The pizza arrived and we continued to discuss our plans for the new building. By the time the big burly bear of a man left I’d been fed and my body was back to normal – as normal as normal got anyway. I was still having issues letting my powers run free. But Alex was there and so was Eddie, though I wasn’t exactly sure where the cat was, but he was always a thought away. If I started to panic because of the elements there was always a calming word.
Alex on the other hand had drug me off into the media room with the rest of the family. He pulled me down on the sofa and put on a movie he was pretty sure I’d like. It wasn’t my normal type movie. More one Sage would make me watch and had in prior years, Alex hadn’t seen it yet, and I was happy to curl up in his lap and watch the hilarity of flying through space with a half god, a genetically altered raccoon and a tree that sacraficed himself in the last movie.
The whole family sat and watched the movie. Lake and Matt were curled up in a shared bean bag on the floor. Rider was stretched up with his feet kicking up in the air. Drake sat on his back and was paying pony or may be he was riding the wolf. Rider was very good with kids. I loved watching him taking care of everyone.
Ant and Izzy were sitting together, holding hands and Ant had his arm around her protectively as they watched from another couch. Ryan was lounging in on the floor between the two couches where Alex and I were and Ant and Izzy were. Almost like he couldn’t make up his mind who he had to protect so he did both. I guess that was his job.
Faelen was curled up in a corner of the couch with Ant and Izzy. Quinn sat next to him. Her hand rested on his hip and his hand curled around hers. They weren’t exactly touching each other but I suspected Faelen was holding back. He was a wolf, touch was primary to his functioning and as omega he needed it more so than most. Cass sat in front of them holding Fae’s hand and leaning against Quinn’s les. She knew how needed the most help in feeling like part of the family and she was doing her best to make them both feel like the siblings they were becoming.
Hunter had been sitting with Rider, but when we joined them he cralwed up on top of me. But it didn’t take long before Alex and I had readusted and he was lying on his side leaning against the back of the couch and half on top of me. I wasn’t sure if he’d moved for my benefit or his own, but I felt better because of the full body contact. Hunter lay on my chest and Alex’s arm draped over him and under my shirt to caress the skin of my rib cage.
I don’t think I saw much of the movie, I’d have to watch it again when I was less needy. I was so wrapped up in the warmth of my family that I fell asleep.
The darkness turned to images. Happiness filled with family and my blue eyed boy. Then without warning the scene grew dark. Thunder sounded in the distance and rain fell on our happy little scene. Everyone scattered except me and Alex we stood with each other in the rain. Alex ran his fingers down my jaw line but it wasn’t his hand. It was dark and twisted. His blue eyes were dark and stormy and glowing. Sharp teeth showed in his mouth when he smiled at me.
I started awake, alone in a dark room, cold and afraid. Where was Alex? My heart was racing from the dream and now the panic. Twice the evil things in my world took Alex’s form. Twice had my life been upended by things my love did not do. I was shaking by the time Alex came into the media room.
“What happened?”
I shook my head. and replayed the images in my head. Alex sat down and wrapped me up into his arms. “Just a nightmare.” He chuckled, “A normal regular nightmare. You’ve had a rough day.”
“I’m sorry.”
Alex pulled me tighter against him, “Nothing to be sorry for. But I was coming to wake you. Darywnn is here, and needs to talk to you.”
“What time is it?” I asked.
“I’d say early, but it’s not it’s late, we let you sleep. Eddie said that your body was learning in your sleep and that we should let you.”
“I didn’t dream of anything but the nightmare.”
Alex frowned. “You can talk to him later about it. Right now you’ve a pacing lion prowling our kitchen impatiently.”
“I …”
“I’ll be with you the whole time.” Alex said. “Ryan made food. Let’s go eat and talk with your new friend.”
I let Alex pull me off the couch and readjust my shirt that had crumbled in my sleep. There was a wet spot where my son had drooled on me, obviously he hadn’t been gone long before I woke up from my nightmare. Alex ran his fingers through my hair and the pads of his thumbs under my eyes.
“Why do I need to be presentable?”
“Because you are Nox fucking Sétanta and he rules this floor with a painted fist.” Alex smirked as he took my hand and lead me to the kitchen. I wasn’t sure why he was prettying me up but I wasn’t going to complain too much for all the attention.
“Darwynn.” I said as the lion slammed a cupboard shut. “Can I help you find something?”
He frowned as he turned to look at me, “There is not a single box of cereal in this house.”
“What you don’t like what Ryan made?”
Ryan glowered but he made a bright smile. “He is in the mood for sweet and crunchy – none of which I made.”
“I’ll remember that in the future, but I can’t guarantee there will be any left with three, no four, teenage boys, and four children ten and under in this house.”
Ryan laughed, “Don’t forget Alex, or myself.”
I waved my hand in front of them, “And there you have it. I’m sure there was cereal at some point.” I sighed, “What can I do for you?”

Alex curled around me in our bed. He held me close as I continued to cry into the pillow. If I’d been wrong. “You weren’t wrong.” Alex reassured. He held me tight and kissed the back of my neck. There was not a moment that he wasn’t touching me. “I’m never going anywhere Nox. Even if I’m scaed to death of losing you. That’s twice today.”
“It’s not going to stop.” I said.
He pulled me closer if that was even possible. “Whatever we fought about doesn’t matter Nox. Please don’t be mad at me.”
I laughed and rolled over and grabed Alex’s face, “I could never be mad at you for taking care of yourself. I know I’m alot. A handful, broken. So very very broken. But I need you. I need you like I need air.”
“Nox, I can’t be away from you, or our family. It hurts on a level I was never aware of before. I have a hard time with everything. But I just need air. That’s all.”
“Don’t leave me.” I begged.
“Never baby, never.” Alex promised.
We laid there until there was a knock at the door. “Come in.” Alex said. He smiled at Jin. “What’s up?”
“The architect is here, can he meet with him?”
Alex looked at me, “He needs to do something else. Get his mind off things. So yeah, order pizza and take him into the kitchen.”
She nodded. “His favorite, any other requests?”
“Just whatever the kids like, I’m easy.” Alex said.
Jin left and Alex climbed out of bed and pulled me with him, “Come on, pretty boy, let’s fix the make up and change your clothes.”
“What’s wrong with what I’m wearing?” I asked.
Alex laughed, “It’s soaked in blood for starters.”
I looked down at my clothes and the tears flowed again as I remembered who’s it was.
Alex wrapped his arms around me, “I’m not dead. You knew it wasn’t me.”
“What if I was wrong?”
“You weren’t Baby, you knew. I love that you knew. Please, I can’t fix this.”
I cried in Alex’s arms for several long minutes. Before I pulled myself together again, or at least I was able to put on a fake smile so that I could put on my make up and change clothes. I didn’t realize how stuck they were to me now. They were ruined. My shoes too.
Alex laughed, “I’ll buy you new ones. We’ll go later okay?”
I nodded as I stripped off the jeans. They peeled off with a disgusting slurping sound. They weren’t stiff which made me wonder why it hadn’t fully dried. I looked over at the bed and saw the red stains “We’ll get someone to change them while we are gone.” Alex said. “Don’t worry about anything.” He helped me clean up. I could have done it with magic, but it felt comforting having Alex help me. I needed Alex to help me.
We weren’t long, but probably too long as the man I’d called in was standing in the kitchen looking at the counter top. Alex cleared his throat and the man jumped. I could feel his power – he was a were bear. A peice inside me shivered. Memories were a bitch.
He smiled at me. “Nox Setanta, the boy who could.”
Alex laughed, “Does everyone call him a boy?”
“He’s been a boy since before most of us were here, so yes. But it’s not meant in a bad way,” the man said. “Names Ged. I run the crew that built this place. I don’t think I’ve been in the building since we finished it.”
“This is Alex Kennedy.” I introduced. “This is a nice place. How much of your crew is suprnatural?” I asked.
“The whole crew. And I can higher more. What are you thinking?” The bear asked. And he looked like a right bear. He was huge. Could break me in half. Alex growled under his breath and I knew what he thought I couldn’t help but smile at his possessivness showing even when I wasn’t thinking anything of the sort. I wrapped my arm around Alex and curled closer to him while we talked.
“I want a location on a lay line. And I want to spell the metal and build it in a very specific shape.”
Ged groaned, “And I’m sure you want to make it with the special glass.”
I nodded, “Yes. It will be the safest place in all New York city for the supernatural.”
“That’ll be an impressive feat.” He sat down and smiled, “Tell me more.”
Alex sat down next to him and I stood next to Alex on the far side away from Ged so Alex didn’t think I was making moves or anything. But really it was so I could look at them both and still touch Alex. I needed that. I needed to feel his warmth against my body. I was being clingy and needy and I was going to drive Alex nuts with it if it kept up too long.
Not a fucking chance pretty boy. He pressed a kiss to my check, I love that you need me so badly.
The discussion was pretty much just me telling Ged what i wanted. I drew the run I wanted to build. told him, I wanted a third of the building to be open to the public. another third to be easily constructable habitats for human use. And the remaing third to be studio apartments with runes to make them the size the occupant needed. And a basement of course. I asked about how far we could go. I needed one or two levels of studio size apartments for vampires with the runes, and the remainder could be closet size cells meant to hold the criminally magiced bretheren of our society.
The last bit made his eyes go wide. “You intend to imprision instead of kill?”
“Isn’t that more me?” I grinned.
He nodded. “Of course. But that could be dangerous.”
“Trust me.” I said. I don’t think he did, but he nodded and we continued our discussion.

