“Come on. Get up.”

I opened one eye and squinted at the morning light seeping through the curtains of my bedroom window. I temporarily forgot what day it was and what I was supposed to be doing but as a pair of strong arms slid under me and lifted me off the bed, the memories of last night quickly rushed back.

“What are you doing?” I asked sleepily as Tristan carried me off somewhere.

“Tossing you into the shower. You reek of sex,” he said with a wicked smile as he elbowed away the shower curtain and put me down on my feet. I was already naked and warm water was already gushing out of the shower head.

I giggled as stepped in next to me, as gloriously naked as I was, and kissed me hard on the mouth as his hands fumbled with the shower gel pump behind me.

I kissed him back and purred as he lathered soap on my shoulders and down my back before stopping to massage my butt.

“We had sex three times last night, all the way till four in the morning, and after you gave me a couple of hours of sleep, you’re back to wanting it again,” I murmured against his mouth with a laugh as my hands slipped betweens us and grasped his quickly growing erection.

“What can I say? I have incredible stamina,” he murmured back at me as his fingers strayed between my legs and slipped inside me. “And I have an all-consuming desire for you. We’ll do this all day if we didn’t have responsibilities.”

I sighed deeply as Tristan picked me up and let me wrap my legs around his hips. Without saying anything else, he pinned me against the wall, the large, rigid, throbbing part of him sheathing itself inside of me.

I may have no other experience to compare it to but sex with Tristan was mind-blowing. He’s gentle and sweet one minute, he’s ravaging me the next. It was an assortment of experiences, all out of this world, and although I complained about having been completely exhausted, I really wasn’t. I was fast adopting a stamina that surprised even myself.

Twenty minutes later, we were drying ourselves off and I grinned at the sight of Tristan with a white fluffy towel around his waist, patting his head with a small pink one that had purple rose prints on them.

I was wrapped in the bigger version of the floral-print towel and we stood side by side as we brushed our teeth in front of the mirror. 

He changed into the clean clothes he brought with him—dark jeans, a dark green shirt and his bomber jacket. I was scheduled to come into the bakeshop today and check in on the furnishings now that all the major reconstruction has been done so I dressed casually in faded jeans, sneakers and a peach-colored cotton shirt.

I gathered my hair into a loose braid and slung on my small, brown leather saddle bag.

We made breakfast together—I baked some buttermilk biscuits and he scrambled some eggs and fried up some bacon. It was only about nine when were sitting by the breakfast bar, eating our food and sipping freshly brewed coffee.

I locked up and watered my plants before we left—we were returning to the mansion that evening. 

He dropped me off at the bakeshop where both Mary Anne’s and Patrick’s cars were already parked out front instead of the usual employee spots on the side because it was taken up by two big industrial dumpsters that held stuff from the renovation.

“I’ll pick you up later,” he said as I opened the passenger side door. “Call me whenever you’re ready. I’m expecting a couple of visits today. If I’m not able to get out at all, I’ll send you Stigger.”

I scrunched up my nose. “You know this would be easier on both of us if you’d just let me drive myself. I know this town like the back of my hand.”

“It would be easier, yes,” he conceded with a smile. “But this is safer.”

I sighed and gave up as he leaned towards me and pressed a kiss on my mouth. 

Annoyed as I may be about the whole driving situation, I put my hands on each side of Tristan’s face and kissed him back, struggling with the temptation to climb all over his lap and have my way with him in broad daylight while pulled over on the side of the road.

Most women probably won’t blame me after one look at Tristan but I was getting a little too obsessed. Words have been said last night—words that definitely meant something deeper than what they say on the surface—and maybe I wanted to hold on tight to them knowing they don’t come often, if they have ever come out at all before.

Tristan sped off after I was safely inside the cafe where Patrick and Mary Anne both greeted me with knowing smiles and a shake of their heads.

“What?” I asked as I hopped over a pile of chair backs that laid on the floor. 

“We all saw it coming but it’s still so hard to believe,” Mary Anne said as she handed me a clipboard with  a list of supplies we were expecting from the kitchen supply store later that day. 

“What’s so hard to believe?” I asked absently as I scanned the list. 

When they didn’t speak, I looked up at both of them who were staring at me in amusement.

“You two have been so inseparable lately I’m starting to think you’re joined at the hip,” Mary Anne quipped with a chuckle. “Although you both look like you’ve banged hips lots of times too.”

She and Patrick both cracked up and I couldn’t fight the blood that rushed to my cheeks which now felt very warm.

“I would like to remind the two of you that I’m a woman well beyond the proper age for this kind of thing,”  I countered, cringing at how stupid I sounded.

Patrick sniffed and smiled. “Oh, we know, darling. In fact, that’s what we’re relieved so about. It’s been ages since you’ve taken any guy seriously and no disrespect to Jack but I think it’s been Tristan all along.”

