

I could smell everything!

My sense of smell was already powerful, but now my sense of smell was even more potent. I could smell the daffodils in the garden, the rosebushes, wild herbs, and even a fox nearby. I licked my lips. I was tempted to chase after the fox. I wanted to run, to feel the dirt beneath my paws, to hear my fellow packmates howling to each other.

I smelled vampires and cats. The cats I didn’t care about, as there was nothing on them. The vampires, however, I wanted to taste their blood. Hear their screams as I ripped their livers out.

“Reese?” I looked over at my beautiful mate. She looked fearful, worried. I kissed her, assuring her that everything was fine. I growled, pinning her to the bed. Her scent filled my nose. Mate. Wife. Fiancée. Girlfriend. Mine. All mine.

Control, Reese. Control.

I took a deep breath. Big mistake. Scents filled my nostrils again. Human. Vampire. Cat. Fox. Werewolf. Bird. Rabbit. Squirrel. Deer. Thick. Full. Deep. My heart pounded. I had to get away. So I ran out of the room.

I kept running, even after I heard footsteps following me. Father pounced on me, pinning me to the dead grass and millennia-old earth. I tried to get away, to no avail. He kept me pinned.

“I have run!” I shouted. “Hunt! Meat! Blood! I SMELL BLOOD!”

“Silence! Reese, control!”

“His thoughts are all over the place! Mordecai, let him up.”

“NO! He’ll hurt himself!”

“No, he won’t! Relax, brother. Let him go!”

Father hesitated, then slowly let me up. And I ran.

I heard him following me, and when I glanced back, I saw Uncle Soren grabbing his arms and holding him back. Father struggled, but still, I kept running.

I came across an unlucky old buck that crossed my path. I took him down in seconds and broke his neck, then started digging my teeth in. The meat was good. Satisfying. Thrilling. I was on a high. I was no longer Reese Mordecai Emerson, the vampire prince, but Reese Mordecai Emerson, the hybrid.

I ate the buck until he was naught but bone, then moved on. I was full, but my appetite was never-ending. I could have eaten a blue whale. I came across more deer, taking down bucks and avoiding does and fawns. I took down a few foxes, enjoying the meaty blood. I came across a coyote, enjoying that meat most of all.

All in all, I took down about thirty animals, including deer, foxes, coyotes, and even a black bear that had strayed too far south. I was stuffed and happy by the time I finished. And then I realized that I was still only in my underwear.

Praying that no one saw me, I ran back to the house, where Father was now being held back by Grandfather as well. When he saw me, he broke free and tackled me to the ground again.

“DO NOT EVER RUN OFF AGAIN! DO YOU KNOW HOW WORRIED I’VE BEEN?! I CAN’T BELIEVE YOU DID THAT! YOU’RE COVERED IN BLOOD! IF ANYTHING HAPPENED TO YOU I DON’T KNOW WHAT I’D DO! HOW MANY ANIMALS DID YOU KILL? DO I NEED TO BURY ANYBODY?! YOU STINK LIKE WOLF!”

“For god’s sake, Mordecai, give him some room to breathe and time to answer!” Uncle Soren chided.

“I killed thirty animals, no people, I’m stuffed to the brim, I ate lots of meat, although I preferred predator meat, I killed deer, foxes, coyotes, and even a bear- “

“A BEAR?! REESE MORDECAI EMERSON- “

“SHUT UP, MORDECAI!” Uncle Soren shouted at the top of his lungs. “Let him finish!”

“The meat was so good; it was like heaven! And I can smell everything! Things I couldn’t smell before. And my feelings for Sarah…it was like I couldn’t get enough of her.”

“See, brother? Everything worked out. He’s all right. He’s alive. You worried for nothing.”

Father grabbed my shoulders and began sniffing me all over. He wrinkled his nose.

“Your mother’s right. You do stink.”

“I’ll go take a shower.”

“You do that. And like I said earlier, DO NOT EVER RUN AWAY FROM ME AGAIN!”

“Father, I’m okay!”

He reached forward and tweaked my nose for sassing.

“Shush! Shower, now!”

I stuck my tongue out at him and went back to the house, where I took a long, hot shower.

I stuck my bloody clothes into the hamper for later. Usually the guards did the laundry and basic cleaning, including the Cat Room with the litterbox. I felt sorry for Toby, who usually got stuck with that job. He could of course hold his breath, but we don’t like to be without a sense of smell.

When I went back into the living room, Sarah was reading on the couch. She stood up when she saw me, and I realized she was wearing my jacket. I wondered why she liked to steal my clothes, and figured it was because they smelled like me. She hugged me around the waist, kissing me.

Kissing me took some effort, because I wasn’t willing to get too close to her. Sometimes I wished I was shorter, or she was taller.

“What are your plans for the weekend?” I asked.

“Meet the squad at the Starbucks in the mall. Just us girls,” she assured me. “Maybe shop a little.”

“Knowing you, you’ll probably buy five hundred dollars’ worth of stuff,” I teased. She blushed.

“Maybe. What about you?”

“Figure out how to divorce Sadie. Fix this mess. Try to find Other Reese.”

She bit her lip. “Maybe I should stay.”

“No, you go, have fun with the girls. I’ll be fine.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Alas, the weekend did not start off without a hitch. It was finals week, and I had to study, study, study before the exams and then go to Denmark. Father found me asleep at my desk Saturday morning, snoring over my textbook. He carried me to bed and was fiddling off my shirt before I woke up and freaked out. I honestly thought I was dead.

He cradled me and purred to me for half an hour, and I detailed the nightmare about failing Psychology. I almost started crying, and then he rocked me back to sleep after that. I slept until noon, and made a status update about falling asleep at my desk. I don’t normally use Facebook unless I’m lurking somebody with an hourglass figure with natural curls colored brown with blond flecks and who was a total sweetheart. No, you can’t have her.

I texted said sweetheart.

Sarah: in the food court w the girls. New Chinese place!

Apparently, Ariella had been accepted by the rest of the group and was now a Beautiful.

Sarah: Scarlett Hart approaching. Looks hot in a red tank and purple miniskirt and high-heeled boots. Carrying a small purple bag with a skull on it.

Reese: Does she want trouble?

Sarah: Don’t know yet. The rest of the girls have noticed and now we’re all staring at her.

Reese: if she gives you trouble, don’t hesitate to call for Sanderson. She should be nearby.

Sarah: She is. Ur mom made her come along.

Reese: She should be with u at all times, no matter what. Toby is almost always near me, even if I don’t see him.

Sarah: Ur a prince. I’m a regular girl.

Reese: Stop right there. According to tradition and law, you will soon be a princess and must be treated as such.

Sarah: Scarlett’s talking. Wow! She actually apologized for all the shit she did.

Reese: You’re bluffing.

Sarah: No, I’m not. She apologized specifically to me. I told her that I’ve already forgiven her, and now she’s going into Nordstrom.

Reese: Keep an eye on her.

I didn’t trust Scarlett’s motives. I didn’t trust Scarlett. She could have been stringing Sarah along. I knew that Sarah would think that she was being serious.

I needed a break.

I went outside to smoke, and found Uncle Soren there already, also smoking. He smiled at me, then turned back.

“Any luck with Mitra?” I said over my cigarette.

“No,” he said quietly. “I don’t think she’s interested in dating at all.”

He was fooling himself. She was more into Romeo, if she bothered to notice them at all. Uncle Soren finished his stick and stepped on it.

“I don’t know what to do, Reese,” he said. “I keep choosing the wrong girls. I’m at a loss. Maybe I’m meant to be single forevermore. I am one of the few who remember several extinct animals, and I have yet to find my soulmate. Maybe I’ll never find her. Maybe I’m too late, and she’s found another, or she’s dead. Either way, I’m forced to accept it.”

He went back inside, hiding his face, although I saw tears at the corners of his eyes. He really needed her, whoever she was. I was lucky to have found mine so early.

As I finished my cigarette, I noticed a figure approaching. It was female, with short hair.

It was Mitra. She was missing an arm and her leg had severe lacerations.

“Help me,” she breathed. “They killed Ellis!”

“Father! Uncle Soren!”

They came in seconds. When Uncle Soren saw Mitra, he went over to her and lifted her up bridal style.

“I’m sorry,” she said, before she blacked out.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Well, I can’t feel any internal damage,” said Louis a few hours later. “Something’s scared her, she’s shook up.”

Uncle Soren cradled Mitra like a mate would.

“What happened?” he demanded. I had told them already what had happened and what she’d said, but I repeated it.

“The reservation!” Mitra shouted, sitting up. “Nana! It’s all my fault! I’m so sorry!”

“Hush, beloved,” Uncle Soren whispered. She looked at him. And then she started crying. She leaned into him, whimpering as her missing arm pressed against him.

“It’s all my fault,” she repeated.

“What happened?” Uncle Soren asked her.

“They attacked…Romeo was with them…they killed my friend Ellis…so much blood and death…one of them looked like Reese, except he had a scar on his chin. Bartimaeus and his coven were with them.”

“Bartimaeus is supposed to be in Denmark,” said Father.

“Look, whatever happened, it was not your fault,” Uncle Soren told Mitra. She cried harder.

“Toby! Spencer!” I called out. They stepped forward. “Go to the reservation. Investigate what happened, but don’t kill or burn anybody or anything. Someone needs to call Armani; he’s the highest guard after Dimitri.”

Mitra whimpered.

“Hush,” Uncle Soren commanded. “It’s all right. I’m here now. We’ll figure out what’s going on.”

She looked at him, looked into his eyes. Uncle Soren looked back at her with love and fear in his eyes. I don’t know exactly what went on in Mitra’s head, but I could sense that Uncle Soren was deeply in love in that moment.

I was surprised next when she leaned forward and kissed him. He was surprised, too. He wrapped his arms around her, hugging her tightly. Father covered my eyes, but I licked his hand. He gave me a disgusted look and wiped his hand on his jeans.

It was a moment that would have made Sarah’s favorite author, Jamie Williams, proud.

Boy finds girl, girl is abrasive and refuses to admit her feelings, boy is distraught, girl gets hurt and winds up needing his help.

It made me wish that my own lover was here, but she was still out with her friends. Mitra kept crying, coddled by Uncle Soren.

Toby came back, carrying an arm. Louis took it and applied it to Mitra’s stump. She whimpered, tears rolling down her cheeks.

“Shh, shhh,” Uncle Soren cooed. “I’m here now. Shh. It’s all right.” Mitra mumbled under her breath, still whimpering.

“Keep the arm on the stump for at least an hour,” Louis said. “Toby, go to the kitchen and heat up a glass of blood. What’s your favorite type, Mitra?”

“O positive,” Mitra whispered.

“Heat up some of that, then, and give it to her. She needs lots of blood, and lots of rest. Keep her in one of the rooms.”

“My room,” Uncle Soren said quickly. He carried her up to his room.

CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE- SOREN’S POV AND MITRA

I purred as I carried my wounded mate up to my room. My heart broke for her, but she was here with me now.

“I should have been more vigilant,” she said. “I should have accepted my fate. I should have accepted you. I should have been there for Ellis.”

“Hush,” I said. I held her arm up to the stump while it reattached and healed. Toby brought me a couple glasses of blood for her. I held it to her mouth while she drank. I noticed that her chin-length black hair was stained with vampire blood.

I held her arm there for an hour and thirty minutes, praying that she’d heal quickly. Vampires are instinctually protective of their mates, especially if said mate is a female. She is still weaker than me, even if she was my age, she’d still be weaker than me.

I fluffed her pillow, covering her with the white Egyptian cotton covers. She was still crying softly, but was not as traumatized. I kissed her as she fell asleep.

“Sleep well, my love,” I said. I stroked her cheek. “Beautiful.”

I woke up first the next morning. I could hear Reese snoring in the next room, muttering in his sleep. No doubt Mordecai was with him. My brother often checked on my nephew in the middle of the night, slipping in when he couldn’t sleep. He often left before Reese woke up, or if he didn’t, he was usually angry or upset about something.