The living room was empty. Everything looked to be in its place. No signs of struggle. But no Alex, and I didn’t hear anything in his apartment.
I checked the bedroom first, but nothing had been disturbed since our last visit to his place – the day Quinn arrived. It felt a lifetime ago but wasn’t more than a handful of days.
I walked down the hall and check the rooms but Alex wasn’t here. My mind recoiled at the thoughts of Alex being hurt, lost or worse. But he wasn’t here.
My world shook with loss and I fell to my knees. I coulldn’t breathe. My heart was threatening to jump out of my chest. The door creeked behind me and I turned to see Alex walking in with a load of laundry. He glared at me. “Did you break in?”
I shook my head. “The door was open I thought something happened to you.” I said as I stood up. “But you’re fine. I’ll just go.”
“Is that all you came here for?” Alex asked.
“I…” I frowned. “I don’t want you to leave me.”
Alex rolled his eyes. “You won’t even notice I’m gone.”
“You are going to leave Quinn and our twins?” I asked more afraid to ask the important questions.
“I’ll see them when I can, Nox.” He said. “You aren’t hiding them from me, are you?”
I shook my head. “So that’s it?”
“I’m not going anywhere Nox. I just can’t be there anymore.” He saw the panic in my face, he had to. He stayed his distance from me. He was really doing this.
“Hunter said you were going to leave us.” I said. “So much for him calling you Daddy then I guess.” I pulled myself up off the floor and moved very stiffly to his door. “Don’t be a stranger.” I said.
I opened the door and left. Alex called after me, “You really aren’t going to fight for me?”
I rounded on him and glared, “I went to Vegas for you. I asked you to marry me.”
“That doesn’t mean anything to you.” Alex shouted.
“But it means something to you. So it meant something to me. Take care of yourself Alex. We have a long life of forever together or not, if that’s your choice.” I said shutting the door behind me with a sharp thud.
The door opened before I was at the stair well. “Fuck Nox, get back here.”
I kept walking down the stiars until I hit the bottom floor and I collapsed in a corner behind the stairs. I couldn’t keep going down.I I pulled my magic in around me, tighted everything down, the pain was bone shattering – worse than when I’d saved Garrett. I pulled my shields in around me tightly. No one would find me with magic. It hurt. It burned, I wanted to die and I cried into my knees.
Three hours later I was still under the stairs though the crying had since stopped. “You know you have everyone worried.” An unfamiliar voice echoed in the stairs. “The Venatori could have killed you.”
“It might be refreshing.” I said. I looked up and saw a blond I didn’t know. Her eyes were blue, almost the color of Alex’s.
“You are so broken, how is it that the follow you?” She gave me small smile as she shook her head in disbeleif. “Your make up is a mess.” She handed me a tissue. Her fingers brushed mine and I felt a jolt of power. Though I didn’t recognize it. But it felt somehow familiar. “I’m going to go get someone, they are very worried about you.”
And just like that she left. I was left staring at the place she’d been standing wondering what the hell had happened. I was still staring into the nothingness when Alex stepped into view, “There you are.”
He looked over his shoulder when I dropped my gaze. “Jesus Nox.”
“I can’t handle you leaving me again Alex, so if that’s what you plan on doing just go so I don’t break into anymore peices.”
“Nox. I’m not going anywhere.” He said, “You need to come with me.”
He took my hand and I felt like it wasn’t him. Something was wrong. I jerked back from him. “Don’t touch me.”
“Nox, come on. Let’s go home.”
“I’m not going anywhere with you”.
Alex grabbed for my wrist again. “Come on.” This time he tried to get me to stand up. And when he did I stood up with an elemental blade in my hand, it sort of just appeared and I slammed it into Alex’s rib cage in an upward motion catching as many internal organs as I could.
His deep blue eyes were afraid and his blood drained all over my hand. My heart was racing and tears were falling down my cheeks. The body dropped to the ground just as the door pushed open and my blue eyed boy stood there staring at me, and the slowly fading illusion of his visage. I fell to my knees again.
Alex was at my side. “Are you okay?”
Ant brushed the hair from the right temple to reveal the Venatori tattoo. A second attempt on my life in a single day. I was crying. I couldn’t stop. It was hard to breathe. I couldn’t take my eyes away from the man that had been Alex. Alex pressed his forehead against my cheek. But he didn’t try to comfort me. He didn’t ask me how I knew it wasn’t him. Ant lit the body on fire. “A third head won’t make a difference.” He said. And I agreed with him in that fact.
But I couldn’t deal with it. “He was in your apartment.” I said. “We had a fight.”
“We didn’t have a fight Nox. I swear I went for a run, and when I got back to the Night Life building you were gone. When I called Jae he told me you were here, but we couldn’t find you. Nox let the power go. You are dying inside, I can feel it.”
“Please.” He begged.
And I did as he asked. The world flooded full of color and the pain gave up on it’s torture leaving me weak and I collapsed into Alex’s arms. “Let’s get you home okay?”
“We can go to yours.”
“My home is with you Nox.” Alex declared. “And your home is with your family, we don’t fit in my apartment.” He put his arms around me, and lifted me with ease, “This was harder the last time I did it.”
“Chevalier.” Ant and I said at the same time.
Alex laughed. “Hey guess what?” He said as he stepped into Ant and we were suddenly in the dark places in the Night Life building floor. “Hunter said, “Daddy went looking for you Dad.” That was the moment I found out you were missing. The same time your son called me Dad.”
I grinned at him. But I just clng to his neck. I needed to be with Alex. I needed him so bad in that moment. I’m here pretty boy. I’m here.
I laughed softly against Alex’s chest. “That’s how I knew he wasn’t you.”
“What?” Alex asked.
“He kept calling me Nox, no pretty boy, no babe, no baby, always Nox. And he didn’t feel like you. But that was how I knew for certain.”
Alex pressd a kiss to the top of my head. “I love you Nox. I so fucking love you.”
“Ditto.”

I finished my food, and I looked at the large window looking on to the balcony. Outside was a symphony of colors that no one else saw. And for once I didn’t feel like getting sick. I could hear the birds on the balcony near the bird bath. The wind howled at this height but the majority of it was wrapping around the building. Aerodynamics at its finest.
I thought about the best way to keep my family safe. Breaking glass was going to be difficult. But the image of a rune came to mind. It might work. I stood up and moved over to the windows and looked out and felt alone in this world. If I felt alone, I couldn’t imagine how Alex felt. My kids would never feel that way – none of them wold.
I pulled fire and air and a little earth and made the rune on the window. It sort of just formed without little effort. Like all my magic was working together for the first time. It was refreshing, but the second it blazed to life with magic I had to close my eyes as the patterns all changed in a flash of glory and nausea. That wasn’t going to work in battle.
A voice in my head urged me to look at my work. You must. it said.
I opened my eyes and saw the changing patterns. It will be a challenge, but you will get it.
I sank to the floor, I couldn’t look any longer. Eddie came over and pushed his head into my hand. It will get better.
My life depended on it. It better I thought to myself.
I knelt on the floor for uncountable minutes before I pulled myself up. I had to go find Alex. Opening my eyes hurt, my head hurt. My body and everything else was just there. Hunter was standing in the hall pacing before me, he held up a sandwich for me. I reached and picked up my son. “Thanks bud. Do you know where Alex is?”
He shook his head. I held him close to me. He felt safe in my arms. I wanted to keep him safe. “You listen to everyone okay? You be safe.”
He giggled in my ear. “I’ll always be safe with you Daddy. Alex too.”
“You know something I don’t?” I asked.
He pressed a kiss to my cheek and wiped his hand across the prickles on his lips from my beard. “No. But I love Alex too. I want to call him Daddy too.”
“I think he’d like that bud.” I said. “Go find Lake okay. I’m going to try to find Alex.”
He squirmed down and scampered in the direction of the media room. He knew where everyone was which meant that Alex wasn’t really here.”
I ran my fingers over the tattoo’d rune on my left arm and felt my love. I could find him anywhere. I just had to follow my heart. I didn’t want to leave the confines of the compound, but I needed to find Alex.
The Night Life building was home, but it was also magical, the real world didn’t have any protections. I wasn’t sure how I was going to react but I was going to Alex. I knew where he was. I didn’t need the run and magic to find him. I knew where he’d gone to. I only hoped I didn’t catch him packing, I wasn’t sure I could handle it if he left me again. Though I’d left him enough times the past few months too. I wasn’t sure Alex could handle it either. And the bounty on my head wasn’t going to go away. The message I was sending probably wouldn’t work, but it was worth a shot.
My thoughts carried me down the elevator and out the front door of the Night Life building. Jae and Seraph were my tails. I was suprirsed Ryan hadn’t opted to come. He was more welcome than the body guards, but the tailed me and didn’t interfere so I was alright with that.
Alex’s building wasn’t far from the Night Life building. And I was surprised by the way the world looked outside of the magic walls. It was calmer, cooler, less bright. I didn’t know if it was the sun or if it was less magic. I was beginning to think it was less magic. As much as I wanted to protect my family maybe magic wan’t the way to do it. Would Hunter do better out here? What about Cass? I would need to talk to Alex about that. The twins were good in the real world – Quinn too. It was just mine, and Matt that were going to have problems. Me too – but…
I opened to door to Alex’s building. “Don’t come upstairs.” I said. “Wait down here. Joe will keep ou company.”
Jae gave me a look that said he was going to argue and then he stopped himself, “Yes, Boss.” He understood. This was not my home. At least he had better. This was Alex’s. He ruled here. No bodyguards required. We were in human worlds now.
I walked the few flights to Alex’s floor and hesitated at the door in the stariwell. I knew Alex knew I was coming. But I was scared to find whatever it was I would find. I opened the door tenatively afraid Alex would be on the other side to tell me to go to hell. But there was nothing there just my imagination.
The short walk to Alex’s apartment had me fretting. The moment his door came into view it was a jar and I didn’t like that. It could be many things. And I was afraid of what it could mean -truley. But I knocked on the door anyway. I didn’t hear anything inside. Even though I could hear the heart beats all around me. I took a deep breathe and tried to stem the panic that was overwhelming me.

I curled up around Alex’s pillow and tried to gather my senses as I stared at the ceiling. The elements shifted and scattered around me. The sounds around me numbed my skull. At least the smells weren’t making my stomach churn. Not that there was anything left to empty.
I didn’t really feel any better except for not sicking up. I felt small. Lost in a world so large. I wasn’t myself.
The door opened and Alec came in. He smirked at me, “A sandwich?”
I shrugged as I slowly sat up. “It’s food.” I laughed softly, “I really don’t want to eat.”
Alec nodded, “I know my Prince, but eat. Your cat says to eat. I’d listen.”
“Since when do I listen to my cat?” If it had been Fee she’d have tossed her tail up but Eddie just sat there and pushed his head against my hand. A loving cat instead of the distant one I had before.
I scratched at the stiff fur at the back of his head, and ate the peanut butter and strawberry jelly sandwich Alec had made me. “Hunter’s favorite.” I said.
Alec grinned, “He made it.”
“You asked my son to make me a sandwich?”
“No, I was in the kitchen staring at the things in your fridge when he tapped me on the shoulder and he handed it to me. Seeing the future has it’s advantages.”
I rolled my eyes. Alex pushed into the room hurriedly as I was licking my fingers of the goop that had been left of the last bite of my sandwich.
He frowned, “You couldn’t wait?”
“You stopped to get in a fight. I couldn’t wait, I needed to eat.” I held out my hands, I still wanted whatever he’d brought me, “But I’m still hungry.”
Now that the sandwich had been demolished I felt like I had when I had come back from the dead – famished.
“Have you been taking care of him?” Alex asked Alec. He sat down next to me and ran his fingers through my hair. He was concerned.
“Nox what are you doing? I felt your magic blocks away.”
“Eddie says I need to let it go or the magic will keep doing stupid things.”
“Who the fuck is Eddie?” Alex growled.
The cat crawled over the bag and presumed his rubbing except only against Alex. “This is Eddie. Fee has been released from her curse.”
“This is the same fucking cat.” Alex said.
Alec laughed, “Except with extra bits.”
“I’m lost.” Alex said.
I opened up the bags and containers of the food Alex brought me. It was slightly cold, like I’d mentioned earlier he’d stopped off someplace. He’d gotten in a fight – taken my way out the second time. From the look on his face he wasn’t happy Alec was still around. But I was starving again. And I didn’t feel like rolling over and puking so I was going to go with feeding the power for the moment.
Alec looked at me and then to Alex and then to the cat trying to push itself on my blue eyed love. “I’ll let the three of you get aquainted. Jae and Seraph will be outside, I’ll be at your beck and call if you need it Mon ami.” He looked to our window that even lead out our own balcony. “Don’t forget to shield the windows from entry.”
I nodded. “I will do that after I eat.” I hoped anyway. I stabbed a peice of lemon garlic asparagus and chomped on it while Alec left with Jae, who’d been in the room the whole time.
Alex sighed, “Are you mad?”
“Why would I be mad?” I asked.
“For stopping.”
I shook my head. “No. You do what you need to do Alex. Did it help?” I asked.
He shook his head this time. “No. It helped vent some fustration but it didn’t help.”
“That’s all it does.” I confirmed.
“What’s with the cat?”
“The cat is Eddie.” I said letting Alex change the subject without hesitation. “He’s part of the umbra. A spirit, a manifestation. I don’t know but he said I’m poorly lacking in training, and that the dreams won’t work because you block him from entering my dreams. And the nightmare before you. So this is his alternative method. Fee got to go back to the universe and he gets a body to be loved on.”
“So this is going to be a thing?” He nudge the cat with his hand. “All this touchy feely – is not going to go away.”
I laughed, “It’s so me. Don’t ya think?”
Alex rolled his eyes. “Yes. So what exactly is he helping you with. Why is Eddie telling you to let your power run wild.”
“Not run wild, but not trapped. It’s been fighting me by doing shit I don’t want because I keep it locked up. Is that right Eddie?
Sorta.
“Holy fuck!” Alex jumped from his spot on the bed. “The cat fucking talks.”
I grinned. “Telepathic connection. And that bothers you?”
“It’s a cat.”
“The umbra is magic. Where your power comes from, where mine comes from, it powers vampires, and cursed the therians. This cat is host to only a tiny fraction of the umbra.”
“You are feeling better.” Alex laughed. “All talkative again.”
“Sorry.”
He grinned at me, “Don’t be.” He picked up the bags and containers and set them on the floor and pushed be backwards, crawling on top of me and rutting against me. He was in the mood.
And it didn’t surprise either of us when there was a knock on the door just as Alex bit my neck and I groaned loudly. “Go the fuck away!” Alex growled.
“I have the information Nox wanted.”
Alex sighed. “Can’t …. ” He crawled off of me and moved to the door and flung it open. It bounced against the wall and he stared at Doc before he shoved past him.
“I’m sorry.” Doc said.
“He’s kinda upset about things.” I said.
“I have the information on how they died, and who they are.”
I stared out the door after Alex and wondered where he was going. I hated that this was happening to him. I knew he was going to leave me. He didn’t share well. And I was nothing but a sharable peice of meat around here. I looked up at Doc and picked up my food and continued eating the mostly cold entree. “Tell me, he’s not coming back soon.”
“I’m sorry. It could have waited.”
“Then you shouldn’t have said what it was.” I said.
“Cari doesn’t like to be kept waiting so… I’m sorry.”
I shook my head, “Sorry doesn’t help so just do what you came here to do.” I smiled to lighten the blow. The problem with using Cari’s people was they were used to her, and not me. And Cari was a peice of work – hard cold steel but a peice of work.
“They drowned, buried alive, and there are signs of smoke inhilation. I don’t know what killed them short of the fact that they were suffocated.”
“That’s pretty much what I thought. Alex didn’t know what to do so it did everything.”
“They were Venatori.” Doc went on.
“I don’t care who they are. Cut off their heads, send them to the Venatori in black plastic bags in unmarked boxes to Mark Green specifically. They’ll keep sending more until we make a display of power.”
Doc paled but I didn’t care as I continued, “Burn the bodies, no othe evidence left behind. Call me if you need me to do it.”
“I think Cari will enjoy the work. And the message.” Doc said. “If you don’t mind.”
“As long as the heads get sent I don’t care who does it.”
He frowned. “I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay. Just temper your needs to necessity if I’m behind closed doors.” I said.
“I will keep it in the front of my mind. Though I will suggest that when you build your new home that you hire your own personal retainers.”
“With what money?” I asked.
Doc shrugged. “I don’t know, Nox. But Cari…”
“If she’s tired of lending out her people she does not have to do it anymore.”
“It’s not that.” He said. “She’s doing it too often. I think she tires of us.”
“Feed her, work for me. Does it matter if you get to do things you love?”
Doc sighed, “I do more fun things with you. She knows it. But she will want her toys back.”
“Then you do what your master says. Until then I appreciate your willingness to help. But I know you are hers first.”
“Graceous as ever. If I didn’t know any better I’d think people’s fears were unfounded.” He laughed, “But now I also have to go cut off heads. And that’s not even the strangest thing I’ve had to do so I guess you two are similar.”
I laughed. “Have fun.” Doc laughed and left me to my food.