Mary Anne nodded. “We’re glad you two finally decided to stop playing games. Everyone could see it but you two.”

I opened my mouth to defend myself further but I stopped myself. 

If Tristan and I were a normal couple, I would have an easier time to explain but we weren’t so unless I wanted to tell Patrick and Mary Anne the entire truth that would send them running for the nearest psychiatrist to fix me up, I had no choice but to shut my mouth.

“Oh, Lord. Pat, look at her,” Mary Anne said with a sigh. “She’s wearing that look she has when she thinks she owes everyone an explanation.”

“I don’t owe anyone any explanation!” I said indignantly. 

Patrick nodded. “Exactly. We’re not questioning you, Ollie. Relax. It’s okay to fall in love. I sometimes think you’ve never done this before.”

When I didn’t say anything and just looked at them they both groaned and rolled their eyes heavenwards. 

“You haven’t,” Patrick said with a groan before grabbing me for a quick bear hug. “Oh, honey. It’s about time. It’s the worst and best thing that can happen to a person but it’s always worth it.”

I rolled my eyes. “Thanks, Pat. Very reassuring pep talk there.”

Mary Anne took her turn in hugging me, like she and Patrick were both proud parents of their kid who made it through her first day of school on her own. “Tristan sure looks like a heartbreaker but the way he looks at you, I just know he’s going to break some bones first before anyone can lay a finger on you. You’ll have beautiful children.”

“Stop! Please!” I finally said in embarrassment, holding my hands up and taking a step back. “It’s too soon to start talking about babies, you two. Come on. We’ve got work to do and my love life is not one of them.”

They just laughed and let it go. 

The problem with parent-figures is that they can really be as annoying as real parents.

The rest of the day went by quickly but not as uneventful as I would like.

I was out in the back flattening the furniture’s cardboard packaging for recycling when Scott walked by and stopped to talk. 

“How’s Heather?” I asked, observing the grim expression on his face. 

“She’s physically better,” he answered, jamming his hands into the front pockets of his cargo shorts. “I can’t say the same thing about her psychologically. She’s having nightmares every night. She has memory lapses. She is suddenly hit with inexplicable pangs of terror. Something happened to her and she can’t remember it.”

I bit my lip to stop myself from giving too specific a reassurance. “I’m sorry, Scott. I wish I can help.”

I mentally noted to talk to Arabella about some other means to ease Heather’s mind without giving her the memories back. 

He looked at me with narrowed, dark brown eyes as if hesitating to say what he had in mind.

“I think you know something, Ollie,” he finally said and my gut turned. 

“What do you mean?” I asked as innocently as I could manage. 

He exhaled sharply. “Look, I don’t think you did anything bad to Heather but I think you may know a little more than you say about that day she disappeared. I don’t know. Maybe you saw her before she got abducted or something.”

I moistened my lips. “What makes you say that?”

He dug into his pocket and took out a small, silver charm in the shape of a bird with two small blue turquoise gems for its eyes.

I held my breath, looking up to meet Scott’s measuring stare. 

“I know this is yours, Ollie,” he said, reaching forward to lift my wrist where a slim bracelet hung from, adorned with a few charms that family and friends have given me over the years. I had only recently noticed this specific bird charm missing but I couldn’t remember when and how I’d lost it because I wore it almost every day but never bothered to check on the charms all the time.

“I gave this to you on our first year anniversary together as a couple,” he said with a soft smile.

I nodded. “Yes, you did. Where did you find it?”

His smile disappeared. “Heather had it in her pocket. I found it as I was going through the clothes she had been wearing when she was brought in. The only way I could explain her having this was you either probably gave it to her or she took it from you.”

“What did she say?” I asked slowly. 

“I didn’t ask her,” he admitted with a sigh. “As much as I would like answers, it’s probably best that she doesn’t remember that bit about you and her because I’m pretty sure it wasn’t a nice conversation. I know how she gets on your case about our history.”

I felt a pang of guilt and tenderness for my old flame and friend but the truth was going to put him in danger as well. I didn’t like to lie but what man needed some answers and Heather wasn’t in any condition to provide any which would temporarily fix this breach. “Listen, Scott. I know you and Heather are having a hard time going through all this with her and I wish I can both ease your mind but I don’t know what happened either. Heather did come to the house the day before she was found but only to ask if I’d seen you recently because you two had a fight and you didn’t come home. I told her I haven’t seen you at all. She didn’t believe me at first but to convince her, I gave her the charm to her to symbolize that there was nothing of yours I was holding on to anymore and that she shouldn’t need to worry about me.”

The lie had a bitter taste in my mouth because I knew I was twisting around Heather’s groggy admission to me in the back of that panel van we had both been thrown into but I quickly reminded myself that this was for the best for both of them.