Reese pretended not to know this, but we all knew he did. I slipped into my memories of first seeing him, a chubby pink wriggly baby vampire in his mother’s arms. He was a beautiful sight, much like my own son when I first saw him, all pink with a tuft of dark hair.

I purred, thinking of my next child. The one I would eventually have with Mitra. If she wanted children at all. I knew that a lot of women today chose not to have children for several reasons, all founded.

My belly tightened as she shifted in my arms. Her arm had healed completely last night, although she’d have a scar where it was torn off. I would kill whoever had harmed her.

As I buried my nose in her soft breasts, I inhaled her scent. Woody and earthy, along with all the other scents a female vampire has. One in particular caught my attention. The scent of her womanly parts.

I moved my hand down her flat belly, undoing her denim shorts. I was not surprised to find a pair of cotton panties underneath. I lifted them up for a peek, then my wrist was grabbed. Mitra had woken up, and was glaring at me.

I sighed, letting go of the cotton and moving up hand up to her side. Her gaze slid from my eyes down to my chest, her hands moving along my big arms.

“You like my big arms, don’t you?”

“Yes.”

I rolled on top of her. “Do you like my big chest and my potbelly?”

“Yes.”

“Do you like my yellow eyes and my long hair?”

“Yes.”

“Do you like the shape of my ass?”

“Yes.”

“Do you like my trunk-like legs and big feet and hands?”

“Yes.

“Do you like my broad shoulders?”

“Yes. Do you like my thin figure?”

“Yes, I do. Very much.”

“Do you like my short black hair and my dark eyes? Do you like my tan?”

“Yes. I like every bit of you, Mitra Dearwood. I can’t believe you’re only two hundred years old. I like your tiny hands and feet, I like your muscular arms and legs, I like your firm ass and soft breasts, I like your neck and your chin, I like your delicate nose and full lips. I also like your big mouth.”

“My big mouth is why my best friend is dead.”

“Don’t feel bad, honey. They would have attacked you, anyway. It’s us they’re after, and I…I’ve been around the reservation. I’m sorry. It’s my fault you were attacked, not yours.”

Tears sprang into her large eyes, and I covered her completely. Seeing her small frame beneath my large one only fueled my instincts and improved my fragile male ego. My belly tightened as I stared into her beautiful eyes. I noticed small flecks of green and yellow. Multi-colored eyes. Rainbow eyes. Stunning and deep. Sparkly, full of intelligence and pride. Now filled with sorrow, because of me.

My heart twisted as I looked into her eyes.

Reese

My heart leapt as I heard sobbing coming from Uncle Soren’s room. No doubt it was Mitra. I got up and turned on my stereo, then I took a long, hot shower. I scrubbed my skin raw, washed my hair until it squeaked, and shaved my chin. I noticed a happy trail growing on my stomach. I wondered if Sarah would like that.

I studied myself. I had armpit and leg hair now. I knew that Father had some, too. I looked at my hair. For years I’d kept it in a gothic emo style, my bangs cut in a sharp razor style. My hair had been cut before last year’s Holiday Ball, and it was finally growing back. My hair grows more slowly than most natural-born vampires. I studied the white tips, finally appearing again.

I’m allergic to most hair dyes, so that wasn’t an option. I thought about that. I thought about Grandfather, who’d been born a human, changed into a vampire by Alexander. He’d been bitten when he was about fifty, yet I never saw any white or grey hairs on him. His hair was still the same bright red it had always been.

I turned off Avenged Sevenfold, keeping the towel wrapped around my waist. Mitra had stopped crying, and Uncle Soren was talking to her. My insides ached as I thought about Sarah. What she had been through. What she was going through. Was she really okay?

I remembered that I was now a hybrid. Maybe that was the reason for the sudden appearance of the hair on my belly and arms? I looked into my reflection in the mirror door. My yellow eyes were brighter, my skin rosier, not as pale. My nose was still beak-like and large, but straighter somehow. My lips were redder and fuller. My collarbone was less prominent, as was my Adam’s apple.

I was fuller, less thin. More muscular.

I undid the towel and found some clean underwear in my dresser, jumping when Shadowfang bit my ankle.

“What was that for?” I demanded of the cat. He puffed his tail off and stalked off, purposely showing me his backside.

“He’s mad,” said Mishka, jumping onto my bed. “But I’m not allowed to say why. Neither are the kittens, so don’t bother asking them.”

“If I don’t know the problem, how can I fix it?”

“He wants to tell you himself. By the way, it’s morning. Breakfast time. And Toby still hasn’t fed us.”

“Go bother him, then.”

“I can’t. His door is locked. And Spencer can’t get in, either.”

“I thought he moved into Spencer’s room?”

“They got into a tiff last night and Toby went to his old room.”

“I’ll talk to him.”

As soon as I reached my friend’s door, I knew something was wrong. I heard muffled screams from inside, and Spencer appeared, looking worried. I kicked down the door. What I saw would give anyone nightmares.

Toby was dangling from the ceiling by a rope, cloth stuffed into his mouth so he couldn’t speak, his wrists and ankles handcuffed and tied together. Tears ran down his dark cheeks, and he looked at us pleadingly.

I jumped onto the bed and bit the rope with my teeth. Toby dropped. Spencer tore the rope binding his ankles and wrists, trying to tear the titanium handcuffs off. I took the cloth out of Toby’s mouth. The moment I did, he started crying.

“Baby,” Spencer whispered, holding Toby. He rocked him back and forth.

“What happened?” I asked. Toby pointed to his throat to show he couldn’t speak. He pointed to the mirror, then picked up a lock of his own long black hair, then pointed to me.

“Are you saying Other Reese and Torrance did this?”

“What happened?!” Father demanded, entering the room. His mouth opened when he noticed the rope dangling from the ceiling, I explained that Other Reese and Torrance had come in, and explained how we’d found Toby.

Father was furious when I was finished.

“They terrorized my best guard?” he said dangerously.

“He’s not your guard anymore,” Spencer said firmly. “Toby, I forbid you from doing any more guard work.”

Toby nodded hurriedly, more tears falling from his eyes.

“I need to talk to Other Mordecai,” Father said. “Can you two handle this?”

“Of course,” I said. I shot Uncle Soren a quick text.

My uncle flitted into the room. I again explained what had happened, and Uncle Soren’s eyes got dangerously narrow.

“There’s going to be murder,” he said. “Toby is like a son to me. I taught him how to read and write. We’ve saved each other’s lives countless times. Toby, I swear to you, I’ll find the people who did this, and they’ll die for it.”

Toby shook his head.

“It was Other Reese and Torrance,” I told Uncle Soren. He grimaced. Toby shook his head again.

“It was Bartimaeus’ clan,” Spencer said. “He’s telling me now. Bartimaeus’ clan is from the same universe as Other Reese’s.”

“But there’s girls in his clan,” I said. “Girls and guys live on different planets in his universe.”

“Strange, but not impossible.” I looked up at Other Mordecai, who was sadly looking down at us.

He’s grown, I thought.

“Toby, I cannot tell you how sorry I am on behalf of my son. I don’t know why he’s doing this. Please, give us a chance to find him and Torrance.”

“You can handle Other Reese. Torrance and the rest of them are ours,” said Uncle Soren.

“Fine. That’s fine with me.”

“Baby,” Spencer muttered. Toby had slumped in his arms. “Baby, I’m so sorry, this is my fault. I should have been here. I should not have let you be alone.”

Toby shook his head again. He pointed at Other Mordecai, then to me.

“He’s saying that they would have done it anyway,” I said.

“Maybe, but they would have chosen someone else. I’d rather it happened to me. Toby, I’m so sorry.”

Toby shook his head again.

“How long were you suspended?” I asked. He held up five fingers.

“Five hours?!” Uncle Soren raged. “Un-fucking-believable!”

Other Mordecai actually burst into tears. “I’m so, so sorry,” he said.

“How did no one hear it?” I asked. We all looked at each other. My stomach dropped when I realized that indeed, no one had heard a thing. I’m a heavy sleeper, but Uncle Soren isn’t.

Spencer continued coddling Toby. He carried him to his room, where Toby fell asleep the moment his head hit the pillow.

My father called for more guards, and he prepared an investigative team.

“This is unusual,” he said, “because he looks exactly like Reese. He also answers to Reese. Possibly has a scar on his chin. He’ll be with another vampire with a German accent and long black hair. His name is Torrance. I give you permission to kill him, but do not kill the one who looks like Reese.”

With that, the investigators set off to find them.

I studied some more, careful to study Calculus and Psychology hard. Even though my grades were perfect, they needed to stay that way.

Other Mordecai occasionally came to check on Toby. Toby had woken up around one in the afternoon, jarred awake by nightmares from which Spencer gently cooed away.

The cats got their litterbox changed and fed and watered by Zie, who was needed more at our house right now, so Mother sent her our way. She did much-needed laundry, cleaned the whole house from top to bottom, changed my bedsheets, vacuumed, shampooed the carpets, wiped down the bathrooms, and worked in the garden. Father said she needed a raise.

I studied most of the day, wanting to keep my perfect grades. I got a call from Sarah, who was horrified at how I’d found Toby and insisted on asking Spencer if he was all right. Toby himself would not be able to speak for a while. A month, at least.

When I finished studying, I went to our personal library and studied my father’s old books on alchemy. Spellbooks, potion books, books on transformation, death, and vampire law. Did you know that there are thousands of known poisons, and each of them has a set of symptoms, and some don’t have any symptoms at all? Some of them provide a quick and painless death, others, slow and painful. Slow and painless, or fast and painful.

I was reading up on love potions when I realized something. Father had used a love potion on Mother. What kind had he used? It obviously didn’t last long. I’d have to ask him about that. There are hundreds of ways to make a love potion, and there are four hundred ways to screw up each one.

I thought about the mysterious book that Uncle Soren had taken from Samuel, the crazy blond vampire from the Night Market. I thought about its name. What was its name?

“Hey, Uncle Soren, what’s the name of that book that you got from Samuel?” I asked. Through the walls, he replied.

“I’m surprised you remember that. The book is called Et Liber de Morte Transformatio.”

So that was the mysterious book that he was obsessed with. I thought about the book itself. Bound in some sort of skin, it was a dangerous book that had the power to transform vampires into humans and demons into angels.

I fiddled with a God’s eye that hung on the bookshelf. I continued to think. I stared at the God’s eye. I went to the window and looked outside. Zie was now washing my Toyota. I sighed, missing my Chevrolet Astro. I had loved that van.

I kept reading about love potions, trying to make some sort of connection. I finally just texted Father.

Reese: What sort of love potion did you use on Mother?

Mordecai: It wasn’t really a love potion. It was more like…political reasons.

Reese: Fine, be that way.

Mordecai: You don’t need to know. Why do you want to know anyway?

Reese: Just tell me, and I won’t keep bothering you. Or I could ask Uncle Soren…

Mordecai: Fine, it was Love Potion Amore. You’ll find it in the Book of Love Potions.

I indeed found it in the Book of Love Potions. I studied the ingredient list. A lock of the other person’s hair, blood from both parties, black, pink, and red candles, feathers from a domestic turkey.

I sighed and closed the book. I didn’t know why I wanted to know. I had the information, but I couldn’t do anything with it.

I put all the books back and turned to another shelf. I absentmindedly touched each volume of The Encyclopedia of Werewolves. I chose a book at random and read the first few pages. It discussed the mating habits and marital traditions of werewolves. According to the book, I needed to go through a lengthy divorce or one of us should die.

Since I wasn’t married by human standards, getting the papers would be hard for a town like North Hampton. They had the papers in bigger cities like New York City. New York City was a day’s drive, and even then, there was no guarantee that they had the papers. And werewolves were all about keeping the wolf secret, so asking outright was not an option.

One of us would have to die.

I thought about that. I couldn’t kill Sadie, because that would be the ultimate betrayal to both her and Faolan.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I was with Sarah, just holding her, when I got the call.