The world felt so much smaller than it did ten minutes ago. Eddie sat in front of me purring while Alec scratched behind his ears. “Nox.”
I looked up at Alec, “Wasn’t this a girl before?”
I nodded.
“How do cat’s spontaneously change sex?”
I took a deep breath and steady myself as I sat up. “Umbra.” I spoke slowly. “He’s. of. umbra.”
“What do you mean?”
I shrugged. “Third. Ascendent. Order’s Champion.”
“You are really articulate right now.” I glared at Alec and flipped him off. Which only made Alec laugh. “Mon Ami, if only.” His frech accent was back full force. “You think you are well enough to move to a different room?”
I nodded. “Slowly.”
“Gotcha.” Alec said as he lifted me. “I could carry you.”
“You do. You die.” I said.
Alec raised his hands and backed away. “I like my undead life. Mon ami.” His smile was genuine and he moved to help me stand. “I wouldn’t have anyway. Not my position. I’m not the son.”
“Ant.” I said.
“Titles are important.” Alec said.
“Not to me.”
“Mors Praetor is a humble man. Mors Praetor keeps his word. And Mors Praetor is not one of us.” Alec sounded like he was reciting something. Before we were out of the bathroom Eddie leaped on to my shoulder and balanced easily like he was some scabby parrot. Alec laughed as he pushed the door open and we were in a clean room. “You’re room?”
I nodded. Alec nodded, “You will need to bar the windows.” Alec and I walked slowly back to our room.
I took another slow breath and tried not to think about it because the panic might set in and until the hangover like symptoms were gone I wasn’t doing anything. “When I feel better.”
Alec nodded, “Yeah, I know. What exactly are you doing anyway? Your power is intoxicating.”
My room smelled like Alex – my Alex. I really needed him right now, but he needed to right himself first. I understood that. Self care was important.
Alec sat me down on the edge of my bed. “I’m letting go, Alec.” I said with pain. “And everything is harder. I see everything. I hear everything. Every smell rolls my stomach.”
Alec chuckled. “Much like becoming a vampire then.” He said and sat down his memories pulling the french accent out more. “It wasn’t like yesterday, but I remember it still. When Aurora found me and took me as her human lover I was a soldier in the Roman Empire. I followed my orders, and I did as I was told. Until the day I was sent into to a village and saw it was nothing but women and children we were meant to slaughter. I refused, and my commander ran his spear through my gut. I made my way to Aurora before I thought was my dying last breath. And that was when she made me.” He paused and looked fondly out into space, “I loved her once. Now, she is my friend. Valentina understands.” Alec paused his story and looked at me. “When I awoke vampire the world was new and bright and I could see farther than I had ever when I was human and it was a moonless night in the darkest of dungeons where I awoke. Yet I saw as if the sun were so bright.”
He laughed softly, “I don’t imagine my new sight compares to what you see, Nathaniel used to speak of colors that moved and shifted with the world. He could barely see them, but you see them in full blown color. I do understand the empty stomach. My ears picked up the sound of dripping water three rooms over and it sounded louder than a drum beside my head. And the hunger…”
“Unfathomable hunger raged in my body. Aurora was there and offered me a tender young lass and I nearly killed her, but Aurora was a good teacher and told me how to stop and when I let my lust take over she stopped it physically if she had to.”
“And now you swear your allegenicen to me?”
“I have had many masters in my long long life and this is the first time I have willingly followed.”
“You joined the Roman army?”
“I was conscripted more than joined. It was that or die.” Alec said.
“I’m sorry.”
“Do not be. It lead me here – to where I was supposed to be.”
“You beleive in fate?”
Alec shrugged. “I don’t know if it is written. Or if it’s just someone one’s funny attempt at bringing up words that we interrpret as prophecy. Skipping the parts that don’t fit. Or losing the bits that didn’t matter. I don’t know. But I know everything I have gone through in my life has brought me to you. One lead to another lead to another and so on until I am here. Without one I might not have found this path. Changed something simple and I’d be long since dead.”
“How did you get through it?”
“With much help. My first feeding was a god send. It helped tremedously.”
“Eddie said I must eat.”
“Maybe it is more like an embrace for you. You do call to the vampires. I imagine it is much the same for the therian’s not born to their curse.” Alec said. “Alex should be here soon, but I will grab something to eat while you wait.” He stood up and headed for the door. “Rest, find peace in knowing, no one will hurt you here.”
“That’s what I thought before with the Venatori.”
Alec snickered. “Mon ami, the Venatori have always hated you. Here you are loved. And Vin is finding all those who do not. At first I thouht he was a fool for doubting us, but his reason are valid and you gave him the job.”
I laughed. “Only because he was going to investigate Sage. I trust Sage with my life, so if he felt Sage was a threat – everyone must be a threat.”
Alec nodded. “Rest. I will be back with food. Everyone is here to protect you. Jae and Seraph are outside, one will come inside while I’m away.”
I shrugged as I laid down. I didn’t really care, I was getting used to all their presences now anyway.

I woke up with a cat sitting on my chest. “Hey Fee.” I said. “You saying good-bye?” I ran my fingers over her stiff coat. “I’m going to miss you.”
She purred under my fingers and nuzzled against my hand. “Be at peace, girl.” I said sitting up and holding the strange cat to my chest.
This is nice. A strange voice in my head said. Your lovely is at peace with the others.
I felt the tear slide down my cheek and I wiped it away with my shoulder. “Hey Eddie. It’s good to have you here.” I rubbed the cat’s belly and his head and I let the power go. My grip on the control. I let it go. It was probably the hardest thing I had to do. It was like a hand cramp that came with a death grip on the steering wheel of a car just after an accident. Or so I imagined anyway.
My heart pounded in my chest. My breathing was ragged but I focused on petting the cat in my lap. It was something Fee never let me do. She was always too human for the petting and so much like a cat. Eddie was different. I didn’t know what he was, but he wasn’t like anything else I ever knew – a dream come true. I laughed, much like Alex. I wondered how strange it might seem to others to know that I never saw the face of the man I loved even though I’d known him most of my life. His voice and his eyes were always the same, but he’d never worn his true face. At least not anything I would recognize now. Maybe as a boy. I did remember that little boy. I loved Alex and I felt him in the elevator as he rode up. He looked up in my direction and I felt like I could almost see him. Ant looked in my direction when I sensed him too.
They recognize your power. The voice in my head sounded. Eddie no longer sounded like Mushu and I was grateful for that. He was just a whisper in my head now. Like the magic of the book. One and the same. he said. And I understood better.
Now let the rest go. Eddie instructed and that was when the fear pushed through the calm of the petting my cat. It wasn’t easy to do but there was a sense of calm that swept over me when I saw everything, and then I jerked out of bed and lost what little food I had eaten. When had I eaten last?
I could hear people down the hall. I smelled the aftershave of someone three floors down. Seeing what I saw in full effect was really what pushed me over the edge. Eddie pounced on to my back and kneeded the back of my neck much like a human might for comfort while I vomited all over the floor of the bedroom I was in. The smell only made it worse.
The door burst open and Alec was by my side helping me up – heedless of the newly possessed magical cat. “What are you doing Nox?”
Alec asked. I couldn’t answer him my stomach was still trying to empty on to the floor but I had nothing physically left to give it. My stomach ached from the constant flexing of the internal muscles. “Does your cat talk now?”
I nodded. But that motion made me dizzy and I started dry heaving again. Alec picked up though it was more like he dragged me into the bathroom. The tile was cold and felt good on my hands. I laid down much like I might if I had been drunk. It was sort of how I felt after getting drunk – or the after effects of nepenthe.
There was a resounding thud in my head. It sounded like I had a physical epiphany with the mental thought. How do you get through a hang over? You deal with it and it will pass. Excellent. came the new voice in my head. Your vampire slave has been told to hydrate you the best he can. Food will help, when it arrives. You must eat!
I groaned at the thought – it wasn’t mine and Alec ran his fingers through my hair like I had Eddie’s earlier. “I’m not your slave.”
I nodded. “And I will never make you mine.” He added, though I wasn’t sure why he had.
Alec’s smile was genuine and he wasn’t hiding his fangs. His accent was all but gone, “I never thought I’d submit to one so young. Figured I’d die before giving up my throne.”
I groaned. He was talking seriously and I was unable to do anything but lie on the tile. “I know.” Alec laughed, “With you it’s hard to get a word in edge wise, so now is the time. I am your’s because you will never make me yours.” He said simply. Which seemed to be the case in most things. Because I didn’t want something was the very reason I had it.
“Find Alex.” I muttered.
Alec laughed, “Your blue eyed dream boat has been notified of your distress and is on his way home to you. He’d probably rather someone else look after you.”
I nodded. Alec was always going to be a threat for Alex. He just radiated dominance and control. And there was only room for one Alpha in Alex’s world – even if that would never be the case.
So I laid on the floor of a strange bathroom with a Master vampire playing nursemaid and a cat in my head – all because I had to wait out this fucking magic hangover.