“I see,” Scott said quietly, glancing down at the charm he held in his palm. “Thanks for telling me.”

“I wish I could tell you more,” I offered gently.

He smiled and shook his head. “No, it’s okay. It doesn’t even really matter. The important thing is that she’s alive and as well as we can hope for considering the circumstances. I’ve even asked the police to drop the case. We need to put it behind us. She’s pregnant, you know? Sixteen weeks. We have something wonderful to look forward to so I don’t want us to look back anymore.”

My smile quivered but it was sincere. I wanted to hug him but remembering Heather’s delicate situation, I kept my distance. “I’m glad to hear that, Scott. Congratulations. You’ll make a wonderful father.”

His smile deepened. “Thanks. How are you getting by? I heard what happened to the bakeshop and what those scumbags did to you. Are you okay?”

I nodded. “Yes. I’m over that. These things happen. As for the bakeshop, it gave us a good excuse to do some renovation.”

He eyed me meaningfully. “Still going strong with that new guy Tristan Black?”

My cheeks flushed but I reminded myself that this was Scott and despite our history together, we were good friends. “We’re doing well. Thanks.”

He seemed satisfied with that and didn’t press for more.

I watched him leave, grateful that whatever Scott thought I knew about Heather’s abduction, he wasn’t going to ask about it anymore. 

Much later that day, I was picking up some snack wraps and fruit shakes from Elena’s, a Mexican diner down the block, when an unfamiliar man sat next to me on the stool by the bar where I was waiting.

“Good day, Ollie,” he said in a deep, smooth voice.

I stiffened but didn’t bolt, angling him a glance cautiously.

I didn’t know everyone in Willow but I could recognize who didn’t belong there and this man certainly didn’t.

He was tall and lanky—I could see that in his frame even when sitting down and his clothes were simple and nondescript in black trousers, a short-sleeved, white polo shirt and casual shoes. He had a thick mane of black hair and his sharply angular face featured dark brows and even darker eyes.

He looked about early forties and although he definitely didn’t look familiar, he looked striking. 

It looked like this day wasn’t over being interesting yet.

“Do I know you?” I asked slowly, glancing around with my eyes in case anyone was within earshot. Something about him screamed otherworldly and ones I’ve never met before usually turned out to be after me.

The diner was steadily busy and no one was paying us any attention. When he spoke though, I could hear his voice above the mixed chatter and noise in the diner even though I knew he was speaking softly.

“We have not met but I know a great deal about you, young woman,” he said with a friendly smile even though his eyes were sharp and direct and knowing. “You happen to be at the heart of this madness—the wind that will steer Tristan’s boat into any direction of your liking.”

I pushed my chair back as I got up. “Excuse me but I have to go—”

“Please. Sit down,” he interrupted and although he didn’t touch me, the authority in his tone stopped me short. “I’m not here to hurt you or anyone else, Ollie. I’m too old for such silly things. I like the life I’ve made for myself. I like my peace. I like exactly the way things had been all this time. I only wish to keep it that way.”

I lowered myself back into the seat and maintained my composure. I told myself to handle this without incident. Today was the first day I finally convinced Tristan to let me have a few hours at the bakeshop without any bodyguard and it took a lot of pleading and wheedling that I can’t mess this up this quickly and badly. 

“Who are you, what do you want and what makes you think I’ll give it to you?”

He glanced at me and almost smiled. “I can see why Tristan is intoxicated with you—you’re obviously very beautiful and graceful but quite defiant and headstrong.”

“I didn’t sit back down to be patronized,” I said stonily. “What are you here for?”

He finally turned towards her. “I can only imagine how crazy the last month or so had been for you, finding out things and going through all that you did. You must miss the bliss of innocence and of a life free from the dangers and complications of otherworldly business.”

I narrowed my eyes at him. “I take whatever I’m dealt with. You still haven’t answered my question.”

He nodded in resignation. “I can take all of this away, Ollie. If you help me, I can ensure that you are going to be safe from Remus and that the order we once had will be restored.”

I raised a brow. “What do you have to personally gain from this?”

“Plenty,” he answered casually. “I get to keep what I have. I rid myself of Remus who is a thorn in my side. I keep the Stellars and the Divine out of my case. Most of all, my son stays alive.”

I paused at his last sentence, the puzzle pieces slowly fitting together. 

“You’re Lucian—powerful demon lord and Tristan’s father,” I said lightly, trying not to roll my eyes at the realization that I’ve now met both of Tristan’s parents. 

He nodded slowly, a small smile finally making its way to the surface. “I’m certain you probably don’t have a very high opinion of me if Tristan was the one to tell you about me but I can assure you I’m here with good intentions. Remus isn’t going to stop at taking over the underworld. If he succeeds at that, he’s going to be bold enough to try to take over the entire world and Tristan will either be instrumental to it or a casualty from it. He needs to be stopped before we get banished once again and more lives are lost. We’re prepared to take him down but we’re going to need all the help we can get. We need Tristan to fight on our side.”