“Sadie’s dead,” said Father.

“How?” I asked, petting Sarah.

“She committed suicide. She was found with several pill bottles.”

“How’s Faolan?”

“Distraught. But your marriage has been ended. You’re free.”

I told Sarah the news. Her mouth dropped when I explained what they had found. Then she wrapped her arms around me.

“You’re all mine,” she said.

“I always was,” I said. And then I pleasurably told her exactly how I felt about her.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Faolan was giving me a dirty, hate-filled look. Father growled, letting him know that was not okay. The wolves were clustered around the pine box, which contained Sadie’s body. Wolf funerals were quick and didn’t involve any ministers or pastors or any of that nonsense.

It was the next day. I decided I didn’t like werewolf funerals. I kept getting hate-filled looks from the wolves, especially the females.

Mitra stood off to the side, looking mournful in a little black lacy dress. She had mostly healed from her arm being torn off, but she would have the mental scars forever. Uncle Soren had his arm around her, looking dashing in an all-black designer suit.

Sarah was standing beside me, looking uncomfortable in her short dress and stilettos. I wrapped my coat around her, she smiled gratefully at me.

The ceremony finished, and I was able to leave.

“It’s all his fault,” said Justin, a male wolf.

“You shouldn’t have fucking bitten me,” I snapped. I gave him the finger and stalked away. Sarah took her heels off in the car and used a towel to wipe them off.

“I should have worn flats,” she muttered. “Reese, remind me to never do anything that stupid again.”

She took her tie out of her hair. Her brown curls bounced around her shoulders, the volume and softness unbelievable. She started crying, though.

“Honey, what’s wrong?” Selena asked.

“I just feel so guilty. She’s dead because Reese chose me.”

“It’s not your fault, sweetheart,” Mother said gently. “It’s no one’s fault except Faolan’s. He should have reined in his wolves.”

“She cries all the time, now,” Sabine whispered to me. Sarah glared at her younger sister.

“Tell me what’s wrong,” I said, taking her hands in mine.

She bit her lip before replying. “Kent called me fat the other day. She called all of us heifers.”

My eyes darkened and narrowed. I looked at Mother and Selena, who looked furious. Sarah continued.

“I feel like a shit mother because I don’t spend any time with my son. I’ve pretty much forgotten about him, like a neglected pet. I still throw up, I hate my therapist, Elliot wants to be more than friends, so he’s cheating on Britt, Alexander still doesn’t like me, I’m still grieving over Mom and Dad, I feel guilty over all the money I have now, and my birth control is driving my hormones crazy.”

“You are not responsible for Cirino,” Mother said gently. “He’s my responsibility, and Alexander’s, and Zie’s. Don’t worry about that. As for Cella Kent, I will talk to Principal Turner. He doesn’t like Reese, though, so I don’t expect much will be done.”

“I know how you feel about losing your parents,” Selena said. “I lost my father years and years ago, shortly after I was born.”

“My first husband had many enemies,” Mother said. “Nathanial was murdered.”

“They were my parents, too,” Sabine added. “I miss them as much as you do.” She had tears in her blue eyes, now.

“Alexander hates everyone except Mother, Kieran, and me,” I said.

“He doesn’t hate you,” Mother said reassuringly. “He just has little patience for humans, and contempt for the human race in general. He just doesn’t know how to treat you. He will warm up with more time; it took him a while with Selena, too.”

“As for hating your therapist,” I began, “-we can get you another one. One that you get along with.”

“I should have kept going to your therapy appointments,” Mother said. “And I do wish you wouldn’t throw up. It is not good for your stomach, teeth, heart, throat, or intestines.”

“As for Elliot,” I said. “I’ll gladly get rid of him for you.” She gave me a shocked look. “I won’t kill him! I’ll just remind him that you’re mine.”

“Don’t feel guilty about having the money you do now,” Selena said.

“Of course not,” Mother added. “I am more than glad to help you and Sabine out with your debts and other problems.”

“Can you stop taking birth control?” I asked.

“NO!” all three older women shouted.

“She must be weaned off,” Mother explained. “We can do the shot or something else for the pain during your cycle.”

“The shot made my friend Rachel gain weight,” Sarah said.

“Not every form of birth control is right for every woman. The shot wasn’t right for Rachel, maybe the pill isn’t right for you,” Selena said.

Just then, we hit a bump, and Sarah cried out. She clung to me.

“Hey, Spencer,” I shouted. “Watch it!”

“Sorry,” he said flatly.

“I have an idea,” Sabine said. “What if you put Chris in with the cheerleaders during practice?”

“Dear one, you are a genius,” Mother cooed.

“She can watch Kent and step in in case she goes too far,” I said.

“That’s one problem solved,” Selena said.

“I will call the clinic and see if we can get your therapist changed,” Mother said.

“I couldn’t ask for a better family and boyfriend,” Sarah sighed. “Or better sisters. Or a better mom.”

Mother and Selena beamed, although Selena seemed put out at merely being referred to as a sister. I knew that, like Mother, she felt maternal toward Sarah. I wondered why they felt that way with Sarah and not Sabine. Maybe that would change over time.

“Don’t forget, I also lost a baby,” Selena said solemnly.

“As did I,” Mother said. “One for twenty-three years, the other for seventeen years. And then I got divorced, so I lost two stepsons.”

“You got married?” Selena asked.

“I did, for a few years. His name was Edward Babin. We divorced over parental differences, and because I did not love him like I love Alexander or thought I loved Mordecai.”

Sarah buried her face in my shirt. Her makeup smudged on my shirt, but I didn’t care. My shirt could wait.

Now Sabine was softly crying. Mother reached over and pulled Sabine into her lap, coddling her like she would with me or Sarah.

“It’s all right, dolls,” she said softly. I could see pain and regret in my mother’s eyes. She regretted killing Alicia. When we got home, Mother carried Sabine up to her room, and I carried Sarah. I heard Mother and Sabine talking through the wall.

Sarah took off her shoes, then her dress and bra. She turned around and pulled on one of my old shirts. She wiped her eyes with it. I purred as I saw how my shirt hugged her. I’m bigger than her, much bigger, but my shirt hugged her curves nicely.

“I’m a slut,” she said.

“Of course you aren’t,” I said. “Why do you say that?”

“I haven’t been completely honest with you. Or anybody else. I keep getting this urge. This feeling.”

“Do you want to have sex with someone else?”

“What? No! Not at all…well, maybe a little bit, but that’s not what I was getting at. I keep having the urge to steal, Reese.”

“Steal from who?”

“From businesses. I see a pair of sunglasses or a purse and I think, That’s mine. But even though I have enough money now, I need to steal it. I need to steal something. I know it’s illegal and wrong, but still…”

“You want an adrenaline rush. All right, who do you want to have a threesome with?”

“Reese!”

“I’m completely serious, Sarah. Anyone you want. You pick. I’ll join you. Can be a guy or a girl. I don’t care. But he or she has to at least be decent-looking.”

“That’s not what I want!”

“You just said you wanted to fuck somebody else!”

“Because I’m getting bored! I need some excitement. God, you make me feel things no one has. You open me up and make me be myself. You call out on my bullshit. You’re not afraid to show off or dance. You take care of me. You treat me like gold. But it’s the same old thing over and over again.”

“All right. I’ll fuck a hot chick or a hot guy, you fuck a hot guy.”

“Will she be blond?”

“Possibly. I mean, I’ve already fucked Sadie. God, I won’t make that mistake again. Never again will I have sex with a werewolf.”

“Will you play with her emotions?”

“I already played with Evan’s emotions. I won’t do that again. Or we could just save time and energy and fuck the same person. I’ll find a hot guy for you so we can share.”

“I don’t want to share.”

“All right, then. You choose first.”

“Okay. I’ll pick first. You get approval rights. In return, I’ll let you do it with whoever you want. Can be male or female. I also get approval rights.”

“Deal.”

I leaned forward to seal it with a kiss, but before I could, she started sobbing again.

“I am the worst girlfriend ever!”

“No, you’re not. Hey, we don’t have to do it.”

“I’m a slut, a thief, a tease- “

“Stop that right now!”

“I’m a bad daughter, a bad sister, and a bad girlfriend!”

“I told you to stop that! You’re not a bad daughter, sister, or girlfriend! I understand the need for some excitement. Truthfully, I needed some, too. You’re not a slut. You don’t fuck random guys. You only fuck me.”

She kept crying, however. I’d about had it. I hugged her, then whispered that I had to go. She kissed me on the chin, then went right back to deprecating herself.

I wondered if I was a bad boyfriend for leaving her the way I did. No, she needed some alone time, and so did I. I shouldn’t have kept suggesting a threesome. I hadn’t meant to upset her, but I did. Now I’d have to pay the consequences. It was my own fault.

As we prepared to depart for Denmark, Sarah, Sabine, Selena, Mother, Alexander, and Cirino had arrived at our house. The dogs would stay home and be taken care of by Zie. Sarah worried about the dogs, who were upset when she and Sabine had left with their suitcases.

“It’s all right, Sarah,” Uncle Soren said, taking her face in his hands. I snarled at the action. Uncle Soren wisely backed off. “Take some of your Xanax. Isn’t that what it’s called?”

“Yeah,” Sarah said, taking his advice and popping two pills in her mouth. Selena handed her a glass of water, and Sarah swallowed the medication that was supposed to help her anxiety.

“I’ve never been to Denmark,” Sabine said. “What’s it like?”

“It’s gorgeous,” Sarah said. “The trees and flowers are beautiful, even in winter.”

“Happy birthday, Sabine,” I said.

“Thanks,” she said. It was her birthday on the seventeenth of December, that day. She had turned fifteen.

“The cats are coming,” said Father. “It wouldn’t hurt to have two more passengers on the plane, if only to ease Sarah’s worries.”

Both the Cresley girls got up and hugged him.

So now Zie was bringing them over so we could all go to Denmark.

She brought Spunk and Coffee over in record time, and the dogs were happy to see the girls. Sarah hugged Coffee, the little brown feisty Chihuahua licking her mistress’ face. Spunk kissed Sabine first, then moved onto me, since Coffee would bite him if he got too close to Sarah. For whatever reason, Coffee didn’t much like me, but Spunk loved me.

We all piled into the limos with our pets and our bags in the trunks, I was holding Shadowfang and Anakin, Father was holding Mishka and Belle, Louis was holding Frodo and Catniss.

“This is disgraceful,” Frodo complained loudly. He had a high-pitched, squeaky voice for a cat his size. I had yet to hear Catniss or Anakin talk, although Belle occasionally spoke up, but it was mostly Mishka and Shadowfang that did the talking.

Frodo started grooming his dark grey fur. We put the cats in the box in the backseat, then I climbed in next to them. Father climbed in next to me, then Louis, then Grandfather, then Alexander with Cirino.

“Where’s Uncle Soren?” I asked.

“He decided to ride with Mitra and the girls,” Father said.

“Oh, Mitra’s coming, too?”

“Yes, he asked her at the last minute. She didn’t want to leave the reservation unprotected, but he promised her that they would be okay.”

Cirino started fussing five minutes into the ride to the airport.

“Are you hungry?” Alexander asked. Cirino screwed up his face and started to cry, then Alexander passed him to me, and I rocked him, managing to get him to quiet down for a few minutes.

“You realize this is the first time he’ll be on an airplane?” I said. Alexander rubbed his face, and Father sighed.

“Oh, for heaven’s sake, I’ll take him,” Grandfather growled, irritated. I passed the baby to him. He shushed and bounced the baby, managing to keep him quiet for the rest of the ride to the airport.

The girls and women boarded first, along with the animals. Mother carried the cats in the box, while Sarah carried Coffee and Sabine led Spunk on his leash. Then the males boarded next, with Grandfather still carrying Cirino.

Alexander called Kieran on his cell, letting him know that he would be arriving in Denmark soon.

Our private plane was stocked with everything, from a bar to a bedroom, where the girls led the animals. The cats immediately hid under the bed, and Coffee and Spunk made use of the bed.