Alex winked out of my dream and left me alone with the building fury. But alone won out and I fell into darkness and the world around me reflected that with a rumble of thunder in the distance. I was a reflection of the landscape, darkening and threatening rain…
A throat cleared above me sitting on a limb, before it came down and I scrambled away from it, or tried to scramble up the tree whence it came but all I managed to do was stand up in a hurry while I stared down at a figment of my imagination. A red cartoon dragon with yellow spines and talons stared up at me with a smirk.
“Don’t you recognize me?” The voice said in what was clearly Eddie Murphy’s rendition of Mushu from Mulan. My favorite dragon, my best friend, my everything until Alex. And then Alex was Mushu – my best friend, my everything. I even had a tattoo at the back of my neck that was my Mushu. I reached up to where it used to be and frowned.
“Of course I do. But you’re a cartoon character.”
The tiny red dragon put his hands on his hips and glared at me, “And that’s supposed to mean?”
“You aren’t real.” I said simply.
“This is a dream.” The little dragon laughed. “You didn’t take kindly to the last visage – this is someone you trust.”
I laughed. “When I was five!”
The small cartoon looked thoughtful, I literally saw gears turning in a cartoon bubble. What the fuck! He looked up at me, “Is there something better? Someone you trust, I can’t help you if you don’t trust me.”
“Help me?” I asked.
“This place is meant to teach you. You are severely lacking in knowledge. The demon and nightmare kept me away at first, and when you boy is around now he keeps me out.” The tiny dragon frowned.
“I don’t mind the dragon, but can you not be like a cartoon, I can’t take you seriously.”
“I don’t understand.” The figment of my imagination said.
“Be a real dragon. Lizard like, real, scales, not drawn.”
“As opposed to something unreal you’d rather have the impossible?”
I shrugged, “Dragons are real. They take human and dragon form. You can keep the same form, and name and size, and talk, but I just want to giggle and be five.”
The specter shimmered into a fog and when he coalesced he was a bright red and gold Chinese dragon come to life. I reached out and ran my fingers over the side of his head and to his shoulders scratching him softly. “That’s better.”
“That feels good.”
I nodded and grabbed the small dragon and pulled him into my lap and I scratched his belly and the dragon’s tongue lolled from his mouth in enjoyment.
“I could take form in the real world. Teach you, it will be more difficult.”
“Like a ghost? Possess someone. No I can’t do that.”
The dragon laughed. “No, I am energy, I can make myself real. We choose not to interfere. But you have been missing for 20 years.”
“You couldn’t find me?”
The dragon shook his head, “No. You were hidden from the world. You and your boy did a job no one else could have done.”
I sighed, “So it’s really Alex’s fault?”
The dragon shook his head, “He made you forget yes, but you made it worse, but there would not have been a need at all if there were not external chaotic forces at play. But I can help you in the real world.”
“You’ll be what a talking dragon? Someone will notice that.”
The dragon thought again and I was grateful I didn’t see the cartoon bubble, though it had been amusing. The tiny dragon snapped his front golden claws, “I could release the drowned girl and take her place.”
I laughed, almost hysterically. I nodded. “Yes. Release her. Free her from her curse and her bonds and let her go back.”
The little dragon smiled at me. “It will be done. But first lesson, the magic you possess does not want to be bound and tied, it will resent you – hate you even if you keep it inside you. Ascendant’s have only ever been vampire for this reason – their magic is what keeps them alive so can’t be shut down so easily. You have to learn to be free.”
“But control is all I’ve ever known.”
He nodded, “The elements will need to be relearned – the proper way.”
The little dragon looked up at me and his eyes were wide with hopefulness. “If you promise to continue these affections, I will help the child with the sight.”
“I would appreciate you helping Hunter, but not because you owe me anything. The affection is true, I love Ophelia.”
The little dragon quirked his head, “I don’t like the name of the feline.”
“What do you want me to call you?”
“The name of this red dragon is fine.”
“You want me to call the cat Mushu.” I giggled. I couldn’t help it. “No, that sounds like you would be a Chinese main course then. Human inside joke.” It really wasn’t inside, but to a magical energy being it was easier than saying people thought the Chinese used cat as a main dish. “Fee, is what I call Ophelia for short. Does that sound better?”
The look the dragon gave me said he still didn’t like it. “How about Eddie?”
“Why?”
I laughed. “No reason, you need to know.”
“It will suffice.” The dragon said. “Wake now, your boy will be back soon, eat and be free. It is important.”
I nodded even though I knew I was going to go into a panic attack as soon as I let it all go with no intention of reeling it in. The little dragon winked out of my dream and left me alone again. I was happy. Fee was finding peace – finally. At least something good came from it the whole thing.

I drifted into sleep and woke to the strange sky with stars and sun leaning against the tree that shifted and changed as you looked at it. I was alone. Alex was gone, he probably felt me in my dream. I’m okay. I thought to myself, but more for Alex. If he were listening I was okay. Asleep I could think straight, my body wasn’t at the control of the fear and panic. I wasn’t sure how it worked really, maybe Alex did.
I stared up at the sky, the stars shifted and moved forming things in my mind that I sort of understood. I sighed. It was trying to tell me something. Show me something, but I was keeping it from helping me. But again I didn’t know how. I closed my eyes and let myself go. Let the power go, all my forced and in grained control go. I felt it ebb and flow away from me. I felt it shift and change and it cascaded into a symphony of colors and sounds even as my eyes were closed I knew it was doing whatever it was supposed to do.
Was my control the problem?
I opened my eyes and watched the power flood the dreamscape. It felt strange and also comforting. There was a shift in the world and I smiled cause Alex had joined me but he wasn’t by the tree. He didn’t always find me right away in my new dream scape. The stars seemed to speak to me. I still didn’t know what they said, but it didn’t matter. I felt Alex behind me, watching me.
“In here, I can see the magic. Not just through your eyes, like really seeing it.” Alex said as he wrapped his arms around my waist from behind.
“Where you are?” I asked.
“I’m on the train back from Marco’s.”
“Thank you for coming.”
Alex smiled against my neck. “Baby, I had to think.”
“Running away.” I grinned back at him over my shoulder. “But not too far.”
He stuck his tongue out at me, “I didn’t run away.”
“Sure you did. I don’t mind Alex. We all need to think. You are coming home right?”
Alex nodded. “Yeah… Maybe I won’t.”
My heart shuttered a little at the thought of Alex not coming back. But I gave him a small smile. “I’m sorry.”
Alex pulled me closer to him. “It’s okay Baby. I’m sorry too. I killed people.”
“I know. It’s difficult the first time.”
“You’ve never had a hard time of it.”
I laughed and pulled away from Alex and paced around the tree. “My first was a little girl. She attacked me with a knife.” I ran my finger down the place where the scar on my cheek used to be. “She sliced me here before I had to kill her. I burnt down the place because she’d killed inside. She was a girl possessed by a ghost of a girl who had been abused and murdered.”
Alex frowned. “Do you remember every kill?”
“Like it was yesterday.” I said as I stopped and slumped against the trunk of my tree. “Every case, every kill, every person I’ve helped. I remember it all.”
The rough grain of the bark rubbed my back raw – or would have if I didn’t heal fast now. That was the other kicker to this whole situation, not only had Alex used my power, but now I was healing gun shot would like a vampire. I was still me, wasn’t I?
Alex looked at me and sighed as he sat down. “How’d you deal with your first?”
I looked at Alex and frowned. “I was with Michaela. She liked to fuck after a good kill.”
Alex didn’t look at me but I knew he didn’t like it. But we all had pasts. He understood that. “Alright, so how did you deal with the first on solo.”
I grinned. “You won’t like that either.” I said. “I went to Ant’s and let him kick the shit out of me until I was too sore to care about the life I’d taken.”
“So it’s either get fucked or get fucked up.” Alex smirked.
“Do you want to talk about it?” I asked Alex.
He looked at me with a wild gleam, “When I get home, I have other plans, but talking while I wait to get to you is fine. But I don’t need to talk about it. You said something was wrong? Do you want to talk about it?”
I sighed. Alex knew the answer to the question but I kept quiet. I stared at the sky and wished I knew what to do. “Letting go is hard.”
“What are you letting go of?” Alex asked, he was getting better and prompting me to get the answers he wanted – or that I wanted. I didn’t really know anymore.
“Everything. But specifically the power. This new magic is erratic, I think, because it’s bound inside, instead of free. It’s not like the elements where I have to control everything. It’s hardbeing specific. And I’m afraid to let it all out – to let the magic be the guide of magic.”
“Can you do that?” He asked, this time I knew where it was coming from or why he asked. Shielding hurt, so in theory letting it all go should be pain free. I’d be less likely to hurt myself and for Alex that was his number one goal in our relationship – to keep me safe – to protect me.
“I could. I could see everything, hear everything, just let the magic go. But for a Venatori that’s a big bulls-eye. Come kill me, I’m giving you everything you need to know about my power.”
“You mean the others feel it?”
I nodded. “Yeah. Venatori could feel the other races if they wanted to but they don’t. Humans are as sensitive to it, which is why you are only now starting to sense it around you.”
“So I’m not exactly human anymore.”
I laughed, “You are Chevalier. As days pass you’ll feel more and more magic because it’s your job as Chevalier to protect your vampire master from the things in the day time that would kill him. So you’ll know when a therian is around, you’ll be able to taste the flavors of their magic. Human and vampire too. And we are tied together now by a unique bond I know nothing about. You and I already noticed changes. If I let my magic out, it might flow down our bonds and change you more.”
“Nox if it helps you I’m okay with it.”
“I’m not Alex.” I frowned, “I don’t want to force things on you, or anyone because it’s my will.”
Alex laughed, “You know, sometimes you are too nice Nox. Why should you care what happens to other people because you are taking care of yourself?”
“So binding Ant because I didn’t know what I was doing was alright?”
“He was already bound to you. I don’t think you did anything wrong, you two were drawn together by things outside our control and you just reacted to it.”
“So you are all on board with prophecy running my life.”
Alex frowned. “Fucking hell of a time for the train to get where I’m going. I have to go. But know this Nox, I’m always with you. No matter what. You do what you need to do and the world will adjust.”

It wasn’t our usual room. It smelled wrong, but I followed Alex to the bathroom attached. He pulled me inside and turned on the water to the shower overhead in the bath tub. I felt the steam pressing against my skin. “That’s gonna be too hot.”
I looked at Alex and he blinked at me then reached into the water and didn’t jerk his hand out like it was hot. He took my hand and lifted it into the drizzle from the shower head, “That’s gonna be too hot?”
It looked hotter than it was. Alex looked at me, “You okay?”
I shook my head. “No. Something’s wrong.”
“You sure?” Alex smirked. He sensed it too. “I don’t think you did that to those two.”
“I didn’t.” I looked at Alex. Those had been his thoughts I’d felt, that much I knew. I was barely holding it together then, now I was having a hard time even doing the basics.
“I think it was me. I was wishing I had your power so I could do what you do. So I could protect you. And then they just sort of crumbled at your feet.”
I felt better knowing Alex had done it, but also more worry about what else Alex could do with my magic. He was using the book, and now my magic. Was I just a puppet? My heart beat faster and breathing increased. The panic was cresting and I was surprised I wasn’t on the ground.
“I’m not …” Alex started to say but he was in front of me pressing me against the wall. The length of his body against min and his hands placed above my head against the wall. The comfort of his body against mine brought me back a little. But the look in Alex’s eyes was more comforting, his concern, his love. Alex smiled at me, that smile he had just for me. You are not a puppet. We’ll figure it out. I’ll talk to Poet.
I shook my head and and muttered “No.” I didn’t want to talk to him again. I didn’t want to see him. Something about him made me angry and it was shifting the emotions and the patterns around me.
Alex pressed a kiss to my lips. You don’t have to see him. I’ll ask him. I’ll talk to him.
Don’t waste your favor on me. I thought quickly.
“If I can save you pretty boy, it’s not a waste.” Alex chuckled, “I know you don’t need saving right now, but talking to him isn’t a favor. Never was. Never will be.”