I sighed, my shoulders hunching in defeat. “Why are you asking me this when you probably very well know I’m the reason Tristan made the decision he did? Do you think I wanted him to be allies with Remus? I told him over and over again but he’s not budging on that.”

“Oh, I know very well that you’re the reason,” he agreed mildly. “I keep tabs on everything that concerns my son, despite not having seen him or spoken to him for centuries. I’ll admit to you that it definitely put an ugly kink on my plans as I was sure I could win him over to our side but you’re something he’s not willing to bargain for—even at the price of the world and everyone in it.”

My eyes narrowed. “The guilt trip isn’t necessary. I’ve been doing it to myself often enough in the last couple of weeks. If I could deliver myself to Remus, just to get this done and over with, I would, but Tristan wants me to fight back and not waste all that’s been sacrificed for my sake.”

Lucian actually grinned. “I never really thought of that boy as romantic but he must get it from his mother—noble and generous to a fault sometimes. They surely aren’t my attributes.”

I raised a brow. “Well, at least you can both agree on one thing and that’s securing Tristan’s safety. She thinks you and Tristan can help each other bring Remus down. I tried telling him that too but he dismissed it.”

I wasn’t really sure why I was letting my mouth run off with things I probably shouldn’t tell Lucian who for all I know, could be totally playing us to our detriment. 

Beneath the cool, lazy exterior he exuded, I could pick out the concern in his voice and in the way his forehead creased just a little bit while talking about his son. That he and Leah have both come to me for help when I’m the very reason their son had to put himself in a difficult position was beyond me but I was quickly realizing that if anything happened to Tristan, I wasn’t only tearing my own heart out—I’d be taking away someone’s loyal friend and the cherished son of two creatures who couldn’t be farther apart from each other in the otherworldly spectrum.

“Leah spoke to you?” he asked in surprise although his eyes lit up. “How is she? Still as beautiful as an angel?”

I nodded. “Yes. I’m afraid your son doesn’t want to listen to her.”

Lucian sighed and straightened in his seat. “He really should stop resenting her so much. I tried to tell him the truth but he declared he wasn’t interested since the first day he realized he didn’t have a mother. I don’t blame her. It was a different time and the rules were new and very rigid. She was among the first order of Stellars to arrive on the human realm after the banishment and she led the whole operation for a long time before I met her. It was like a train wreck in slow motion. She was overwhelmed by all the new feelings and experiences her humanity gave her and I was in way over my head, wanting something forbidden. We knew were doomed but we broke the rules anyway. She suddenly left without explanation and several months later, I received a bundled up baby boy at my house. I took one look at him and knew he couldn’t be anybody else’s child but ours.”

Intrigued by this history, I listened with rapt attention. “Why didn’t she keep him? No judgement but you would think an angel can take better care of a baby than a demon lord.”

Lucian smiled. “Tristan is tainted by my demon blood. He wouldn’t have been accepted in the Divine realm. It is simply unheard of. I think she was afraid he would be banished or abandoned somewhere to die. My theory is that she was yanked off from her work as a Stellar and banned from leaving the Divine realm and that’s why she never had the chance to see our son again.”

“Wow. That’s pretty harsh,” I muttered. “It’s not Tristan’s fault who his parents are. He was deprived of a mother simply because you and Leah were Romeo and Juliet.”

Lucian chuckled lightly. “If she’d been banished to the underworld, I would have taken her in and cared for her. I loved Leah and I love her still. But for a lot of us, duty comes first and I think that’s what Tristan is angry about.”

I shrugged. “Tristan doesn’t like rules and surely doesn’t let them get in his way if he wants something. He’s not really comfortable with authority either.”

“Exactly, which is why this uneasy alliance he has with Remus is going to shatter before it can last through the war,” he said with seriousness now. “Tristan dislikes authority except his own. Remus likes to keep everyone on their toes, especially ones whose loyalty he’s not confident about. My fear is that Remus just wants Tristan out of the way for now so he can take us down more easily and as soon as that’s done, he’ll turn to Tristan and destroy him because he will continue to be a threat to his power as long as he lives and Remus is paranoid about betrayal. After all, he destroyed his own master so he can take his seat.”

He made a strong point and I couldn’t argue it.

“What do you want him to do?” I asked.

“I want him to collaborate with us to take Remus down. Once he’s out of the picture, we can all return to our normal lives and I won’t bother you two again,” he said simply, glancing at me with an expectant expression. “I’ll make sure you get out of this before Remus can hurt you. There’s strength and creativity in numbers and we can pull it off better than if Tristan is operating on his own. My son is clever but he’ll be trying to save too many things and too many people at the same time. We can help each other.”