Sarah went to the front of the plane, where I sat next to her. She nodded to me and opened a book. Sabine sat on my other side. I opened a book as well, and Sabine posted a status update. It was strange, being between the Cresley girls. It was strange that Sabine was coming at all.

Mother had suggested a bat mitzvah for Sabine, but Sabine didn’t want one yet. She wanted to wait until after the new year, which Sarah said was odd, but not unheard of.

In a few days, Mother and Alexander would be married, and then a few days after that, the Holiday Ball. Parties and events would ensue until the middle of January, when things would die down. I’d already had to purchase three new suits and a tuxedo.

Total cost: $3,000.

One suit alone was $1,500.

I fell asleep with the book in my lap, so we seemed to arrive faster than normal.

As we picked up the animals, Mother took Cirino, who had stayed remarkably quiet, most likely due to her soft singing, which always soothed him. Spencer took my suitcase and Sarah’s, and then he led us through the airport to another waiting limousine.

This time, Sarah and I got in one together with Sabine, Cirino, Mother, Alexander, and Selena. Everybody else would be the other limousine. I got a glimpse of Mitra as she strode out holding Uncle Soren’s hand. He was definitely smitten.

I held the box of cats close, where all the cats meowed and purred and hissed. They had been found in a ravine near the castle. They were excited to see Denmark again. I did worry about the wolves and other predators nearby, but Shadowfang insisted that the cats’ mental connection would keep all of them safe and that they would stay close to the castle.

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO – MARRIAGE

When we arrived at the castle, I was relieved. The home where I’d spent every winter and spring break since I began school was welcoming. Claudia, the old cook, was waiting for us at the front gates, along with several guards, including Chris and Toby.

Chris hugged Sarah when she got out, much to Mother’s chagrin. She took Sarah’s bag and Spunk’s leash, while Toby took the box of cats.

“Welcome back, Prince Reese,” said a guard named Randall.

“Thank you. I trust that everything’s all right?”

“As well as could be expected.”

I was greeted by several more guards, and Spencer took my bags up to my room. I liked my room in the castle. Over the years, the crib had been traded in for a toddler bed, which had later been traded in for a king-size bed which was kept well-sheeted and clean by maids. I took the new elevator up to my room, which had been installed for Sarah and Sabine’s sake.

Chris had taken Sarah to her room, and everyone else had been taken to their rooms. The cats had been set loose in the living room with a warning to stay near the castle.

I kicked off my boots and crawled into the white sheets. I was tired. I felt a furry body crawl in next to me.

“Hi, Shadow,” I said.

“Sorry, hon, it’s not Shadowfang,” said a female voice.

“Mishka?” I asked.

“Yeah, it’s me. Shadow’s with Sarah. They’re talking.”

“Aha. About what?”

“Sorry, can’t tell you. Confidence and all that.”

“How can you and the other cats speak?”

“We’re not ordinary cats, you know that. We’re familiars. Shadowfang’s your familiar. I have yet to find mine.”

“So, can you take the form of a human?”

“Only advanced familiars can do that. Familiars who have been around for a while and have been with their others for a long time.”

I scratched her ears. “Hmm, behind there…yeah, around the shoulders…yeah, right there….”

“So why did Shadow choose me?”

“Only he can tell you that.”

“How did familiars come into place?”

“Witches and vampires need familiars, or they get lonely. Humans tend to want to kill what they don’t understand or see as evil. Not that all witches or vampires are evil. In fact, I met a male witch who had the ability to control water. He put out countless fires, as he lived in a dry climate where a lot of fires were started. People began to think that he was the one starting the fires, so they tried to burn him. Tried to being the key words. He smothered the fire and was able to get away. I think he’s somewhere in Africa now, somewhere where it rains a lot.”

“Does everyone have a familiar?”

“No, not everyone. True familiars are very rare, and only familiars can create more familiars, which is why Shadow and I mated in the first place.”

“Why was he in America and you and the kittens in Denmark?”

“Ah, that would be telling our secret. Only Shadowfang can tell you our secret.”

“Because he’s my familiar?”

“Yes.”

“Is it a stupid reason?”

“Depends on how you look at it. Hi, Shadow.”

I looked over and saw the large cat.

“Hello, wife and vampire,” he said. “I’ve just been talking to Sarah. Sorry, I can’t tell you about what. You’ll have to ask her yourself. May I speak to Reese alone, Mishka?”

“Absolutely, husband.” Mishka jumped off the bed and left the room.

“So why were you in America and she and the kittens weren’t?” I asked.

“Because you needed me,” he replied matter-of-factly. “Mishka hasn’t found her witch or vampire yet. We were all born in Denmark, Reese.”

“Like me.”

“Yes, like you. That’s how it usually works. A familiar gets close to their witch or vampire, they sense their presence and go to find them. They immediately know when they’ve found them because of the mental connection.”

“Mental connection?”

“Yes, like you and your father have a mental connection, and you and Sarah will have that connection when she’s turned into a vampire. It’s just like a familial or mate connection. It’s deep and profound, like an Edgar Allan Poe quote. Is that not the right analogy?”

“I don’t think that is an analogy, buddy.”

“Sorry, I don’t read very often.”

“You read?”

“Yes. I’ve known how for a while. But I find it boring, especially since I don’t have opposable thumbs or long fingers.”

“Sorry,” I said, because I didn’t know what else to say.

“What are you sorry for? It’s just the way I was made. Some humans don’t like reading, and they do have long fingers and opposable thumbs.”

I scratched his ears. He purred loudly.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The next day was filled with preparations and plans. The venue had to be set up, supervised by Mother. Fresh flowers were needed-baby’s breath and roses and lavender. Blood was delivered in different forms for the next few weeks. Crystal and porcelain dishes and silver cutlery was ordered.

I had to try on a tuxedo, and Chris took Sarah to buy her dresses. I was amazed when they returned with a beautiful navy-blue evening gown with ruffles on the skirt and pearls around the breasts. Chris said it was by a Danish designer that I knew personally; Sarah was amazed when I told her that. Chris also purchased a gift for Sarah herself-a beautiful short dark crimson minidress with rouching and short puffed sleeves. She also purchased a gardenia to put in Sarah’s hair and matching shoes-kitten heels.

Chris was becoming attached to Sarah. Something about her made the older women want to nurture and mother her. Maybe it was her experiences with her parents and Nales and Cirino.

I bought Sarah a set of pearls; necklace, earrings, ring, and a bracelet. She bought another set of shoes to go with the blue dress, classy navy pointy-toed heels in the same shade.

I was most surprised when Father asked me to sing.

“I beg your pardon?” I asked.

“I want you to sing at the Holiday Ball. Choose any song you want, it can be about any topic, any artist. Choose wisely.”

With that, he strode off. I went through my phone, my iPods, iPad, everything, searching for any songs. I decided to do a song by an artist that Sarah liked as well as my own. I would play the guitar, possibly the piano. I had gotten better at it. I went through thousands of songs, and came across a few that I liked.

“Love/Marriage” by Jacob Pavek. “Without” by Jack Savoretti. The Star Wars main title song. “Don’t Stop Believin’” by Journey. “With You” by Jessica Simpson. A few songs by Johan Sebastian Bach, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, and Leonard Bernstein. “Warm Whispers” by Missy Higgins. “Heart-Shaped Box” by Nirvana.

I had a few more in mind, but I stuck with this as the main list. Most of the vampires there would be old, very old.

I sat at my desk and thought. I decided to check on Sarah.

When I approached her door, I heard the clicking of a keyboard. No doubt she’d brought her laptop. Chris greeted me as I entered. Sarah was on her bed, typing away on her laptop.

“I’m stuck,” she said. “My character, Melody, has just found out her best friend’s a witch.”

“Oh, you’re working on your book?”

“Yeah. And now I’m writing the conversation. My question is, should I have Veronica yelling at Melody or be remorseful for lying to her?”

“Whatever would make the plot more interesting,” I said. “How does Melody feel?”

“She feels betrayed, obviously. She’s always been taught that witches are evil. Her parents are, well, her dad’s a Christian and her mom’s Jewish. Like my parents. My mom always said that witches didn’t exist and that anyone claiming to be a witch was in with the devil. My dad said that it makes all kinds, and witchcraft was around for thousands of years, as long as Christianity. Technically, Jesus was in Heaven before he came to Earth, we just didn’t know about Him yet.”

“I’m confused,” I admitted. “I never really studied Wicca or Christianity, because I’m Asatru.”

“What does that mean?” she asked.

“It means I worship the Norse gods.”

“Aha. Religion is a big theme in my book. Melody herself doesn’t know what to believe. As for me, I believe in Jesus. I’d like to think he’s out there, watching over us. If that makes me stupid, so what?”

“Today, religion is seen as foolish, but only idiots mess with the gods and goddesses.”

“Does that make me an idiot?”

“Certainly not. You believe what you believe. I believe what I believe. That does not change the fact that we are together.”

“Hey, listen,” she said, closing her laptop. “I’m really sorry about what I said the other day. It was insensitive and stupid. It’s true, I’m bored, but I shouldn’t take it out on you.”

“Hey, baby,” I took her face in my hands. “Honesty is the best policy. It doesn’t mean you’re a whore or a bitch. Truthfully, I was getting bored, too. And I’m sorry that I upset you, too.”

She leaned into me, moaning, almost purring.

“I don’t know what’s happened to me. It’s like I’ve become a totally different person.”

“I know. Me, too. That’s what experience does. It’s not your fault, or mine. It just happens.”

She bit her lip. “Your dad asked me to sing at the Holiday Ball. He’s going to introduce me as the princess.”

“I wish he’d discussed that with me, first. He also asked me to sing a few songs, as well.”

“I don’t know what to sing.”

“Sing anything you want. I’ll love it no matter what. I have a few songs picked out. I can give you a full list.”

“I’m into this song called “Riptide”. It’s by Vance Joy. Have you heard of him?”

“No, but we listen to different music. I prefer hard rock and heavy metal. You prefer pop and soft rock.”

I told her all the songs I was planning to sing, and her eyes grew wide.

“A lot of those are songs I introduced to you,” she said.

“Exactly,” I said. “You’re my inspiration.”

“I’ve got another idea,” she said. “Have you heard the song “Topsy Turvy” by Family Force 5?”

“Isn’t that from Alice In Wonderland?”

“That’s where I first heard it. Anyway, I’m going to go through my song list and find some more. Or we could do a duet. We never did one for the talent show.”

“Yes, we could. We could sing that song from Aladdin, the one he sings with Jasmine. Or we could do a song from Beauty and the Beast. You like that movie.”

“My dad used to call me his Belle. He called Sabine Little Belle.”

“That’s beautiful. But anyway, what song do you want to do?”

“I have a few more ideas.”

CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE – THE MARRIAGE OF MARINA SANTORINO AND ALEXANDER NICOLAI

Soon, it was the day of the Winter Solstice. I went with Alexander into a private room to help get ready for the wedding, which would take place right after dusk. I wore my new tuxedo, including a stupid bow tie. I hate those things.

Alexander wore an all-black suit. His hair had been washed and combed, the wavy black locks shining.

When dusk fell, we met out in the garden, where our family waited. Sarah looked gorgeous in the short red dress and heels, her hair curled and sprayed with sparkle. Alexander stood at the pulpit with the officiant, a dark man in his fifties.

Music played and swelled, a mixture of different tunes and melodies. Mother appeared before us, looking unearthly in a white gown that sparkled. Her veil covered her face, her curls had been straightened a bit, her makeup done perfectly. She approached her groom with anticipation. When she reached him, she turned toward him, and then smiled at me behind him.

“We are gathered here today to witness a lifelong matrimonial ceremony that these people will remember forever. Their love will be immortalized in the throes of unlimited time and space. Under God, these vampires will now make their vows. Ambrogio?”