Alex pressed a kiss to my lips, “Take a shower pretty boy. I’m going to go get some food and you will then eat and then nap. We don’t want your ability to think you are a bad bad boy for killing at the wrong time.”
I nodded. I started to tell him we needed to talk, but he kissed me harder this time and I couldn’t help my physical reaction, nor the moan that escaped my lips even though I was flying on auto-pilot. My reaction to Alex was also automatic.
Alex smirked. “I know. Shower, eat, then sleep.” We’ll figure this all out. Be back in a bit.
The water wasn’t too hot. Even though I saw the steam, saw the patterns exaggerated. I wasn’t sure what that was about but things were getting better. I needed to figure this all out. It was not something I wanted to have happen, Alex and Ant using me as their means for revenge could be bad. Not that I thought they’d do that, but my paranoia was running strong and I didn’t know how what was going on. It was starting a panic and Alex wasn’t here. He was taking care of me – in other ways.
My shower was fraut with confusion. I really wasn’t with the waking world. My mind felt numb, my body right along with it. I felt vampire energy and then the door opened. The domination master stood against the door as far from the shower as he could get. Alex wouldn’t like him in here – he was probably the worst vampire to swear allegence to me. A fear for Alex actualized. I wanted to say something but Alec spoke first, “Alex and I had a talk, he knows I’m here. Vin is too rigid to stand inside the bathroom with you. And Jae and Seraph are too much into protocol for your state of mind. “But I also have an advantage.”
I knew his advantage all too well. A flair of his power and I closed my eyes as the feeling of just giving over, but I held on to myself, my control. Alex wouldn’t like me giving someone control. And I didn’t much care for it myself.
Alec sighed, “Nox, it’s okay. I’m just going to take care of you. It’s not sex.”
I pushed the curtain to the side and Alec blushed, the red reached his ears of his pale pale skin. “Out. Now.” Was all I managed to say and there was no hesitation to it, he left. No words, no comments and I sank to the floor of the shower and let the warm water rain down on me, but I felt cold and broken and I really needed Alex.
The door opened and I didn’t care who it was. “Fuck Nox.” Ant said. “Alec …. ” He sighed and reached into the shower and turned off the water. He wrapped me roughly in a towel and lifted me off the floor. I shook, but I was pretty sure it wasn’t because I was cold. Ant laid me down in the bed. Clothes had been left at the foot and he handed them to me. As if I were going to be able to do it myself. I didn’t really care or know or want to do anything. I just curled up against the strange pillow in the strange bed and shook. Fear and panic and uncertainty were all I could feel as I closed my eyes and tried to will it all away.

I stalked down the hall to the dojo Ryan and Ant were transferring upstairs so we could use it easier. I etched contain fire on the walls floor and ceiling ironically with fire. I was making my very own room behind an orange door. I needed to vent – almost literally.
I kicked my shoes off and tucked them under a chair by the wall and started what basically began as a kata for some martial arts or another. Tai Chi was probably the closest thing to it with the slow fixated movements but there was no real pattern to it. I just moved. Slow and precise. Fire forming at my finger tips. Air and water floating around me and earth just there, in the lights if you could see the pattern. Dust and Sand weren’t something I enjoyed. But all four elements danced around me as I moved through the motions.
I heard Vin on the other side. He wasn’t speaking to anyone, but I heard him none-the-less. This thoughts thick with how much of a baby I was. How I had to have my way. How I had been right. The last bit made me smile and the anger slipped a notch.
Sage was my best friend. If I couldn’t trust him, then I couldn’t trust anyone. That’s what it boiled down to. And the only person I could truly count on was myself. Even Alex had betrayed me. But I was past that. I loved him. But more importantly I trusted him. With my life if need be. Alex was my everything, and if I could let bygones be bygones with him, then there was no reason not to forgive Dee and Sage. Second chances and all that.
No one really understood that. Alex certainly hadn’t with Garrett. Everyone deserves a second chance.
But I pushed all thought from my mind. Focused on the movement of my body on the elements around me. I pushed myself through ritual and routine to bring myself back to center. The powers around me flared and flooded the room only to find balance inside of me.
With each passing movement, and each breath I inhaled and slowly exhaled I found myself. Found that place I needed to do my job to be me. What had taken me years to learn was coming easier and easier with the magic, and the love around me. It wasn’t about the magic. It was the love. Everyone here loved me in their own way.
A thump on the window behind me made me aware of something else. I turned just in time to see the glass shatter and two bodies caren through the windows with laser scopes aimed at me. Glass flew in all directions and the sound of guns firing overrode the door crashing in from behind me. I heard Vin his and the distinct scent of burning vampire carried on the currents in the room.
Only a second passed before the bullets hit me. One in the chest blowing me backwards with a howl of pain. The second was off target as I stumbled backwards from the first blow. I was not extraordinarlily strong and the Venatori forgot that one simple fact and over compensated. I imagined though that the bullets used were dragon killers. We’d find out soon enough. There was a second round from each fired but the room was filled with magic already.
It was like watching a cloud engulf them. They didn’t even have a chance to scream as the elements flooded their body. I hadn’t even made it a command or thought it really. But the thought was widely present. I looked back at the door and saw Alex standing in the door, Vin looming behind him nursing burnt skin. Ant was inside pushing past Alex before I collapsed to my knees.
Ryan stood next too me and then knelt next to me in the same moment.
I didn’t feel any pain, short of the moment when the bullets ripped through my chest. But Ryan’s tender fingers ran across the skin, blood slicked his fingers as he looked at it. “That’s new.” He said as plucked the slug from the surface of my skin. I felt the skin meld together and I shivered.
Alex was by my side ripping the t-shirt over my head and use it to wipe the blood from my skin. “No marks.” He declared. He took the second slug from my shoulder and held it up so I could see.
“Doc will do an x-ray make sure there is nothing left in his chest.” Ryan said to Alex to reassure him.
“He’s being awfully quiet.” Vin said from the doorway.
“He’s in shock.” Alex said. “He’s here, but he’s numb. No thoughts, no anything.”
Ant looked at me and frowned, “Take him to a more secure room, and Vin, get the whole family to interior rooms. We don’t want any more surprises like this.”
Vin nodded and hurried down the hall. “He’ll be okay?” Alex asked.
Ant laughed, “Nox will be fine.”
Alex grinned, “I know that, he just needs to get out of here I think. I was talking about Vin.”
Ryan helped me stand up. “He’ll be fine. He’ll need to feed soon but he’ll be fine. I’m sure he’ll be grateful to know you care so much.” Ryan chuckled. “Let’s get him to Doc. He probably needs some food, sleep and a shower.”
Ant tossed me a t-shirt from a cupboard. “I’ll clean get this cleaned up. I’m sure Nox wants to know what happened and I’ll be honest so do I. And he’ll want to send a message I’m sure. If he doesn’t I will.” Ant declared.
I pulled the clean shirt over my head and we all left the make shift dojo. Alex’s hand was cool against my skin. I felt like I was on fire. “Is anyone else hot?”
Alex looked at me and pressed his hand flat against the small of my back. “Not me, but you feel warm.”
Ant sighed, “Don’t tell Isabelle this happened. She won’t like it.”
Alex laughed. “Haywire magic. I don’t think Nox likes it.” He tugged me off into another room, “Come on, pretty boy, let’s get a shower and food in you.”
Ryan chuckled, “I’m sure that’s all you want to put in him.”
If I felt less like nothing I might have said something in return, but really I was on auto pilot. I was seeing everything, hearing it all. But I wasn’t there. And I wasn’t sure why.

My laptop had sat unused for a few days on the table in our room. It wasn’t a desk, and Alex had very few personal belongings here himself. Not that he had much at his apartment but even though we were mystically married I had a feeling we’d always have two separate homes. No matter how much room I made for him in my life – Alex was a drifter. I knew that going in.
And as he said Forever is a long time. I could deal with my personal life later, right now I had work to do and thankfully my love understood. The information Jin sent me was extensive. Three hundred people and then some had called and there was files for it all.
There was a ping on my laptop and I looked at the message.

Cross referencing as we speak.
I laughed. “We aren’t speaking.”
Ha! ha!
I opened up Sage’s program and started looking at his reports and not Jin’s. Not that Jin’s information was invalid, I just trusted Sage to put it together in a better way. And he enjoyed working with me so I never really stopped him.
There was a lot of harassment but no real harm to anyone. It seemed that businesses were being threatened. Schools being notified. And the Venatori weren’t hiding the fact that they were interfering.
“I can’t do anything about human affairs.”
I can help.
“Get Trix to do what you can to fix their problems. The Venatori are attacking my people in a way I can’t do anything about.”
You could make friends in the city. grin You could run for mayor.
“Yeah no,” I said. But it was a thought. I’d have to talk to people, could we get the City in on this? It would make life a lot easier if we had human contacts to things the right way. “Are there anything in that business that needs my specific attention.”
No. All appears to be disputes that require no fighting or supernatural intervention. I’ll ping you if it does. Chev is helping too – he’s bored.
“Good man. Thanks.”
Our pleasure. Dee is doing better, she wants to apologize.
I sighed. “Soon.” I wasn’t sure I wanted to see her soon, but Sage was my friend. A voice from the door interrupted my thoughts. “Do you always talk to yourself?”
I looked back at Vin who was closing the door behind him and standing in front of it. I grinned. “All the time, but I’m talking to Sage.”
“Does he always listen?” Vin looked around the room looking for cameras and microphones I thought and then wondered if Alex had told him what Sage used to do.
“No. But he gets a notification when my computer turns on, or when I get emails.”
“You let him spy on you?” Vin asked.
I shrugged. “I don’t consider it spying.”
“So what if Alex sent you a kinky email. He’d get it?”
I shook my head. “No. Alex doesn’t have that email address. Or rather he doesn’t use it. It’s work related only. And why would Alex be sending me kinky emails when he could send me a kinky text?”
“I don’t know.” Vin laughed. “I’m not him. Is he listening now?”
I looked back at the screen and shook my head. “Maybe, but probably not.” I pointed at the red light on the laptop lid. “It’s not on, so the camera isn’t active.”
“You know that’s creepy right?” Vin said. “And highly insecure.”
“I have the best cyber security protection available. There is not a hacker a live who is getting past The Wicked Truth’s line of defence. I might be bragging on Sage’s power, but Chevalier who is far older, and seen much more asks Sage for help. The price of my best friend knowing everything about me is nothing Vin. Not for that line of protection, and the free use of an information whore.”
I heard that.
Flashed on my screen.
I laughed.
“You never know when he’s around. I don’t like it,” Vin said. “Are you done?”
I nodded. “Why?”
“I want to do a bug sweep of all the living spaces. You might trust your hacker friends, but I don’t,” Vin said.
I stood up from the computer. “There are no bugs in here.That’s not how his power works. And no one can hack Sage.” I grinned. “And I mean that quite literally Vin. Sage is electronically connected to my phone and my computer and anything it connects to. He attached nothing, he just touched it and talked to it. They became friends and now they are his. He’s a technopath, Vin. You can’t hack his brain. I’m not connected to his external monitors, which is why he hears me quickly and sees what I do through the camera if it’s on. It’s hardwired in his head.”
“Why?” Vin asked.
“Because we took comfort in it as kids, that we were always there for each other. He’s like my brother.”
Vin sighed. “I still don’t like it man. I’m doing a sweep regardless. And I want to do one at his house.”
I nodded. “Fine. Then you can sweep the top ten floors for magical users who can eavesdrop on my personal conversations and inside my head too. You’ll probably want a telepath to go with you. And you better vet them too because they could breech security too. And don’t forget to have yourself and all my other body guards examined too.”
Vin stared at me like I was insane. “If you feel it’s prudent to scan my best friends house for potential damage then you need to do it for everyone else.”
“His fucking girlfriend…”
I interrupted, “His wife.”
Vin glared at me. “His wife…” he paused like he forgot what he’d been saying. He sighed with resignation. “His wife put you down with a kiss.”
“All the more reason for everyone to be examined and vetted,” I said walking out.
“Wait. This is an order now?” Vin asked as he trailed behind me.
“If you go to Sage’s house and do a security sweep. Yes,” I said walking away.
Vin caught up to me. “You know how crazy that sounds?”
I nodded. “No more crazy then saying my best friend has anything at all to do with the Venatori and hurting me.”
“He’s a fucking hacker. His wife carried a demon that over took you. He hacked the Venatori because your fucking boyfriend, sorry, your husband, was trying to spy on you. You surround yourself with no-good, morally grey people and you don’t want me to do a security sweep?”
I stared Vin in the eyes. He was a vampire and that was one of the biggest no-no’s in Venatori history, but I didn’t fear their gaze. “If you feel the need to examine my best friend that closely then you will, without a fucking question, examine every fucking person I come in contact with, can come in contact with, or may possibly come in contact with.” I took a step closer to the vampire staring me down. “Is that clear? You will not single out Sage Morgan.”
Vin stared at me for a long time before he gave a long slow nod. “I will see it done.” I stalked away angry and in the need to punch something. Vin followed behind me but not nearly as closely as he had.