I slowly nodded. “Alright. I’ll talk to him. I’ll do it because it’s important that he stays safe. I don’t care what happens to me but I want you to make sure he gets out of this alive and without permanent damage.”

Lucian’s gaze narrowed at me curiously. “While I can assure you he’ll get out alive, I’m not too sure about him surviving without permanent damage. He could lose you after all and if he does, I don’t imagine he’ll ever be the same again.”

I felt the sting of tears but I took a deep breath to keep them at bay. “It’s better than both of us dead or me alive without him.”

“You truly have nothing you want for yourself out of this?” he asked in what seemed like disbelief. And awe. 

I shook my head. “Oh, there’s a lot that I want out of this for myself but I won’t be that lucky so I’m naming my non-negotiables. I simply don’t want anyone that I care about to be hurt. And for Remus to rot in hell or wherever he can find eternal misery.”

Lucian stared at her for a moment before nodding and extending a hand. “I understand and I’ll do my best. You are risking a lot working with us and I more than appreciate it. Despite everything, I’m glad my son is fighting for someone who is fighting just as hard for him.”

I smiled and shook his hand and for the briefest moment, while he held my hand in his, I saw a flash or two of a very young, blond-haired boy walking along the beach with Lucian who looked exactly as he does now. I saw them both look up and the fluffy white clouds against the blue skies darkened and started to pulse with lightning and thunder before they relaxed and cleared back up to their original white, separating and letting the sun streak from behind them again.

“That’s my favorite memory of him,” Lucian said with a smile as he stood up after our hands dropped. “I told him we could do two things in our lifetime—darken the world or live in the beauty of it. I hope we both come to the same choice this time because those are the only two options waiting to come out of this war.”

He tipped his head one last time before walking out of the diner. 

I sat there for a moment before Elena conveniently arrived with the food I ordered. 

***

“Arabella wants to see you tonight,” was the first thing Tristan said as I climbed into his car.

I rolled the windows down and waved goodbye at Patrick and Mary Anne who were bolting the doors. It was about seven in the evening and we finally decided to call it a day. Tristan was right on the dot to pick me up but he looked distracted.

“Everything alright?” I asked, observing the way his brows furrowed together as he pulled back out on to the road.

“Yeah. It’s just been a long day,” he answered before reaching for my hand and clasping it between our seats. “There’s word that Remus has been picking through a vast number of witches and warlocks to work for him. He killed those he believed were powerful but declined him. If he can’t have them, no one else can.”

I grimaced. “What does he want with witches and warlocks?”

“A lot of Remus’s ploys are backed up with witchcraft, alchemy and black magic. He’s a big fan of those,” Tristan answered. “He still uses brute force where necessary but he likes deception and theatrics. I’m worried that he’s getting some of his new hires to examine you more closely. I don’t want them to find out before we do. Which is why tonight you need to see Arabella. She said she has some pretty conclusive theories but she needs to find out a few things. I couldn’t get anything more specific from her even with the threat of ripping her throat out.”

I grinned. “I think Arabella’s past being intimidated by you.”

He sighed and finally gave in to a grin. “Yeah. I think I’ve gone too soft on all of them. Don’t worry, we’ll get our answers soon enough.”

I wondered for a bit whether now was a good time to tell him about Lucian’s visit or wait until he’s a little more focused. He hadn’t been thrilled to hear from his mother and I imagined it wouldn’t be too different with his father. 

I thought about it too long that before I could decide, we were rolling into the garage of the Mansion.

Arabella was already in the study, sitting by an armchair in a royal blue dress, her hair pinned up in a loose bun. She was scribbling something on a journal and she looked up when we came in.

Irina sauntered in regally and gave us a curt nod before standing next to Arabella.

“Hey, ladies,” I greeted wearily as I dumped my purse on one end of the sofa and plopped down on it. “I heard you have some info on what’s wrong with me but before we get started, can I grab something to eat first? I’m starving.”

Irina rolled her eyes. “Humans. Alright, I’ll get Stigger to make you something. I’ll be right back.”

Tristan sat next to me and turned to Arabella patiently. “So, tell us what you know.”

The girl smiled and put away her pen and journal. “Not yet. I want to see her glow. I need to see it for myself.”

Tristan sighed in exasperation and turned to me. “I don’t think she can do it on command, can you?”

I shrugged. “I don’t think so. It only seems to come up when my emotions are heightened, I think. Like when I’m very scared, or angry, or excited, or...”

Arabella tipped her head to Tristan. “Then by all means, Tristan. Heighten her emotions.”

My eyes widened. “What?”

The girl, unperturbed, just rolled her eyes. “Didn’t you glow while you were in the middle of some hot make out session? You accounted for each time it happened and this is the easiest circumstance to replicate. Now, make out.”