“Marina,” Alexander began, “I know I’ve made mistakes before, we both have. But now that I have you, I will never let you go.” He took a ritual knife, and sliced his palm open with it. Sarah and Sabine gasped, and Sabine tugged on Selena’s sleeve.

“I am your soulmate,” he continued. “And you are mine. I will love you for eternity. The moment I bit and turned you, I knew you were mine. And although you found me repulsive at first, I knew you would come around. I love you, Marina Aphrodite Santorino. I always have, and I always will.”

He held out his bloodied hand. Mother took the knife from his other hand, and sliced open her palm.

“Ambrogio, I did find you repulsive at first. I thought you had turned me into a monster. When I was human, I had problems with my pregnancy. I lost my baby. But now I have six wonderful children, all from different fathers. My children are what’s most important to me. You are next in importance. My children need a proper father, and I cannot think of a better husband and father than you. I will love and cherish you for eternity. I will right the wrongs I’ve done and make sure that you are cared for and cherished until my death or the end of Earth.”

Their bloody palms touched, and they gripped each other. A blueish, silvery aura encompassed their hands and wrists as they touched. They were connected forever.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I was speaking with Mother’s longtime friend, Anna Chekov, when Sarah approached me. She and Anna briefly greeted each other, and then Anna went off to speak to Mother.

“Why did they…?”

“Why did they slice their palms open? It’s a blood ritual. Our blood is now connected forever, so we are connected forever. The aura you saw was a sign that they are true soulmates.”

“Ah…see, I didn’t know what was happening, and Sabine won’t stop asking what it meant.”

“Now you know.”

“Right.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Sarah looked drop-dead gorgeous in her navy-blue dress and matching shoes. Her hair had been curled and primped, gold makeup applied by top makeup artists. Her lips were a nice peach color, gold glitter surrounded her minty orbs. Her eyelashes were long and thick and black, her eyes lined perfectly, some gold shimmer on her cheeks.

Sabine looked beautiful in a cherry red dress with off-the-shoulder sleeves and more ruffles. She wore gold flats and gold jewelry. Sarah wore her pearl set.

I looked dashing, according to Mother and Selena. My tuxedo had been tailored to fit me, as I had appeared to have gained weight. I wore black shoes and socks, a white shirt, a black jacket and pants, and Father forced me to wear a bow tie. I felt completely ridiculous wearing the stupid thing, but Father had threatened to get Sarah involved, and I did not want that.

Mother and Selena both wore black dresses, Selena’s dress style was slightly more elaborate. She wore silver jewelry and silver pumps; her hair had been brushed and blow-dried. Mother’s curls had been tamed, her blue eyes lined with black and white. On her feet she wore classy black heels.

Most of the guys wore the same thing as me, except for Louis, who wore a green bow tie, much to Uncle Soren’s irritation.

It was a busy time getting set up; the past few days had been filled with planning, preparations, practicing, and participation requests.

The day arrived, and everyone looked their best. I even wore a bit of eyeliner, to bring out the yellow of my eyes. I had my hair brushed until it shone, my teeth cleaned and polished, especially my fangs. I resisted eating, not wanting to destroy my new teeth and clothes. The werewolf side of me was starving for meat, and the vampire side of me told him to shut up.

“Smile, son,” Father said, as we prepared to greet our guests. “You look handsome. Your mate is here. So is the rest of your family. You’ve done this seventeen times. And for Odin’s sake, straighten your jacket.”

I straightened my jacket and smiled weakly. The first guests arrive, and soon, the hall was filled with vampires, humans, fairies, and werewolves, talking, drinking blood, eating. This was the first year they allowed more than just vampires here, to my surprise. I was expecting only vampire guests.

Finally, when the last guests arrived, my father clapped his hands a few times to get everyone’s attention.

“Thank you all for coming. My son, Reese, is going to sing a song for us.”

All vampire eyes turned to me. Everyone else looked confused, until I grabbed my guitar and started singing.

I was lost

I was alone

I understood the cost

But I still went for you

You set my heart alight

You awakened something bright

And I can finally call myself whole

It’s not just my heart you stole

My whole family loves you

You’re like a ball of sunshine

 

I finished the song, singing the same words over and over again. The idea to write my own song had been Sarah’s. Clapping ensued after I was finished. I pulled Sarah to me, to a few gasps and deep breaths.

“This is Sarah,” Father said. “She will soon be your princess as soon as they can set a wedding date.”

Sarah’s eyes widened, and she looked horrified at me. I kissed her hair, whispering for her to relax, he was only saying that out of protocol, which was a lie, and I think she could sense that.

An Italian vampire couple came up to us first.

“Principessa,” said the woman, curtseying.

“Prince,” said the man, bowing.

So it continued for a few minutes as classical music played and we were greeted by hundreds of people, mostly vampires and a few curious humans.

“Princess,” said a blond woman wearing a frilly pink dress.

“I’ve always wanted to marry a prince,” Sarah said to me after that. “Most girls only dream about it. I get to actually do it.”

“A lot of girls dream about having a vampire for a boyfriend or a girlfriend,” I said. “Very few get to have one.”

“Sarah,” Louis said, “It’s almost time for your song. Better get ready.”

She gulped, then took up a different guitar. I felt my eyes widen. When she began playing “Riptide” by Vance Joy, my newly beating heart stopped. I had no idea she could play guitar. And here she was, incredible at it. Oh, sure, she made a few mistakes, mostly very minor ones, but she kept going until the song was finished.

And then her heart started beating faster. She put the guitar down as the audience clapped, and half-run to the balcony. I took off after her. She was throwing up in the rose bushes, much to the disgust of Toby, who looked shocked and horrified.

“Sarah? What’s wrong?” I asked.

“Just some meat I ate- “

“Don’t lie to me, Sarah,” I said warningly.

“Okay, it was nerves. I was afraid. Most of them eat humans.”

“Not humans, but their blood.”

“They’ve all killed humans.”

“Most of them have. What’s wrong? You weren’t like this last year.”

“I didn’t sing in front of hundreds of people last year! I’m sorry…” She sat on the bench and started crying. I sat beside her.

“Hey, baby, it’s okay,” I said, taking her close. “Toby, go get my father. I want a word with him.”

“No!” Sarah shrieked.

“Sarah, we cannot fix the problem if we don’t-“

“I don’t know why I’m crying this much! I shouldn’t be crying right now. There really is no reason for it…”

“Stop that right now,” I ordered. “Toby, get my mother and sister. And Sabine, if you can find her. I need to speak with Father.”

“What’s going on?” Kieran asked, coming onto the balcony. I was surprised to see him. He was at the wedding, but I didn’t expect him to come to the ball.

“Honey, what’s wrong?” Mother asked, sitting on Sarah’s other side.

“I’m just overwhelmed,” she said. “I don’t know how I feel right now. I’m scared because of all the people, but I’m also nervous about how they saw me, and to hear that I’m a princess now…”

My eyes darkened. I was about to commit patricide. And I would have, if Kieran and Toby hadn’t been holding me back a millisecond later. Kieran had my right arm, and Toby had my left arm.

“Where’s your boyfriend, son?” Alexander said teasingly. His eyes narrowed at the sight of me trying to attack my father and of Sarah in Mother’s arms.

“Let me at him,” I snapped. “I will fucking murder him!”

“Who?!” Alexander demanded.

“Mordecai,” Kieran said. “He caused Sarah undue stress, and now Reese is angry at him. Hold on, I’m getting a call from Kellan.”

“What’s going on?” Father asked, finally coming out. I bared and snapped my fangs at him, scaring Sarah further, Mother hissed at me, baring her own white fangs, which had grown in seconds.

“You!” I hissed. “You stressed Sarah out, and now she’s upset! I won’t ever forgive you, ever!”

“She told me she was okay with doing it!” Father shouted back. “I don’t know why she’s getting upset now!”

“It was the pressure,” Toby croaked. He clutched at his throat.

“Ah, no speaking, Toby,” Mother chided him. He nodded.

“It was a misunderstanding,” Sarah said. “I’m sorry I freaked out. But I’m okay now.”

“No, you’re not,” I said.

“Go to your room and rest,” Mother said.

“I’m sorry, Mordecai and Reese,” Sarah said, tears falling down her cheeks. “I didn’t expect this. I thought it would be like last year.”

Father sighed. “I should have been honest with you, Sarah. That was my folly, and I apologize. You do not have to go back out there for the next song. I will just have Reese finish his songs.”

Sarah stood up and threw her arms around my father. His eyes widened, then he relaxed and hugged her back. My stomach twisted in anger and jealousy. I still wanted to kill him.

“Can I go to bed in an hour?” Sarah asked.

“Of course, you don’t need to ask,” Father told her. “You can go to bed right now if you want. You and your sister are a part of our family now. You are like a daughter to me.”

Her eyes widened like his, then she stood up on her toes and kissed his chin. His eyes widened again, then he bent down and kissed her cheek.

“Come, let’s get you cleaned up,” Mother said, taking Sarah by the hand.

Father and I made eye contact, and I growled at him.

“Stop it, Reese,” he said firmly. “It was just a hug and a kiss. I really do only see her as a daughter.”

I was still furious when I went to the food setting and filled a glass with B positive. It was all his fault. His fault that she had gotten upset. I nearly choked when a vampire tapped me on the shoulder.

“Hello,” he said. “I don’t believe we’ve met. You’re Prince Reese, right?”

“I am,” I said, taking his hand. I briefly admired his shoulder length curly blond locks and bright green eyes. He reminded me of Reid Lockhart, who had blond hair and one blue eye and one green eye.

“My name is Viktor Babin,” he said. I coughed again.

“Did you say your last name is Babin?” I asked.

“Yes. Marina was my stepmother for ten years, before she divorced my father. That makes us stepbrothers. My brother, Taran, is around here somewhere.”

“Forgive me, I did not recognize you,” I said.

“How could you? You’re more famous than I am, and my father is a well-known scientist and technology advisor. He helped Japan with the first robot project.”

“How interesting,” I said, studying him. He had thin rosy lips, a small nose, and high cheekbones. Those cheekbones reminded me of Glen Crow, and my heart was on high alert.

“Hello, boys,” Mother said, interjecting. “I see you’ve met. Reese, this is my ex-stepson, Viktor. Viktor, this is my son Reese.”

Did you invite him? I asked her.

Yes, I did. And my ex-husband and his other son. They wanted to extend their good wishes for me and your stepfather.

“Where’s Sarah?” I asked.

“She is reapplying her makeup in the bathroom. She will likely want some time alone, so try not to badger her.”

“You’re speaking about the new princess?” Viktor asked. “Congratulations on finding your mate, Reese. Not all are as lucky as you.” He sounded bitter.

“How is Thomas?” Mother asked Viktor.

“Father forbid me from seeing him,” Viktor said sourly. “He says he’s a bad influence on me.”

“I’m sorry, but I must agree with your father,” Mother said. “He was leading you down a dark path.”

“Oh, you’re gay?” I said to Viktor.

“Yes,” he said, drawing out the word. “Is that a problem?”

“Not at all. I’m bi, myself. My other potential soulmate is a guy, another vampire. But he’s found his true soulmate, and I’ve found mine.”

Viktor seemed to brighten at this. “Is he here tonight?”

“He might be. His name’s Evan Byrd, and his soulmate’s name is Reid Lockhart. Reid is blond with unusual eyes, and Evan has brown hair and green eyes, so they’re a beautiful couple.”

“Your eyes are unusual,” he broke in. Then he winced. “Sorry.”

“Not at all. I know my eyes are unusual; it’s a family trait. My father, uncle, and grandfather all have yellow eyes as well. My cousin has baby blues, and he uses that to his advantage. Mother once told me that unusual eyes can be beautiful, and that’s true for Reid’s eyes. He has one green eye and one blue eye.”

“Really?” Viktor said.

“Your eyes are especially beautiful, even if they are unusual,” Mother said. “Well, I must make sure that Sarah’s okay. See you gentlemen later.”

There was an awkward pause. Then Viktor spoke up. “They have cameras here. They had cameras at the wedding, too.”