Home was easy once everyone was packed and the house closed up for the summer. At least that’s who it’d look to the rest of the people out in the Hamptons. We’d probably be back but you never knew. And with my new so-called position I didn’t really know much of anything anymore.
Ant shadowwalked us all home and the kids fell into routine. They all went to their own rooms and they unpacked then went straight for the kitchen even though we had eaten only a few hours before – habits, or whatever. Didn’t really matter.
Jin was sitting in the living room working on her laptop when we walked in. “It’s good that you came home,” she said. “I’ve become your answering service it seems.” She wasn’t happy nor displeased with it but she was annoyed a little. “When you get back into savior mode let me know. We have a lot to talk about.”
I sighed and wrapped my arms around Alex and rested my head against him. “Do I have to?”
Alex chuckled. “We could run away together.”
“And do what?” I asked curious at what he would say.
“Oh, I don’t know. Drink Mai Tai’s and Margaretias and have sex on the beach?”
I pulled away from Alex giving him that ‘do you know me look.’ And he laughed harder. “No?”
I shook my head with a grin on my face. He let out a long slow sigh. “Then I guess you have to.” He pressed a kiss to my lips softly before he went back into the kitchen area with the kids. “Just remember to sleep tonight.”
I nodded. “Come get me when you go,” I said.
Alex gave me another long glance. I was sure he wanted to tell me I wouldn’t come but he gave me a nod. The joys of having my love in my head all the time. He knew precisely when I meant what I said – and usually why.
I sat down with Jin on the couch. “Savior mode eh?”
She smiled. “You will need it.”
“Alright. What’s wrong Jin?” I asked.
“Everyone who has called in the past four days has had two things to say. The first was always congratulations, and the second was to report some incident the Venatori were causing them problems.”
“How many calls?” I asked.
“There are over three hundred as of this moment.”
“What? Three hundred cases of the Venatori… in New York?”
“In New York,” Jin confirmed.
“Did you catalog them? What’s most important?”
Jin nodded. “I don’t know what you’ve considered more important but yes I’ve broken them down by race, and by problem. Both to help you understand things.”
“In the computer?” I asked.
Jin nodded. “Yes.”
“Send me the files,” I said getting up. “Keep answering as if I’m not here, until I can figure out what to do.”
Jin nodded. “Nox. That’s not all.”
I sat back down. “What else can go wrong?” I growled to myself.
“Reginald’s people called, as has Dom’s and they both have had point blank been asked to kill you for complete territorial rule over all of New York.”
“The Venatori can’t offer that. Not even for killing me.”
“I’m fairly certain they haven’t tried contacting any of the vampires yet. But they will.”
“I knew about the assassination attempts already, but the Venatori are trying to get the whole community to rally against me.”
“It seems that way.”
I nodded. “Did they say what they were going to do?”
“No, but the fact that they told you lends to the fact they won’t try to kill you.”
I shook my head. “I don’t know. That’s a tempting offer. I might try to do it.” I grinned at her. “Let me deal with the people first, then I’ll worry about all the death threats. In the mean time, I need to up security around here. Let Ant know.”
“He’s already on it.”
I sighed as I left the living space to go to our room and grab my laptop, Alex fell in step beside me. “I should check on Benji.”
I nodded. “You should. And any other New Yorker you have a good working relationship with.”
“No one I care about,” Alex said. “Everyone I care about is already your friend.”
“Well if you want to help I could use a person who’s good at talking to people.”
Alex grinned wrapping his arm around my waist. “Are you asking for my help?”
I smiled. “Alex, can you help me deal with people?”
“Sure, what are we dealing with?” Alex said proudly, his chest puffed out a little bit.
“I have over three hundred people who the Venatori are harassing. I need to get through the list and see what I can do anything about, and what I can’t. I would like you to get in touch with all those close to us to see what’s going on with them, and if we can help them any.”
Alex stopped and looked at me with confusion. “You want me to ask more people if they need your help?”
I stopped with him and nodded slowly at his question. “If I can help the leaders help their people then yes, the more hands working to get the Venatori’s fingers out of the pie the better.”
“So what if that isn’t what happens, and you just get more work?” Alex asked.
“A price I’m willing to pay?” I shrugged. “I’ve always helped the people, but I’m one person. I can’t do this many at the same time I need help.”
“I’m not saying I won’t help.”
I laughed. “I never thought you were Alex. Dom, and Adrian will help their people. The vampires too, we need to stop the Venatori for harrassing our friends. And they can help us stop them from the rest.”
Alex shook his head and sighed. “You know the world doesn’t work that way right?”
I shrugged. “Nope.” I grinned at Alex. “Will you do what I asked?”
He nodded. “I think you are just making more work for yourself but yeah. I’ll get Ryan and Ant to help me too – since they know the people better.”
“Okay. I might steal Ry from you though, talk about some things.”
Alex laughed. “Not about us I hope,” he teased.
I grinned and leaned into my love and whispered< "I have this boy, who I'm all sorts of dying over. So cute, so hot, I just want him to fuck me all the time."
Alex kissed me and pushed me away,."You're a fucking tease. Now go away before I do all those things."
I laughed. "Maybe I don't want to go away."
Alex growled, "Pretty boy, if you don't….."
I kissed Alex hard and he groaned against my mouth and we broke apart breathless. My hands were clenched at my sides and I could see the strain in Alex as well. The vacation had reinforced one thing – we couldn't get enough of each other.
But by sheer iron will we walked the opposite direction of each other and went about our mutual tasks.

We had one full day of vacation without any major drama. Ant and Isabelle had an arguement which was the highlight of lunch. But other than that we swam, ran, ate. Those of us with significant others had sex. And I know cause I walked in on Matt and Laker that morning when I was looking for Hunter’s shoe. Which wasn’t in the shared room he was in – where the boys were catching some alone time.
Lake was blood red as soon as he saw me, but Matt was beaming. I don’t know if it was pride or lust, but he only barely was aware that I’d seen him fucking my brother. Not a sight I was likely to forget anytime soon.
And idiot me walked in on Ant and Izzy after their fight. But they were making out on the couch after everyone had gone to bed. Alex and I were thirsty so I volunteered to get us a glass of wine. Not my thing, but it was vacation and Alex had wanted a real drink and he didn’t do beer – this was our in between go to.
Alex and I had had our first round pre-Ant-Izzy walk in. And a second round after we finished the bottle of wine.
Day three started out wonderful, until I got a phone call forwarded to my phone from Jin. Something she wasn’t doing, but apparently it was important enough to do that. “Hello?” I answered the unknown call.
“Mr. Sétanta?”
“Yes ma’am,” I said still unsure of who this was as I didn’t recognize the voice either.
“I’m Sherry O’brien down here at Oberon Charter School, where your children are supposed to start this next school year with.”
“Yes, Ms. O’brien.” I still had no clue what was going on.
“I just received some bad news. Apparently we have over booked our enrolment and your children will be unable to attend.”
I frowned. “Really? And is my bank account going to be refunded?”
She spluttered. “Mr. Sétanta, our fees are non-refundable.”
“I don’t give a flying fuck. You aren’t teaching my kids. You overbooked. This is not my fault. You will have the money in my bank account by the end of the day today, or I will be having my lawyers contacting you.”
“Mr. Sétanta, that isn’t going to work for us.”
“Then you will be seeing my lawyers first thing in the morning, Ms. O’brien.” I hung up the phone.
“Fuck!”
“What was that all about?” Alex asked.
“The school Dorian set up for the kids just told me they didn’t have room for them and don’t want to refund the money. Which tells me they have room, they expect to keep the money, and someone is trying to keep my kids from normal schools.”
“You think it’s Venatori intervention?” Ant asked.
“I know it is. Can you get Larry on it? I guess I need to hire a retainer for myself.”
Ant laughed. “Mother said her people are your people, and they are more than happy to help you change the world one thing at a time. Why else would she give up Ryan.”
“The others can do work for anyone, and while you don’t pay, your favors mean more,” Ant said.
“Can you do that?” I asked as my phone rang again. “What?” I asked.
“Is that the way to answer your phone Mr. Sétanta?” Ms O’brien scolded me.
“To a woman who is being a jackass yes, ma’am it is. I told you my lawyers will be in touch with you tomorrow morning.”
She spoke quickly before I had a chance to hang up. “I will have the money returned to your account by the end of business today, there is no need to have your lawyers here.”
“If the money isn’t here by end of business today, Ms. O’brien, you will be seeing my lawyer in the morning.”
“Understood.” I hung up before she got the full word out.
I sighed. “So now what?” The Venatori were going to make my life a living hell on top of trying to kill me.
“I can home school them,” Isabelle said. “I’m a certified teacher, but we can purchase on-line curriculum for each of them. I’ll get together with other home schools and extracurriculars for the boys, and you have their magical abilities all covered right?” She looked happy. “And we would be able to keep them safe at the Night Life building.”
I looked at the boys who were all playing video games. Hunter was as usual curled up in one of their laps watching, but he never played. I didn’t understand why. Alex muttered in my head He’s like his Dad.
I still didn’t know why. I didn’t know why I didn’t particularly care for them. I just shrugged and smiled at Alex. “What do you guys think?” I knew they’d been listening.
“Dad would be happier if we didn’t get involved in all that New York Gang shit. So he’d be cool with it. And we know more supernatural kids than we do normal ones, so it’s cool either way,” Laker said.
“And you already have a boyfriend – so meeting new people means nothing to you.” Rider laughed. “Having said that, I’m good, Nox I might want to take up Dance or Photography or something.”
“Or Cooking,” I suggested. “I bet Marco would absolutely love to have another boy to boss around.”
Rider’s eyes went wide. “But that won’t be something that I can do with girls.” But the look on his face was more convincing – he liked the idea of learning from a master chef.
Alex sighed. “This looks like a sign – we probably need to get back home. I’ve got to check on Benji, if they are giving you problems with the kids – they might be giving us problems with the club.”
Everyone sighed, but everyone also got up and started packing. Alex looked at me and smiled. Sorry, pretty boy.
“For what?” I asked out loud.
“Cutting it short,” Alex added.
I shrugged. “We have forever together, not all of it will be fun.”
Alex laughed. “God I hope more of it is fun. No more dying on me.”
“At least I should wake back up,” I quipped.
He rolled his eyes. “As long as you have a head – right?”
“That’s the going theory.” I smiled brightly at him as I got up and started putting things where they went so when we came back later it wouldn’t drive both Alex and I up a wall. It was back to reality now. Life wasn’t going to wait for us to be ready for it.