My jaw dropped and I turned to Tristan in horror but he had an amused smile on his face. “No way! I’m not making out here with you—”

“It’s an experiment, Ollie,” he said patiently, grabbing my wrist and hauling me up on his lap. “It’s nothing that she hasn’t seen before, right Ara?”

“For the love of God, will you two just make out already?” the vampire said just as Irina came in.

“Stigger’s making you a sandwich and he’ll be up in few minutes,” the taller, older vampire said as she glanced at us, looking puzzled. “What’s happening?”

“I’m making out with Ollie,” Tristan said with a smirk. “Care to watch, Irina?”

“I truly have better things to do with my time but we’re here to find some answers so just get on with it,” she said, sitting down on an another armchair. 

I opened my mouth to protest again but Tristan simply cupped the back of my head and angled his face towards me. 

I was mortified but he, on the other hand, based on how his hands were silkily gliding up and down my body, seemed to be thoroughly enjoying this.

I was too embarrassed to enjoy but Tristan pushed me down on the sofa, catching my right knee and hooking it around his waist.

Relax, Ollie, he said to me in my mind, his voice cool and sensuous. Just feel me. Feel this.

And despite my incredulity, I started to feel the heat spread throughout me. I responded to Tristan’s coaxing lips, his fleeting yet suggestive caresses and the intoxicating smell and warmth of his long, hard body.

Memories of our lovemakings flashed behind my closed eyes and desire skittered down my spine.

You just know how to bring out the wanton in me, don’t you?  I said to him in my mind, smirking against his mouth as the memories he was channeling between the two of us grew steamier and more explicit it was nearly pornographic.

He sucked on my lower lip as his hands grazed up on my shirt and cupped my breasts. There’s no shame in passion. Besides, I won’t deprive myself of an opportunity with you, anytime, anywhere.

As if to further prove his point, his hands squeezed the breasts they cupped as his hot, moist mouth travelled down neck.

My eyes closed, I arched back in the sofa and gripped Tristan’s muscular shoulders.

“I think the glow’s pretty obvious now,” said a dry, flat voice.

I gasped and jumped in my seat, nearly colliding with Tristan who straightened up just as I did.

My cheeks were heavy and very warm as I sneaked a glance at the two vampires who sat across us, looking like they were watching a cereal commercial.

“Very interesting,” Irina observed, nodding at my arms which were now glowing with a faint golden cast. “I’ve never seen that before.”

The glow disappeared as quickly as it came and I shrugged helplessly at Arabella before I felt the air rush past me.

It took a second to register that her hand was gripping my arm like a vise and that she was letting go as my weight rocketed forward.

For a moment, everything around me whirled and blurred. Then the burgundy walls of the study were seconds away from me that panic finally kicked in.

“No!”

My eyes squeezed shut and my arms folded in front of me in an instinct to shield.

A million thoughts rushed in and emotions surged through as I waited for the impact but out of nowhere everything stilled and I somehow felt suspended in time and space.

“What the—”

I looked around me and saw the study several feet below me—yes, below me.

Wide-eyed, I stared at my arms and legs and saw the golden orange light blazing brightly around them and the crackle of what seemed like electricity that skittered invisibly along my skin.

Speechless, I glanced down at my audience who wore a variety of expressions—Stigger, who just walked in with a tray of food, gazed at me in awe; Irina wore an almost smug smirk; Arabella was furrowing her brows in concentration; and Tristan’s face was paler than I ever imagined possible.

“What’s...” I started in a trembling voice. I swallowed hard to steady it. “What’s happening to me?”

Confusion and fear churned inside me and before I could stop it, tears spilled down my cheeks.

“Ollie, relax. Don’t cry,” Tristan, who finally recovered from his terrified state, was now looking at me attentively, his mouth a grim line and his blue eyes darkened by concern. “It’s okay. I think—and I hope—Arabella was just experimenting again when she hurled you across the room.”

He glanced at Arabella with an irritated scowl but the vampire ignored him as she continued to study me hard. 

“I want to get down,” I managed in between gasps of tears, not daring to move in case I plunged to the ground. “I have to stop. I... I don’t know what to do.”

Tristan walked directly below me and held his arms up. “I’ll catch you. Just take a deep breath and calm down. Your intense emotions are firing you up right now, enabling you to do this. Just let it all go and you’ll drop. I’ll catch you. I promise.”

I hesitated. “But... What if—”

“Ollie, I promise,” Tristan repeated firmly. “Just trust me.”

I looked at him for a moment, reassured myself of his promise, and closed my eyes.

I took several deep breaths and tried to think of something else—anything else—other than the fact that I was suspended mid-air in what looked like a ball of fire.

I thought of my parents. I thought of all the times I spent in the kitchen growing up. I thought of Jesse and the look on his face when I pranked him with tea in his pop can instead of soda. I thought of Tristan and his smiling face. I thought of the times I laid snuggled in his arms and waking up next to him in the morning. 