“They like to film every event,” I said. “They’ve been filming this event and all our weddings since cameras were invented. There is a photo taken in 1897 of my uncle Soren drinking O positive.”

More silence and awkwardness.

“Well, I think I see my brother,” Viktor said. “It was nice meeting you, Reese!”

I mingled some more, talked to my cousins Raquieca, Rebeka, and Rainess. All blond, all Norse, and all attitude. I spoke with my aunts, Elsa and Gudrun, two of the wives of my grandfather’s dead brothers.

“When do you plan to marry her?” asked Aunt Elsa.

“I was hoping sometime next year, maybe next winter,” I replied. I knew that my aunts wished that I’d marry another vampire, possible Raquieca or Rainess. I would personally rather eat spiders than marry Raquieca or Rainess, even though Rainess is actually really nice.

Or marry Rosita Bleedfellows. I glared as the tall blond woman approached me, wearing a silvery sheath dress with a slit in the skirt and sky-high open-toed stilettos. Her long straight platinum hair glistened, her blue eyes twinkling with malice. Her lips were as red as ever, and her skin as pale as snow.

“I’ve just been chatting with your girlfriend,” she said. “Quite a prize, she is.”

“What did you say to her?!” I was horrified.

“Only that she was lucky to have you. What hips, though! I’d rather die than have hips like those, or stretch marks, or scars.”

“Hey, Sarah has the best hips I’ve ever seen and-“ I felt a hand on my shoulder. I turned and saw Uncle Soren, who was glaring at Rosita.

“Rosita, your quarrel is with me, not my nephew or his girlfriend,” he said. “If you’ve harmed Sarah, I will kill you personally.”

“An excellent point,” Rosita said. “Another point to bring up with the Council.”

My uncle’s eyes widened even more.

“You crazy bitch!” Louis pinned her against the wall. “Leave us the fuck alone! What makes you think you can harass us? We’ve got a hundred times more money, a bigger title, and hundreds of guards, servants, and soldiers. My father actually fought in battle during World War II. We have all killed hundreds, except for Reese. What makes you think you can pull one over us?”

Rosita pulled a small black piece of equipment out of her ear. Louis’ eyes widened, and so did Uncle Soren’s. Louis cursed again.

“I shall bring this up with the Council,” said Rosita. “And you will all pay for what you’ve done to me.”

“I have to go see Sarah,” I said.

“Selena is with her,” Sabine said, coming up. “She and I were there too when that crazy lady talked to Sarah. They’re in the girls’ room.”

“Take a deep breath,” Uncle Soren said, turning me to face him. “Focus on me. The sound of my voice, the color of my eyes, the size of my nose. Anything. Take more deep breaths and relax. We’ll get her. You don’t need to worry.”

“But what if I- “

“Don’t. Don’t do anything.”

I shrugged him off and went to find Sarah.

I heard her harsh breathing in the bathroom. I walked in, seeing her in the corner.

“No boys allowed,” Selena snapped.

“I’m her mate,” I insisted. “Sarah, baby, what did that bitch say to you?”

“She said…she said…”

“She said that you were hers,” Selena said. “She that you and her had an affair and that you were still hers.”

“It’s not true,” I said, ignoring my sister’s atrocious grammar. “I’ve barely spoken to the woman. She’s had it out for my family ever since Uncle Soren dumped her centuries ago. That’s it. That’s all.”

Sarah looked at me with wide eyes. “Can I sleep with you tonight?” she asked suddenly.

“Of course. I can have Chris move your stuff into my room if that’s what you want. Speak of the devil,” I said, as Chris appeared.

“Sarah,” she said, “I sincerely apologize for not being here sooner. I have spoken with Rosita, and told her to stay away from you. I have also spoken with King Eilief and Prince Mordecai. If you wish for another guard, I will put in the request myself.”

“No, I don’t want anyone else,” Sarah said. “Can you stay closer to me, though?”

“Of course, my princess.”

Satisfied that Chris and Selena would take care of her, I headed back out to the ballroom.

I didn’t see Rosita again, but I spoke briefly with Viktor a few more times, and introduced myself to Taran. Taran had short brown hair and the same green eyes as his brother. I did not meet Edward Babin that night, however.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
My heart pounded when I saw her laying in my bed. She looked so fragile, angelic, really. She wore a white babydoll nightgown with thin straps. She was laying on her stomach, her breathing deep and even. I rolled her onto her side and took off my shoes and shirt first.

“Mmm,” she said, wrapping her arms around my shoulders. “I hope you stay forever.”

“I will,” I said, looking back at her.

“Boop,” she said, tapping my nose. I unzipped and unbuttoned my pants, struggling with the zipper, which was caught in my boxers. She took it in her delicate hands and unzipped it for me. I shimmied out of them, and then turned to kiss her.

“I love you,” I told her.

“I love you, too,” she replied. I took her hands in mine and looked at her nails, which had been beautiful earlier this evening, but now were bitten and the nail polish was chipped. Her cuticles red with blood. She saw me looking at her nails and pulled her hands back. I tipped her head up, and took her hands in mine.

“Heal these hands,” I said. “Aphrodite, goddess of love, beauty, and passion, heal these hands.”

She fell asleep first. I fell asleep afterwards.

The next morning, she was staring at her hands. The nails had regrown, the cuticles healed, the chipped nail polish was gone, leaving it her natural color. Pieces of the old polish were scattered in my bed.

“I prayed to Jesus,” she said. “Either He or Aphrodite did this.”

She and I cuddled for a couple of hours after we woke up. I was dangerous now around potential threats, and they all knew that. But eventually Sarah said that she wanted to go outside and explore the gardens.

She put on jeans and a sweatshirt and let me brush her hair before tying it up into a ponytail. She slipped on her boots, while I slipped on mine. Outside was unusually warm for December in Denmark. Unnaturally warm.

“Global warming,” Sarah said, adjusting her sweatshirt. I knew she only had a thin bra and tank top on underneath.

“Look, it’s snowing!” Sabine said, running up to us. She pointed, and we gaped. It was indeed snowing outside the garden. So why were we feeling the warmth? And why wasn’t it snowing where we were? I didn’t have long to wait, though, because it began snowing in the garden. Sarah stuck out her tongue and caught a few flakes. I smiled at her.

She stretched out her arms and then her legs, and starting walking.

“Where are we going?” I asked.

“Someplace special,” she said. “Someplace with a marble bench and roses and a statue of a lost woman, maybe a goddess or a queen.”

“I don’t know if we have anything like that,” I said. She looked up and smiled.

“Thank You, Jesus,” she said to Him. “I truly appreciate everything You’ve done for me and Cirino and Sabine. I should pray to You more often. I don’t know if I will, because I can’t predict the future, but I will certainly try.”

“And Aphrodite, I will pray to you,” I said. “If it was you who healed her.” I felt a warm breeze, almost a whisper, brush against my cheek.

We didn’t find any statues of a lost woman, but we did find a small waterfall and a marble bench covered by dead ivy. The waterfall shone, revealing small fish and frogs in the water, trying to stay close to the floor to escape the cold.

“Does this waterfall freeze?” Sarah asked.

“No, it’s heated,” I said. “I used to play in the water all the time, even in winter. Father made me wear jeans, at least, and I’d roll them up and stomp around in the water. I remember that Grandfather even joined us occasionally. They’d talk politics and I’d play around with the fish. There was one fish, I named it Pearl, because it was snowy white. Father thought it was silly, but he was just as sad as me when I found out that Pearl had died. Or maybe he pretended to be. I don’t know.”

“Because Pearl made you happy?” she asked.

“Pearl did make me happy. I had a hard time making friends growing up. The guys and Amara are the first real group of friends I’ve had. Oh, I have other friends. Vampires, witches, wizards, and the like. But a group that I can hang out with? That’s what I have with Mason and the others.”

“Except Mason’s a warlock,” she said.

“The son of a warlock. There’s a difference. Warlock means ‘oathbreaker’. Krauvas somehow betrayed a coven or a group of witches and wizards. Mason doesn’t talk about it, though. I think he’s ashamed.”

“And his mother’s a witch?”

“Yes, Antonia’s a witch. She’s as good as Krauvas, almost, or so I’ve heard.”

She leaned into me. “Amara seems nice.”

“She is. She’s totally in love with Cole Powers, though. She can’t see what’s in front of her, much like Noah didn’t see what was in front of him when he was dating Rouge.”

She leaned into me, her cheeks flushed with the cold and the strange warmth. She closed her eyes, her lips pale and puckered.

“I’m ready to go inside,” she announced.

In one motion, I swept her up into my arms and brought her inside the warm castle.

It wasn’t much longer before she fell asleep again. I went out into the living room, where Father was singing. I stayed hidden behind a wall until he finished. His voice was clear, deep and pure. He was singing “Right Here Waiting” by Richard Marx. I knew he was singing to Faolan. Mother appeared behind me; her eyes full of tears.

Father didn’t notice us. If he smelled or heard us, he ignored us. Louis appeared next, looking shocked.

“It’s been a long time since he sang,” he said.

“He has the most beautiful voice,” Mother said.

Father stopped singing and turned around. When he saw us, his eyes widened minutely.

“Don’t tell Faolan,” he said. “I love him more than anything except you, Reese. I cannot live without him.”

Mother suddenly threw her arms around him. His eyes widened even more, and then he hugged her back.

“I’m sorry, Marina,” he said. “I’m so sorry. I know that what I did is unforgivable- “

“Damn right,” said Alexander, whose arms were crossed. He looked, well, furious. Mother released Father and went over to her new husband.

“Alexander, I- “

“Don’t.” He held up a hand. “I won’t stop you from hugging him. I know he’s the father of your only biological son. I’m not angry with you. I’m angry with him. Reese should have been mine. He would have been mine if you hadn’t stolen her from me.”

“I know, Alexander, and I am so sorry. I know what I did was wrong. But it’s in the past, and Reese is healthy and happy.”

“Of course I am,” I said. “I’m hungry. I’ll go see if Claudia made lunch.”

“Has Claudia been informed of your new diet?” Father asked.

“Of course. I told her the day after we arrived.”

Claudia had made hamburgers for me and the humans. Sarah came down after her nap, looking refreshed. She still clutched at her head, though.

“Headache?” I asked.

“Migraine,” she said. “I tried to sleep it off, but I couldn’t. I feel nauseous, too.”

“Perhaps some tea,” Claudia said, bringing the tray with our food out.

The old woman poured some tea for Sarah, and a glass of blood for me. Sabine joined us shortly after.

“The library is amazing,” she said.

“We have one of the biggest personal libraries in the world,” I said, waving my fork. “My grandmother, according to my father, loved books and wanted her library to have every book in the world. So we grow it every year. It was recently expanded, too, with the addition of all the books that came out last year.”

Grandfather sat down next to me. He scrunched his nose at the smell of the food.

“I will be staying in Denmark this time,” he said.

“What for?” I asked.

“I have duties that I need to see through. I have been lacking in my duties since I went to America. Soren will go back to America with Mitra, but Louis will also stay in his father’s place. He would have told you himself, but he is busy at the moment, preparing for a meeting with the Council.”

“Can I come?”

“I’m sorry, Reese, but the Council will smell that you are now a werewolf as well, and we can’t have that. You will stay with Sarah and Sabine. Alexander, your father, and Marina will also be coming. We wanted you to know so you are prepared.”

“What about my father?”

“I’ll be going as well,” Father said, sitting beside Sabine. “It’ll be up to you, Reese, to watch the girls. I’ll send Spencer and Christie with you, so you won’t be alone. Toby is still very…well, he still can’t talk. At least, not very much. I’ll be arriving back in America sometime in January.”

He rubbed the back of my neck. I purred and leaned into his touch.

Sarah sipped her tea, then ran to the bathroom. I heard retching sounds.

“What do you think, Reese?” Father asked.

“I think the Council, if Alexander and Mother are going to say their piece, that the Council has another thing coming.”