I curled back up with Alex and he pulled me tight against him. “So what do we need to talk about?” he asked.
I sighed. “Did you talk with my father or Dorian at all last night?”
Alex shook his head. “Not really, Dorian and Marco left after Dorian gave me a teary hug. They didn’t explain.”
“Dorian came to say good-bye.” I could hear the sadness in my voice. “The Venatori want me dead. They’ve put a bounty on my head.”
“Just fucking great,” Alex growled.
“Dorian gave me the beach house when he and Marco got married. The Venatori don’t know I have it. He told me to stay here.”
Alex laughed. “As if that were something you would do at all.”
I sighed. “I’m sorry.”
“It’s who you are. I know even if I asked you wouldn’t stay here.”
“I would if you asked,” I said softly.
Alex growled. He pushed me out of his lap and sighed. “I’m not asking.” I sat on the edge of the lounge chair shaking. I wasn’t cold and it wasn’t exactly fear, I couldn’t describe what I was feeling and that was the hardest part of it all. Alex stood up and ran his fingers across my shoulders as he walked in front of me and held out his hands for me to take. Which I did and he helped me up.
It was such a great feeling looking Alex straight in the eyes without looking up or down or having to do anything in particular. I had a smile on my lips and it made Alex smile a little more. “We’ll deal with it when we get back. Right now, we are on vacation.”
“That’s not practical.” I grinned.
“I’m not practical,” Alex said. “Vacation. Then Death threats. The party might have been a bad idea, but we’ll deal with it. Now you and me need a nap.”
Our nap wasn’t exactly a nap. Alex had me laid out on the bed and naked within seconds of being inside our room. His thoughts were very vivid in my head. And I was more than happy to let Alex ‘own’ me for some alone time.
Not as if anyone noticed we were gone. After we had a real nap, Alex and I found everyone doing mostly what they had been with the exception of Jae and Seraph who were outside our room. Neither one of them made any comments, and their thoughts were purely on the body guarding things. They were sorta boring when it came to body guards. At least Vin would crack a joke.
Alex must have agreed. “You guys need to be more friendly. Less stoic body guard. You’re boring your golden boy.”
“He’s not our golden boy, he’s our charge,” Jae said. There was no smirk, no laughter, nothing. He was dead serious.
I sighed. “I guess that’s what happens when you pay mercenaries to be my body guard.” I poked the jab at Alex and he gave me that look that said shut up but he didn’t say anything. I stuck my tongue out at him. I looked at the bodyguards. “If you guys are going to stick around, you need to blend in more. You look like bodyguards.”
“What are we supposed to look like?” Seraph asked.
“I don’t know. But you’re on vacation too.”
“We aren’t,” Jae said and Seraph nodded.
I sighed. “Fine. Be stiff bodyguards and no fun. Enjoy your boredom.” I walked away from them pulling Alex along with me, I knew they’d follow without question. They went where I did.
We reached the kitchen and the smell of food made my stomach rumble. Alex just rolled his eyes as he made his way to the living space where the elder twins were playing video games. He sat down in the middle of them and stole Laker’s controller and took over. Laker pushed Alex into Rider and the cars on screen crashed, but they just all laughed. I loved that Alex got along with my brothers.
I sat down at the island and piled food on my plate.
Seraph sat down next to me and did the same. “I thought you were on duty?”
She looked at me and then frowned. The small woman stood up and glared at me then took up her post. I sighed. “You can’t be lenient with some things, and not with others Seraph. That goes for you too Jae. I don’t care if you eat with us, or have fun with us I want you to. You are going to be around a lot. Be part of the family, or don’t, but don’t mix it up. It’s your choice. I can’t handle the inconsistency.”
Jae laughed. “So as usual it’s all about what makes you comfortable. Everyone caters to what you need.”
I stood up and turned on the fucking dragon who was pissing me off and I felt my power flare more than usual and he dropped his eyes. “You either are my bodyguard or you are not. You are either family or you are not. You can be both, and you can do both. Vin gets it, Ant got it, Ryan got it. You can’t pretend to be my friend one second and then be all stoic and resolute in your resolve to stand by my door while I’m being fucked by my boyfriend.”
“Husband,” Alex called from the peanut gallery to correct us. He was smirking but his eyes never left the television he was racing on.
“By my husband and not make a fucking joke. I can hear your fucking thoughts., I growled as I continued with what I had been saying before Alex’s interruption. “I can hear the conversation you were having before we left my room. No matter how fucking quiet you think you are being.”
They both paled at the accusation. They had both been commenting on our need to devour each other over and over again. “Well you do fuck like rabbits,” Jae said.
I grinned at him. “That’s better. Don’t hide behind your fucking ‘I’m a security guard’ bullshit. Be who you are, don’t be the person you think we want. Because all you are going to do is piss me off – specially now that I have part of Alex’s fucking telepathy.”
Alex laughed. “And pick up your fucking shit. I’m tired of cleaning up after you.”
Rider choked on his laughter. Alex actually slapped him on the back to try to help him recover. Laker was only blushing and trying hard to ignore us all. He was very not like us.
I picked up the plate Seraph had started serving herself. “I’m good with calling you Seraph. But pick what you want to be here. You can’t join me for a meal on duty and sit in the sun when I’m on vacation and then be a stick in the mud because you’re embarrassed by your thoughts and my actions.”
Laker added. “Because you are going to be all those things all the time other wise.”
“And he’d know. See how red he gets.” I grinned at my brother. “Lake learned a long time ago that I was going to be me, he needed to be him. And we get a long great.”
“No we don’t, you tease me.” He grinned.
“Do you want me to stop?” I asked.
He looked at me thoughtfully and then shook his head. “No. If you didn’t pick on me I’d think something was wrong and I’d be worried. I know you love me.”
“With all my heart man,” I said.
“Back at yah,” Laker said as he ripped the controller from Alex’s hands. “Him too.” He shouldered Alex with a grin. “But this is mine.”
Alex laughed. “He’s learning.”
I ate and we all watched the three gamers take turns racing the winner. Until everyone but me and Hunter were taking turns. It was how we spent the rest of the day.
At the end of the day, Rider had been declared racing champion much to Ant’s chagrin. And Rider was rubbing it in as we headed to our rooms to sleep. Tomorrow would be much like today – nothing but fun, sun and family.

As it turned out the boys had swim trunks and a pair of shorts with maybe a few t-shirts left to wear. So shopping was actually something they needed to do. Fae was still waxing and waning from the transition. “I’ll stay,” I told Alex.
He frowned and I pulled my love aside and wrapped my arms around his neck. “Think of it as spending time with your family, just you and the kids.”
“They aren’t all my kids.”
I giggled a little. “Just because they are my brothers doesn’t make them any less yours.”
Alex rolled his eyes. “Besides,” I added. “Rider, Laker and Matt will help wrangle the little ones. One for each of them.” I sighed. “And if I stay you can go without body guards.”
Isabelle interrupted, “I’d like to come along if that’s alright?”
Alex looked at me and smirked. “It’s absolutely fabulous.” His hand went awry and his voice rose as he pulled away from me with a mock glare. “We’ll buy things for the baby.”
Isabelle glanced at me I just shrugged. “I think he’s pretending to be Brent.” I looked at Alex. “I don’t like Brent. Pastels and sex slaves don’t do it for me.”
Alex burst in to a loud laugh that startled Isabelle. “Hey it worked for Janice. ate would have found it humorous as well.” Alex was beaming as he pressed a kiss to Isabelle’s cheek and then came back over to me and pulled me into a long tender kiss. “I’ll see you soon pretty boy.”
I was left staring after Alex and Isabelle as they gathered up the kids to go shopping. Ryan was busy in the kitchen doing whatever he loved doing. Jae and Seraph stayed with me though they were more than happy to lounge in the sun in bathing suits while I swam the length of the pool.
I got lost in the motion. Took comfort in the burn in my lungs and then with the ache in my arms and legs as I went the length of pool back and forth. Jae and Seraph had taken turns after a while – need a break from the sun.
Three hours later when I heard the kids squeal and then there was a large splash behind me as Cass cannon balled into the water, I felt like jelly. It wasn’t until the moment I saw my blue eyed boy walk through the gate that I let myself relax.
“Have you been swimming the whole time?” He looked at me and then at Jae who had taken up his turn on the lounge chair nearest the gate. “How long as he been in the water?”
“As long as you’ve been gone,” Jae said over his black sunglasses, then lowered then back to watch me.
I managed to haul myself over the pools edge and Alex helped me stand up. I felt like jelly but it was a good feeling. I knew in a while I’d stiffen up and it would ache, but it was a good ache. “Makes you feel alive.” Alex groaned as he sat down in a wide lounge chair pulling me down with him.
“I’m soaking wet.”
Alex shrugged. “If you were a girl, I’d say that’s exactly how I liked you.”
“But I’m not a girl.” I looked up at him before settling down into the crook of his arm and putting my head on his chest. I whispered, “Is that going to be a problem someday?”
Alex pressed a kiss to my head. “No day soon Nox. Forever is a long time. I’ll tell you if that ever happens.” Alex put his fingers under my chin and made me look up at him. “Do you understand? I love you and no one else, I’m here forever.” He smirked. “I don’t want to hear talk about things that probably will never happen.” He leaned down and kissed me softly.
The kiss turned more hungry that intended and when Alex broke apart we were both breathless and no one was the wiser. All the kids were happily in the pool splashing and playing without a care in the world.
“We do need to talk about something,” I said as I curled up next to Alex. He was wearing a pair of khaki shorts and a t-shirt and I wished for less clothes, here I was in just a pair of swim trunks. It wasn’t even something I realized I had done. I sat up and frowned and Alex pressed his chest against my back and pulled me against him with a leg on either side of my body. He wrapped me up in safety.
“Did you just realize there was nothing to be self conscious of?”
I nodded. “I would have gotten stares before, hears snickering and pity as people watched.”
“Now?” Alex asked as he pressed a kiss to my bared shoulder.
“Admiration I guess. But it’s weird hearing those thoughts because nothing is ever said out loud when you are checking a guy out. Specially from straight guys.”
Alex snickered. “I have to listen to all these men and women eye fuck you. Do you see now why I’m possessive of you?”
I laughed. “I’m yours Alex. All yours. With or without the rings and tattoos. I’m yours.”
“I know pretty boy. But all those voices saying how much they’d like to see you naked, some thoughts are so vivid I can see their fantasies.”
“I can’t help…” Alex put his hand over my mouth and bit my shoulder.
“I know you can’t. And I can’t help but want people to know you are mine.”
I grinned over my shoulder at him. “I can still tattoo ‘property of Alex’ on my shin or something if you want.”
“As much as I’d love seeing my name forever immortalized on your skin, I’m good.” He lifted my hand with our matching bands and smiled against my neck. “I have these. That ring says more to the humans than anything else can. And the tattoo, well that’s our little secret, but it says the world to me.”
“You are my world Alex.”
He pressed a kiss to my shoulder and nodded. “You’re mine.”