“Here you are,” I heard him say softly. 

I opened my eyes the safe time I was only a few inches away from his waiting arms, my glow nearly gone.

I sighed in relief as I gently fell into his arms and he held me close for a moment.

I brushed my tears back as he set me back down on my feet. 

“Are you alright?” he asked gently, tilting my chin up.

I nodded. “Yeah. Apart from being a ball of fire suspended mid-air, I’m fine.”

He didn’t smile as he turned to Arabella who was busy scribbling something on her journal. “So. Care to explain what that was all about, Ara?”

She snapped her journal shut and got up, a tight smile spread on her face. “Not yet. I just need to double-check something. Thanks for being a sport, Ollie.”

My mouth hung open as we watched her turn and head for the door in a hurry.

Irina laughed. “You should’ve seen your face, Ollie. Anyway, I better leave you two alone before Tristan loses his temper. That, I want to miss.”

“That was no joke, Irina,” Tristan commented stiffly.

Irina just shrugged and paused in front of me, smiling smugly. “So. You’re a freak after all. Welcome to the club.”

Her words sank in as I watched her leisurely walk out of the room.

A freak. She was right about that. Since we had no official name for what I am, freak seems to cover most of it.

I groaned and collapsed on the nearest chair.

Somehow, I had a feeling that this wasn’t going to be the last of tonight’s revelations.

***

After the meeting at the study and once my nerves had returned to their normal state, I took two bites from the sandwich Stigger made me and went upstairs to take a long, hot bath while Tristan stayed behind to go through some paperwork.

While soaking in the tub, I texted Jesse asking him to call when he could.

I didn’t know what to tell him exactly—if I should even tell him anything—but he was the only family I had left. If something happened to me, he needed to know. And understand. And accept. 

After my bath, I slipped into an old pair of gray, cotton leggings, a white, long-sleeved shirt and terry-cloth slippers. I wound my hair up into a messy bun and headed down to the kitchen to find some food now that my appetite had recovered.

Cage and Stigger were in the kitchen having beer and offered me one when I came in.

“No, thanks,” I said with a shake of my head. “The Lounge is closed tonight?”

Most of the Mansion’s operations as a bed and breakfast halted after Remus’s abducted me. It was a mutual decision between Tristan and the Stellars to ensure no innocents were harmed in case Remus decided to attack us. A veil of illusion was placed over the Mansion to turn away anyone interested and to give the town the perception of it being perfectly operational when they haven’t even been here. The only guests who’d stumbled along were otherworldlies who either had business to conduct with Tristan or just simply wanted some familiar company as the possibility of a full-blown war became more and more pertinent.

Cage nodded. “Everyone’s gone to hiding. It’s going to happen in a few days.”

I blinked. “What will? The war?”

Stigger shot Cage a withering glance. “There’s no need to alarm Ollie. You don’t know that for sure. Things could turn around.”

“If they could, they would’ve already,” Cage grumbled. “If there’s anything more annoying than the blasted war itself, it’s the waiting game as to who strikes who next.”

“Yeah, but Remus’s campaign is mostly against the remaining demon lords,” Stigger argued. “There’s nothing he wants from us right now. We can ride this out.”

Cage leveled Stigger a narrow gaze. “Do you really think Tristan is going to stand back and watch Remus murder his father?”

Stigger looked away, relenting, but didn’t say anything.

I affirmed my decision as I watched the unease between the two friends. “Okay, I’m going to go and talk to Tristan, okay?”

They just looked at me and nodded wordlessly. 

I grabbed an apple from the fruit tray and headed to the study. 

To my surprise, Tristan wasn’t by his desk. He was standing by the window, looking out, both hands braced against the sill, his shoulders straight and taut.

“Tristan?” I said uncertainly, waiting by the door as he looked over his shoulder. 

A small smile surfaced from his otherwise unreadable expression as he turned and walked over to me. 

I relaxed as he slipped his arms around my waist and held me close. “You looked pensive for a minute there. What were you thinking about?” 

He rubbed his nose gently against my hair. “The past. The present. The future. I’m thinking of what I’m willing to give to fast forward through this to the day where I’m sitting somewhere nice and quiet with you, with all of this behind us.”

I looked up at him and smiled. “Me too.”

He looked into my eyes for a long, searching moment before tracing his thumb along my right jaw. “What do you think of running away? Just disappearing and never looking back?”

My smile quivered and I bit on my trembling lower lip. “As much as I would love to be free of all of this, I can’t go on knowing the destruction we left behind. If we turn our backs now, we’ll never forgive ourselves.”

He chuckled softly. “I think you’ve mistaken me for a man with a conscience, Ollie. My ego is in tatters.”