“Yes, especially from your mother.”

But my thoughts were still on Sarah mostly. She was changing. What happened to the sweet, tender girl I fell in love with? Where was her spirit, her bravery?

The rest of the day was spent exploring the library. Sarah went back to bed after throwing up a few times, then came with me to visit the library. She had already seen the library, and was once again impressed by its size. The amount of knowledge contained in this one room was enough to satisfy every person on the planet. We had books on every subject, every genre. All the physical books in the world in one room, plus a new set of computers for research.

Sarah sat reading a book by a vampire author, while Sabine fooled around on one of the computers. I sat reading the latest novel by Stephen King. Spencer came in, followed by Chris and Toby.

“Baby, not today,” Spencer was saying to Toby. “You’re still not allowed to speak, or you’ll ruin your vocal chords.”

Toby frowned and opened his mouth, but Spencer put a finger on his lips.

“Use your mind,” he said. A pause. “I know, but maybe you can connect with Reese. You’re closest to him, and he considers you a friend.”

“He’s going to try to speak to me using his mind?” I asked. Spencer nodded.

“Or I’ll find some paper and a pencil. But using the mind is much quicker. Is that doable, Prince Reese?”

“Absolutely. I don’t want him to damage himself any more than he already has.”

Toby pouted and opened his mouth again, then closed it. He grabbed a hair tie off his wrist and tied his long hair back. Then he sat beside me, and picked up one of the books I’d chosen and started to read.

Spencer sat beside his mate and wrapped an arm around him. He pressed his lips against Toby’s ear. He shoved his nose in his hair. I turned back to my book and finished reading, then chose another book.

Sarah fiddled around on her phone some. Then she opened the next book and gasped loudly.

“What is it?” Spencer, Chris, and Toby were suddenly alert.

“I just realized something,” she said. “Last night, when Rosita was talking to me, she said something about a book. The book that Soren has. She wants it.”

“She won’t get it,” said Chris firmly.

Sarah got up and cuddled close to me. I saw her favorite author, Jamie Williams, on the front of the book she was reading. She was obsessed with him. I thought for a moment. How would she take to meeting him in real life? I could arrange it. I could make it so they met. Of course, I’d have to pull in some favors and do more favors to make it happen. But to see her face would be worth it.

But why would Rosita want the Book of Transformation and Death? Surely she didn’t want to become human. The book had the spell to make it happen. It could reverse death. It could turn vampires into humans. It could make someone very rich or very poor. It could turn zombies into the living. It could turn stags into unicorns.

Of course, who wouldn’t want that?

I wrapped my arm around Sarah and pulled her close. She leaned up and pecked my jaw.

“You’re stubbly,” she said, touching my jaw.

“Werewolves are hairy,” I said.

“I like it,” she said. “I like it a lot, actually. As long as you don’t grow a bushy beard.”

“Okay, no bushy beards,” I said. “How about a chin strap?”

“The douche beard? Okay,” she said. “Lots of hot guys have a chin strap.”

“You just called it the douche beard.”

“I did? Well, you’re hot, and you’re sometimes a douche.”

Ouch. Again, what happened to my sweet Sarah?

Something was wrong with her. Really wrong. Her crying after the performance, her personality change, her temper. Even Sabine was staring at her sister.

“What is your deal lately?” she asked.

“I don’t have a deal,” Sarah said. “Says the girl who used up my red lipstick.”

“Hey, it looks better on me than you.”

“The dark red looks better on me,” Sarah corrected. “Geez, why are you such a brat?”

Sabine was clearly hurt by this, but she turned around and focused on the computer instead.

“Sarah, what is wrong with you?” I asked. “Usually you’re unbelievably sweet. What happened?”

“Oh, um, my parents are dead, I was raped, you’re a vampire, I was beaten up by Scarlett, my old clique is just now coming back to me. What’s wrong with you, besides being half werewolf now? You’re a prince, but you chose to keep that a secret. You could have any girl you wanted, but you chose me. Why?”

“I think you need rest,” I said. “You’re in a bad mood.”

She glared at me, then threw the book on the floor and stomped off to her room. Chris followed after her. Sabine followed after Chris shortly after, and I noticed tears in her eyes.

“Something is definitely wrong with Sarah,” Spencer said. “She’s never been this moody or emotional.”

“I have a theory,” Toby croaked, then clutched at his throat.

“Ah ah, no speaking,” Spencer chastised. “But what’s your theory?” A pause. “I hope you’re wrong, but that is a possibility.”

“What is it?” I asked.

“She’s either being affected by an outside source, or all the stress is finally getting to her,” Spencer said. “Or she’s being possessed.”

“Possessed?” I thought about that. When was the last time I saw Michael Nales’ ghost? It had been weeks. If he’d gotten into Sarah…that was a problem. I decided to find somebody who would know. I texted Mason with my thoughts.

Mason: the only way to know for sure is to get rid of the ghost. For that, you need to see a priest.

Priest. I needed to hire a priest. I researched on my phone, searching for the nearest priest. I found one, and sent him an e-mail describing my situation. He replied back quickly, saying that unfortunately, he couldn’t help.

I thought about that. I decided to watch her over the next few days. Indeed, she had a shorter temper, was more brash, and even upset sweet old Claudia.

I’d had enough after that. I called another priest, Father Burns, and had him come over.

Selena and Mother had brought Sarah into her bedroom, where she was tied with rope. Claudia was there, and so was Sabine, Mitra, and my family, including Kieran.

“There is a demon inside of you,” Claudia said. “Last year you were so sweet, and now you’ve turned into a witch.”

Sarah smiled creepily, her grin reminding me of the Grinch.

“Sarah is no longer here,” she said. She looked at me. “So you’ve finally figured it out, Emerson?”

“Get out of her, Nales.”

She laughed. “I’m not Michael. I’m Jordan.”

“Jordan? The evil twin?”

“You shouldn’t have killed me, Reese,” she hissed.

“I command you to leave this body!” Father Burns shouted. He waved around a cross and a crucifix. He took a bottle of holy water, and splashed it onto Sarah. She choked, and then a dark smoke started leaving through her chest, mouth, eyes, and nose. She collapsed as the smoke left, then burrowed into Selena.

Sarah gasped, and Mother caught her as she fell.

“Leave my babies alone!” Mother shouted. “You stupid, worthless bitch!” She grabbed Selena and shook her, trying to make Jordan leave. Selena just laughed and threw her hair back.

“I should have taken this body,” she hissed, looking at her hands. “The power, the strength, the agility!” She jumped, but Mother caught her around the ankle.

“Let my daughter go!”

Selena/Jordan hissed, and then Father Burns took another vial of holy water and splashed it on her. It only splashed her jeans, though. He took yet another vial of the water, and splashed it on her face. Jordan left Selena in the same way she left Sarah. Father took a jar and took the smoke in the jar, keeping her trapped.

“Back to Hell with you,” he growled.

Selena and Sarah clutched at each other, both of them crying softly.

“I’m so sorry,” Sarah breathed. “I’m so, so sorry…”

“Hush, baby,” I said, scooping her up in my arms. “It’s all over now. She’s gone. We’re here now.” I kissed her tears away and licked her ear. I had my sweet Sarah back.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The plane ride home was quiet. All the cats were in my lap, as I laid beside Sarah. Cirino was in the room with us, taking his afternoon nap. Sarah was on her phone, doing her favorite activity-shopping.

“You know, just because you have money now, doesn’t mean that you need to spend it,” I joked. She blushed and put her phone away. She cuddled into me. Her eyes were still red from the crying sesh she’d had last night. She apologized to everyone she hurt, including Claudia and Sabine. We all knew it wasn’t her, though, that said those things. It was Jordan. It seemed that even after death, she still haunted us.

Father had kept the jar with her soul inside it. He’d put enchantments around it so she couldn’t get out.

I petted Anakin behind the ears; he purred in response. The cats were happy to leave Denmark, which was colder than New Jersey. The baby started to fuss, so I moved up, my blanket of felines moving reluctantly, and I went to the baby’s crib and picked him up. He hiccupped, then spit up. I stroked his spine, trying to ease his tummy.

Cirino burped then, and Sarah took him from me while I changed my shirt. I put the dirty shirt in the laundry while Sarah prepared a bottle for Cirino. He suckled noisily, occasionally spitting out his formula. He ate too quickly, as he spit up again.

Now I took him while Sarah changed her shirt. She pulled on an olive-green silk top inspired by Asian culture. It looked good on her. She settled back into bed, and I burped the baby, then put him back in his crib.

I settled next to my girlfriend while she fiddled around on her phone. She didn’t get off of it until we were getting ready to land.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It felt good to be home, even if we were short a few family members. Toby carried two of the cats in cat carriers, and I carried two more. Servants and guards carried the rest of the cats and our bags.

The limo ride home was long. Sarah fell asleep during the ride. Cirino fell asleep at first, then started crying when he needed to have his diaper changed. We had to pull into a rest stop so Toby could change it. He had insisted on working as a servant, if not a guard. Spencer had reluctantly agreed, under a few conditions. Toby was not to take part in combat. He was not to go after enemies himself. He was to stay within Spencer’s sight at all times. I could tell that it ached to have Toby just in the restroom, changing the baby.

I gratefully let the cats out when we finally reached my house. Uncle Soren and Mitra followed us, Mitra saying something about needing to check on the reservation. She took off, and Uncle Soren looked like he wanted to follow her.

But he stayed with me. The cats followed me, using the cat door in the front. Shadowfang nearly got stuck when he tried to go through.

“Sure, make fun of me,” he snapped, even though I hadn’t said a word. He rolled on the floor. “It feels so good to be home!”

Most of the cats immediately went to the Cat Room, where Toby was giving them fresh food and water. I went up to my own room, exhausted. Spencer lugged my suitcase up and deposited it in my room, then left so I could sleep.

I slept for a few hours, then awoke when I heard my cell phone ringing. Rubbing my eyes, I took up the phone.

“Hello?”

“Hello? Reese?”

“Other Alexander? What’s wrong?”

“It’s my husband, he’s in labor!”

“What? Isn’t he only eight months along?”

“Yes, but the stress finally got to him. What’s the number of the nearest vampire doctor?”

“I know…he’s not a doctor, but he’s a nurse. He’ll know what to do! His name’s Ethan Potter; he’s a vampire as well.”

I sent Ethan the fastest text ever, and he responded that he would be on his way as soon as he could get off.

CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE – LABOR

I arrived at the house in less than a minute. I made my way in. Other Mordecai was sweating and grunting, clutching his belly. Other Alexander held him, breathing hard along with him. Then Other Mordecai’s pants were soaked in blood and other fluids.

“I wish I was a woman!” Other Mordecai shouted. I blinked and tried not to think about that.

“Lover, we have to take your clothes off,” said Other Alexander. He unbuttoned and unzipped his pants, taking them off slowly.

“Oh gods, it hurts!”

“You’ve done this before,” said Other Alexander. “Remember when Reese was born? He weighed twelve pounds! He was a chubby little baby, and we loved him all the more for it. Remember that?”

“I remember…he could never eat enough. He would suckle for hours!” Other Mordecai smiled at the memory. “My baby…now he’s six feet tall and two hundred pounds of muscle.”

“That’s right. Remember his hair? You loved his hair, as he had so much and it was so dark, like it is now.”

“My son-OUCH! Ow, ow ow! I hate labor! I hate you, Alexander!”

“Honey, you said that to me last time you gave birth, remember? And you were on the medicine then. What’s it called, epidural?”

“I still hate you,” Other Mordecai growled.

“I know, I know. You hate my guts. You wanted to kill me last time. You actually tried, remember? You slashed your claws at me and scratched my chest open.”

Other Mordecai had tears in his eyes now. “Gods, this is all my fault! My baby is going to be born in a world that isn’t his! All because I failed to be a good father and help Reese!” He glared at Alexander. “This is all your fault! You’re the one who told him that he was no son of yours, that he was no longer a Nicolai and that he was a bane on the family!”