I wrapped my arms around his neck and gave him a knowing look. “No. You’re a man with a heart, Tristan. Don’t think I can’t see or feel it.”

His smile softened. “Do you think you’re the only one who can sense it because it wants you?”

I knew what my question was going to do to him but as I remembered my conversation with Lucian, I couldn’t help but ask it anyway. “What will happen to it when I die, Tristan? I don’t want it to go back in the box where you’ve kept it locked for centuries.”

The humor immediately fled his face and his arms around me tightened. “It’ll die along with you, Ollie. I’ll have no heart, no soul, if you’re gone.”

My heart raced at the intensity of his feelings but I managed a small smile. “Anyone ever tell you you’re a romantic?”

He shook his head, smiling lazily. “Never in this lifetime. I’m usually described as crude, cold and calculating.”

I laughed. “They just don’t know you well enough.”

I took a deep breath, pulling on some will power to be able to say what I came here to say to him. “Listen, Tristan. There’s something I want to tell you and you’re not going to like it but I need you to give me a chance and listen first.”

“Okay,” he said, his eyes narrowing ever so slightly. 

“I met Lucian earlier today,” I said quickly before I could change  my mind. 

His nose flared as he took a deep breath as if to stomp down on a sudden burst of his temper that I saw flicker in his eyes. “Really. I let you have a day off from being guarded and this happens. I swear—”

“Hey, relax,” I told him, squeezing his shoulders to snap his attention back to me. “Nothing bad happened. We just talked, okay? And I want to tell you about it.”

Tristan closed his eyes briefly and when he opened them, they were calmer and more focused. “Okay. Go on. What does my father want from you?”

“He wants our help,” I started, pulling away to slowly pace around. It was hard to get the words out when Tristan’s warmth and smell were overwhelming my senses. “Well, he wants your help and just asked me to pass along the request. He needs you to fight on their side when they take Remus down.”

He leaned against his desk and crossed his arms over his chest. “I’m aware of what he needs me to do but Remus will kill you if he finds out I’m taking my father’s side. Until I can figure that out, we’re not actively participating in any of their plans.”

“We can work together with them to devise a bigger, better plan,” I insisted. “We could use a bigger army if we’re going to go against Remus. Siding with your father makes the most logical sense.”

Tristan regarded me wearily. “You trust so easily, Ollie.”

“In times like this, I either need to trust someone or not trust anybody at all,” I snapped in frustration. I took a deep breath to control my raging emotions that came pouring out as soon as the floodgates broke. 

I caught myself and opened my mouth to apologize for snapping but before I could, the study’s wooden double doors swung open with a loud creak of protest and suddenly a force propelled me into the air.

I registered the iron chokehold of the hand around my neck and the dizzying speed we were slicing through the air.

I forced my eyes open and saw Arabella’s grim face in front of me before my back made contact with something hard and cold.

The window shattered behind me as I collided against it but it offered little resistance as Arabella’s push surged on.

I felt my throat close off and I uselessly swatted at the vampire’s hands and tried to kick her away from me. My vision blurred and my chest grew tight as I struggled for oxygen.

My eyes squeezed shut and all I could manage was a guttural sound as the cool, crisp air of the late summer night wrapped around me like a blanket. 

Suddenly, every motion seemed to slow, the noise of the world around me and the protesting sounds I made seemed to fade until everything rang crystal clear in my ear.

“Tristan, stay back,” I heard Irina’s voice in the distance. “Just wait.”

Tristan? Where are you? I absently asked as waves of consciousness rolled in and out of me. All I could see was the dark indigo sky studded with billions of glinting stars.

“I’m going to kill you and Arabella if anything happens to her,” I heard him say in a voice that sent a shiver of fear across my skin that started to feel warm and almost electric.

Then all of a sudden, the ceiling of star-studded skies I was staring at started pulling away.

No. That couldn’t be right. The sky didn’t move.

I was dropping to the ground in accelerating speed.

My eyes widened with shock and panic as I tried to hold on to a moment of consciousness I was able to grasp with fingertips but ice-cold water suddenly slammed against me.

The cold seeped into my pores in seconds, shocking and numbing what was left of my senses.

I felt my limbs lose their immense weight as I floated down into what I knew was the bottom of the lake I knew well, having spent my entire life living next to it.

It was my home and I was going to die in it.

I was going to die. 

I knew that without a doubt as the heavy form above me pushed me deeper into the ice-cold darkness, clutching the last of my life from my throat.

My lids grew so heavy that fighting to keep my eyes open seemed an impossible task. 

I lost sense of the weight and form of my body. 

I was sinking deeper into the shadows and it was so easy to just... let go.

For a second, I lifted my lids open with all my strength only to catch a brief glimpse of the fading moonlight that kissed the surface of the lake above me.

Then there was nothing else but blackness.

I was gone.