“I know, I did say all that,” Other Alexander said sheepishly. “And I regret it. How I regret it. If I could go back in time and change it, I would.”

“I want a-AAAAAHHHHHH!”

“A divorce? Yes, you’ve already threatened me with divorce. I’ll tell you now, if you divorce me, it will destroy everything we’ve built. Everything we have, we will lose. Reese will never forgive either of us, and the baby will be confused and lost.”

Other Mordecai started sobbing. Other Alexander held him, and I left the room to give them some privacy.

Ethan arrived soon with a medical bag, and I barely greeted him before he went into the other room. I heard more screaming, and I texted my father to tell him what was going on. He said that he was in a meeting and couldn’t talk now. I rolled my eyes. He never paid attention if it didn’t involve me.

I went outside and prepared to go back to my own house. Before I reached the front door, I was attacked. I felt blood and pain bloom across my chest. I glanced down at the scratches, then turned. Other Reese was there. His hair was long and tangled, he had a bit of a beard going on, and his clothes were dirty. His eyes were mad, wild.

“Finally,” he hissed, his voice raspy. “I’ve finally got you alone.”

“Spencer!” I yelled out.

“Spencer is incapacitated. So is Toby.”

“You hung him.”

“A pointless move, as it turns out. The moment I caught Spencer’s scent, I knew I’d screwed up. I had to leave, before your father woke up.”

“Why do you want to kill me?” I asked, backing away.

“Because we can switch lives. But you didn’t fight with your father like I fought with mine, so that wouldn’t work. If I kill you, Mordecai will take me in instead.”

“You’re fucking crazy.”

“I know. That’s what Torrance told me. He actually said something about being in love with you. Well, I can’t have that. He’d ruin everything.”

“What did you do to him?”

“I destroyed him. He’s no longer with us. You don’t have to worry about that.”

He leapt at me, and I dodged. He latched onto my leg, though, biting ferociously. I kicked and flailed, to no avail. He was latched on tight. He grabbed my leg, his claws growing as he aimed a scratch at my face. I shielded my face in time, my arm getting the worst of it. Other Reese bit my neck then. I screamed.

I felt Other Reese being lifted off of me. Other Alexander held him around the stomach, his teeth barely scraping his son’s neck.

“Calm down!” he ordered, putting Other Reese on the ground. He covered him, keeping him pinned to the ground on his stomach. To my surprise, Other Reese started crying.

“It’s okay,” said Other Alexander. “Hey, shush. It’s okay, it’s okay.”

“What have I done?” Other Reese quipped.

“Hey, it’s okay. I’m sorry, I’m so sorry.”

“I want to die.”

“Don’t say that. It’s okay, it’s okay.”

“No, it’s not okay.”

“Yes, it is. Take a deep breath. Relax. Reese,” he focused on me. “Go inside. Now. I will call your uncle.”

I ran inside and hid in my bedroom. Then I started crying. All the stress as of late started to get to me, and I cried hard. Only one person could comfort me and was nearby.

Alexander came the moment I texted him. He opened my door and found me hiding in the closet, my eyes still reddened from crying. He lifted me up like a baby and cradled me. Mother, Sarah, Selena, Sabine, and Cirino were with him.

Mother and Alexander held and comforted me, and Sarah cried when she saw my wounds.

Other Mordecai’s labor lasted for hours. I heard screaming, crying, and threatening. Other Reese was brought into the room by Alexander, and I ventured to enter after a moment. Other Mordecai would have jumped off the bed if Ethan hadn’t been holding him down.

“Reese!” he screamed. “My baby! My son! My life!” He grimaced as he bore down. The birthing itself was mostly blocked by Ethan, but I occasionally saw a sight that would leave permanent mental scars.

Other Reese was sitting in a chair and sobbing, too overcome with shame to respond.

“I’m so sorry, Daddy,” he said.

“No, no! It’s all right! You’re okay, that’s what matters!” He cried out as another contraction hit him.

I left again, feeling guilty. I found Sarah typing away on her laptop in my room, sitting cross-legged on my bed. She was focused on the screen, her eyes roving over the words.

“’I was sure of one thing. I was unconditionally in love with him.’ Very chick lit-ish,” I said.

“It’s supposed to be. It’s so like my own life, and I’m a girly girl,” she responded. I sat behind her and watched her type. I grabbed the book off my nightstand and started reading. Paradise Lost.

I had just gotten to the part where the fallen angels are cast out of Heaven, when Sarah stopped typing and stretched her fingers.

“It’s funny,” she said.

“What is?” I asked. She bit her lip.

“I shouldn’t be the one to tell you. Ariella should be the one to say it. But anyway, Elliot stopped talking to me. I can’t say I’m happy about it, but really, I’m dating you, and he has to accept that. He broke Britt’s heart.”

“I’m glad he stopped speaking to you,” I said. She smacked my arm, then shook her hand in pain. “But what is Ariella up to?”

“Well…okay. You know how she chose Damon Sage? Well, he dumped her again.”

“So?”

“So? She’s not upset about it! I think she’s actually relieved.”

“Good riddance.”

“Be nice,” she said, smacking my arm again. “But she told me that she regrets not choosing Soren over Damon. I know it’s too late now, he likes Mitra, but I think she might try to chase him again.”

“She won’t get anywhere. Like you said, he’s in love with Mitra Dearwood now. And why not? She broke his heart, and Mitra came along and was nice to him. Not at first, but eventually, she was nice to him.”

“I really shouldn’t be the one telling you this.”

“But you are. You like to gossip, Sarah Cresley, admit it.”

“Fine, yes, I admit it. I like to gossip. It’s so much fun! But don’t tell Ari that I said this, okay? She’d kill me.”

“Not a peep. I promise.”

“Thank you.”

She saved her work and closed her laptop, then set it on my desk. She came back over and sat by me. She fiddled with her leggings, then found my shirt and pulled it over her.

“Why do you like my clothes so much?” I asked.

“They smell like you.”

“Of course they do; they’re mine.”

A knocking on the door sounded.

“Come in,” I said. Ethan came in, smiling.

“It’s a boy.”

We went over to the other house, Sarah trying to steal my boots, too, but then she realized they were too heavy for her.

“Giant feet,” she teased.

“Fairy feet,” I teased back.

We walked to the other house. When we arrived, Other Alexander was grinning like a fool, and Other Mordecai was holding a bundle in his arms.

“He’s beautiful,” he said.

“What are you going to name him?” Sarah asked.

“I was thinking…Cirino…It means ‘like the sun’. And he’s my sun, the radiance in my life.”

“Sun, son,” said Other Alexander, still grinning.

“Clever,” I replied. Sarah smiled at the name.

“Like mine,” she said.

“You also have a baby named Cirino?” Other Alexander asked. “In that case, he’s definitely sticking with the name.”

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It would not be easy getting the couple, the me, and the new baby through the portal. So many things could go wrong. So many things. I had called Father, and he apologized for not being there sooner. He made sure I was okay, and I told him to stay in Denmark.

“If you’re sure,” he said.

“One hundred percent,” I replied. We ended the conversation then.

The portal had to be created by a witch, wizard, or warlock. Luckily, I knew two warlocks who were willing to do it. I won’t say that Mason and Krauvas were not surprised when they saw our doubles, because they were.

Krauvas chanted in a language I didn’t understand, moving his hands around. He threw some salt over the area, then some sort of oil. The portal began as a speck, then grew larger. Krauvas put his hand on Mason’s chest and told all of us to step back.

“Back, everyone,” he said, and we all stepped back. “Now you four, go through the portal when it gets to its full size. Go at once, or someone will be left behind and I’ll have to do it over again. Go carefully, and hang onto each other, especially the baby. He’s the most fragile, and he’ll be even more fragile and dizzy after this.”

Other Alexander and Other Mordecai nodded like they understood, and Mordecai gripped the baby tighter.

The portal kept growing, and it grew to the size of a small tree, then a medium-sized tree, then the size of an evergreen. It paused, the shrank slightly.

“Shit,” Krauvas said. “I didn’t bring enough salt. Mason, do you have any?”

Mason produced a bottle from his backpack. Krauvas took it and threw the rest of the salt over the portal. The portal expanded again, and then Krauvas told us to wait a minute. When it didn’t do anything, he spoke up again.

“Go in,” he said. “Remember what I said about touching each other. And hang on to the baby.”

There was a pause, then they stepped through at once. The cream-colored portal paused, then shrank, until it was gone.

“So that’s that,” I sighed. “Thanks, Krauvas and Mason. How much do I owe you?”

Krauvas stated an exorbitant amount, and Mason punched him.

“Fine, a hundred dollars will suffice,” he said. Mason frowned at him. Krauvas frowned back.

“He’s your friend, not mine,” he said. “I can charge him however much I want.”

I handed him a crisp one-hundred-dollar bill, then walked back to the house.

“I’m going to miss Other Reese,” I sighed. Mason and Sarah stopped and stared at me.

“He tried to kill you!” Sarah said, jogging to keep up.

“Yes, but I’ve always wanted a brother. It turns out that there’s a possibility that, somewhere, in another universe, I have a brother. And it turns out I do. In their universe, I now have a baby brother. But in another universe, I could have an older brother. I know that Kieran’s my stepbrother now, but I’d rather have a biological brother.”

“I have a sister,” Sarah said.

“I’m an only child,” Mason said. “Trust me, I understand where you’re coming from. I wish that I had an older brother or sister. Maybe I do, in another universe. My mom actually lost a baby years and years ago.”

“You never told me that,” I said.

“My parents don’t like to talk about it. Apparently, they had a baby that only lived a few hours after he was born. They didn’t even name him. Then they had me years later.”

“Both my mother and my sister have lost babies,” I said. “I had a baby nephew that was stillborn, and when my mother was human, she had a miscarriage and later a stillborn. She won’t tell me their names, though. My sister didn’t even get to name my nephew.”

“Sabine and I are our parents’ only babies,” Sarah said. “We were the apple of Dad’s eye. He called us his princesses and sang songs to us.”

“You’re lucky,” Mason told her. “Your parents never divorced.”

“My parents are dead,” she reminded him, and I gave him a warning growl.

“Oh, right. I’m sorry. Anyway, my mom caught my dad saying that he didn’t love her anymore. Reese was there.”

“I remember it,” I said. “I was disgusted with Krauvas. No offense, Mason.”

“None taken. I was, too. I hate my father for what he did to Mom. She was really torn up about it. She let him have the house. She’s living in a one-room apartment with a bird and three cats. Their names are Mugsy, Fluffy, Beanie, and Lord Byron.”

“I’m guessing Lord Byron is the bird?” I asked.

“He’s one of the cats, actually. He’s a Maine coon like Shadowfang. Except he’s fatter. The bird is Mugsy.”

Epilogue

It was on New Year’s Eve, when Sarah was staying over like she had last year. She had just finished applying her makeup and stepped out in a beautiful blue dress. She looked like a superstar, especially with those five-inch heels. She was nearly standing on her toes.

Tonight, we were going to a party. Sarah’s hair had been curled and pretty makeup applied, and I smelled like men’s cologne and my hair had been brushed. The white tips were showing up again. I decided I’d never cut my hair that short again. I’d let it grow out. Of course, I couldn’t dye it; like I’ve said before, I’m allergic to hair dye. But maybe I could find some color spray and spray it black, like the rest of my hair.

The party would be at a club called Dream. Sarah would be singing there tonight. Singing again at the Holiday Ball made her realize that she needs to get used to singing in public. Of course, it was mostly Jordan’s fault that she had a breakdown that night.

As soon as we arrived, were greeted by Sarah’s clique, the Beautifuls, all wearing different-colored dresses. Ariella looked pretty in a peach dress. The owner, Darrell, introduced himself to me, and I to him. He led Sarah to the backstage, where she was to go on in two minutes. And when she stepped onto that stage and sang, she shone like a star.

Impressum

Tag der Veröffentlichung: 11.09.2018

Alle Rechte vorbehalten