Alex and I shared a simple kiss before the three wolves and I were off for a quick run. But thanks to what we were all the people saw was a guy running with three dogs. Though we did have a few kids stop and ask about the tattoos on my arms and the really big dogs. But kids were sometimes immune to the veil. They would believe anything they saw, and no one would believe them even if they said something. One of them even commented on the moving tattoo.
We came back home to find food waiting for all of us. Alex grinned at me as he pressed a kiss to my lips “Gonna seclude yourself again?”
I nodded. “Yeah. Safer for now.”
Alex smiled. “Can I watch?”
“Of course,” I said. He grabbed my hand and the three wolves followed us into the room. The sky was starting to darken we might catch most of the eclipse, still total eclipse was a while away. And it was a new moon tonight – why they were changing we’d have to figure out later.
I sat down on the floor, Alex sat next to me and the boy laid down with their heads in my lap. I rubbed each one of their heads between the eyes and they closed them to enjoy the tender touch. “I don’t think I’ll ever get used to this.”
“To what having werewolves for brothers?”
Alex laughed. “When you put it that way, that too. But I meant a family I would do anything for.”
“Family isn’t about blood,” I said as I let the pack magic out. I didn’t have to reach into Fae to find it this time I knew exactly where it was, how it felt, loved the feel of it. Alex shivered next to me as the magic washed over him too. The boy’s fur shifted and their bones cracked and snapped. Alex jumped away – afraid of what was happening, but not on the omg I’m going to die level. It was fear he was going to change too. He felt the magic raging through him and I watched Alex trying to reassure him.
“Holy fuck!” Alex shouted. His skin was covered in goosebumps as he watched in awe and horror as the boys returned to human form. “That has to hurt.”
I nodded. “It does, and it’s taxing on their systems. Some die in the process.”
Alex stared at me. “How do you know all this?”
I shrugged. “Pack memory I guess. Though I’ve been witness to a few deaths and successful changes because of Sage.”
The three boys lay panting in my lap as Alex and I watched the remnants of their transformation leave the air. It was like a shimmer or a mirage on the hot sand. They lie naked and breathing, Faelen much more heavily than the other two. The strain on his change was greater even if he had already changed once before. I gave my brothers some props for that.
Alex bent down and ran his fingers through Fae’s hair. “You alright?”
He nodded slowly. “I think the shift was too soon for him.” Rider and Laker were both sitting up already completely oblivious to the fact they were naked. Or maybe not so oblivious. I stood up picking up Fae with ease.
“Show off,” Alex muttered.
I stuck my tongue out at him as I laid the young wolf pup on the bed. “Sleep or food?” I asked him.
“Both?” He grinned up at me.
I nodded. “I’ll have food brought in. You need clothes, so after the eclipse viewing hopefully you can come with.” I told him. He was already asleep though.
“He’s going to be alright? Alex asked again.
I nodded. “Yeah. Fae’s a weaker wolf than the twins. If I feel pack magic the way I think I do, they’d be rival Alphas.”
“If we weren’t twins, or yours,” Rider said.
“Well, I can’t lead our little pack if I’m going to be truly neutral.” I said.
“But we are family.”
I nodded. “Always.” I wrapped an arm around my little brother. “But if I’m attached to a pack they will think I pick favorites.”
Rider grinned. “But we are always going to be favorites.”
I nodded. “Yes, but if someone else is pack leader I get one more voice on my side of things.”
“You think.” Rider’s grin widened. “I disagree with a lot of your things.”
“Oh yeah.” I laughed. “Like what?”
Alex laughed as he tossed the boys a pair of sweats and a t-shirt from the drawers of the room we were in. Thankfully most of the boys were the same size roughly. “Yeah like what?”
“Well there is the whole meal plan thing. I think we need more variety – we are wolves after all.” Rider’s smile was playful as he continued, “And the idea that we have to go to school.”
“You aren’t getting out of that boy,” Alex said. “All of you are enrolled at a private school close to the Night Life building. Dorian found one while Nox was dead. I haven’t had time to deal with any of it.”
“You are paying for the kids to go to school?” I asked.
Alex nodded. “Better than the public education system. Tell me you’d be okay with that?”
I shrugged. “If that’s what Dorian says I should do I’m not going to question it. Or you for that matter. I just figured the money could be spent doing other things.”
Alex shook his head. “Family first Nox.”
“I didn’t mean on other people Alex. But clothes, food, a roof over our heads.”
Alex chuckled. “I need to show you my bank accounts some day.” He wrapped his arms around me. “Come on boys, let’s go watch that eclipse and then go shopping.”

When I pushed open the door to the bedroom I scrawled a contain magic rune on the door. I wasn’t sure how to get rid of it later, we might have to move rooms or find a scrubbing rune or something. But that was a problem for later. Right now Lake and Rider were curled up and Faelen was sitting in the middle of them soothing them both.
I added a strengthening rune to the door as well and etched a locking rune on the door – no one was getting in or out easily through the door. The walls would be another story but I hoped if it came to it I’d be able to use air to keep them contained. I didn’t want to hurt my brothers or them to hurt anyone else.
“Alright boys, you are shifting for your first time. Your insides don’t like it. Your outsides are going to be in pain. Fae and I will do our best to help you through.”
Rider chocked on his own spit as he tried to talk. He coughed and I sat down with him. “I can try to force it like I did with Fae.”
“Will it hurt less?” Laker asked.
“I don’t know.”
Fae gave me a simple nod and wrapped his body around Rider. “Fae says it will hurt less. And my magic will guide you so hopefully it won’t be a struggle to get there.”
“Do you both want to? I don’t know if I can do one and not the other.”
Rider nodded and so did Laker a second sooner which made him grin at his brother. They latched hands and Fae held them both. It was going to be a hell of a ride. I touched Faelen gently on the shoulder and he leaned his head against my hand and nuzzled it. I drew upon pack. The scent of the forest was thick in my nostrils and I felt my ties to the boys, and to Alex, and the kids – Quinn was happily in there and it made me smile. As I drew a little more I felt Adrian, and Leah and I felt Danny and Rosie. It was hard but I even felt Sage in the middle of it all.
I pushed the power of pack into their bonds, and I felt Faelin shift. I heard the bone cracking of the change, and then I heard the first cry from my brothers. Rider was biting back the pain, I whispered through the bond, “Don’t fight it. Embrace it.” He looked up at me with Amber eyes and growled deep in his throat. I gave him a smile. “I know, man, I know. But you can’t fight it.”
He looked at me with those eyes and then howled. It wasn’t the howl of a man in pain – no it was the wolf. Laker followed shortly there after as the last of the popping and cracking subsided and my brothers were large in their animal forms, panting but whole. Faelen lay between them his head on his paws as he waited for them to claim dominance.
Lake and Rider sniffed at Faelen and nudged him. Fae stood up and they pressed their head into his head and gave him a wolf hug before they all pounced on me. “Okay guys, I’m kinda tired now. Let’s give it a few hours – watch the solar eclipse and then we’ll get ya back in human form?”
“And maybe Alex will taking you shopping to replace the clothes we just trashed.”
There was an excited twirl from Rider, but the other two looked sad like they didn’t want to go. “Do you want to go for a run?”
They all licked me and I had to push them off me. “You can’t chase after anyone, you have to stay with me, and you can’t for any reason draw attention to us. Do you understand?”
The three wolves nodded their head. I moved the handle on the door and it wouldn’t budge I sighed. I’d forgotten I had locked us down tight.
I sat down on the ground and closed my eyes. The boys pushed again me as I concentrated on remembering what I saw in the book. I hadn’t really thought about how to nullify the wards I’d placed.
Hold on pretty boy, we haven’tt gone anywhere yet.
I blinked. The door glowed softly and the door snicked open with Matt standing on the other side.
“Well that’s handy.” I looked up at the boy null who was grinning at me. Laker was up and pushing himself at Matt, rubbing his body against Matt’s legs. Matt knelt down and ran his fingers through the wolf’s fur and they snuggled as best they could.
Alex stood in the door. “So that wasn’t as traumatic as you made it seem.”
I sighed. “It could have been. You never know how a new wolf will react, and I think it was quicker because I forced the change on them instead of letting it happen naturally.” I stood up and wrapped Alex in a hug. “I need to take the boys for a run, and then afterwards I need to change them back, then all of us can go watch that eclipse?”
Alex grinned and I continued, “And then you can take the boys shopping cause they shredded their clothes. We forgot a simple step.” I laughed to myself mostly. I looked over at Ryan who was watching. “If we force them back to human after our run they are going to need a lot of protein – the rawer the better for them.”
“I remember,” Ryan said. “I’ll see about the butchers and since it doesn’t need to be cooked we’ll just have it delivered. I want to see this Eclipse that changed a pack.”
I sighed. “I hope no one at home is doing this.”
“I’ll go check with Adrian, and Dom and come back. I’ll think the eclipse will just be darkness I’ve seen enough of it.”

Alex followed me out the door, I’d say he pushed me out of the way but he didn’t, though if I had been someone else he might have. He only wrapped an arm possessively around my waist and pulled me toward sustenance I hadn’t cooked. I think that was more novelty than normal for us both.
Ryan was cooking. “Rider said he’d cook breakfast but at the first smell of bacon cooking he ran of into the bathroom.” He looked at me curiously. “Feeling alright?”
I shrugged. “Why are you looking at me?”
“You are the only human one among us.” And then he grinned at Alex. “How often you been sick?”
“Hardly ever, actually.”
“My point.” Ryan grinned.
Alex frowned. “Are you saying he’s more human than I am?”
Ant growled. “No, and yes.” He sat down and grabbed a plate with food on it and didn’t wait for anyone else to start eating.
“I thought you weren’t hungry?” Alex asked.
Ant looked down and then over at me. “He is.”
“I’m hungry. Not starving.”
“I’m starving,” Alex said. He pulled a few pancakes over to his plate and a pile of bacon.
I let them eat while I tried to get the answer to Alex’s question from Ryan. “So why did you ask me?”
Ryan’s grin was wide. “You take all our strengths and weakness to an extreme. The Cesari skills are over to top. Your empathy is strong, you are reading people with ease. You heal extraordinarily fast, yet you get sick all the time.”
“Dorian said it was because even though Venatori don’t get sick, they carry it around and because I’m not exposed to it everyday like a human I get sick.”
“He is right, but you shouldn’t get sick Nox. You aren’t killed by nepenthe. So why do you catch the common cold, the stomach bug, and common regular human things?”
I shrugged. “I don’t have an answer.”
“Your strengths and weaknesses are exaggerations of the parts of you.”
“So a common cold kill me?”
Ryan snickered. “Not now, but I expect that you’ll still get sick. And sooner than anyone else.”
“So I’m your gauge to Rider’s plight?”
Alex snickered. “He could be pregnant.”
“Men in any world can’t do that.” I rolled my eyes.
“He’d be rich,” Alex said through a bite of pancakes.
I leaned over Alex’s shoulder and whispered, though I knew Ant and Ryan could hear. “If men could get pregnant there would be no doubt which of us would be carrying our children.”
Alex laughed. “Such a bottom.”
Ant groaned as I walked away. “I’m going to check on Rider.”
I found my brother behind the bathroom door. He was puking his guts out. “Alex says you might be pregnant.”
Rider pulled the door open and stared at me incredulously. He had paled even more at my statement I was sure of it.
“It’s not possible,” I said and he relaxed but another wave of nausea passed over him and he didn’t hesitate to let it all go, drying heaving until it was done. “At least that I know of.”
“I hate you.” He growled at me. It wasn’t a human growl.
“Rider…”
He looked up at me with amber eyes. “Well fuck!” I grabbed my brother’s hand and pulled him along. “Don’t sick up all over the floor.”
I burst into the room with the other twin and he was curled up in a ball whimpering with both Matt and Hunter hovering over him.
Matt looked up at me. “I don’t know what’s going on.”
“I do. Matt, take Hunter to get some breakfast. Wake Fae and bring him here. Don’t let anyone else in.”
“Alex isn’t going to listen to me, if you are in this room,” Matt said.
“I’ll handle that.”
I helped Rider lie down next to his brother and they instinctively curled around each other. I pulled Matt and Hunter out of the room by their hands. “Do what I said please. I’ll take Hunter. Bring Fae here.”
I picked up Hunter and he asked”Are they going to be okay?”
“You are asking me?” I laughed.
He gave me a smile. “They will be fine, you know they will.”
“But they’ll be different.” Hunter said.
“No different than who they were before the change. They’ll just turn furry once a month.”
I set Hunter down next to Alex and wrapped my arms around my love and pressed a kiss to his cheek. “We have a situation.”
“A situation? Don’t fucking tell me he’s pregnant!” Alex exclaimed.
“No, but this is the early signs of a change. I’ve seen it a few days before the full moon with Abby.”
“The full moon was on the 7th,” Ryan said. “Your kids were bonkers.”
“Tonight’s the new moon,” Ant said.
“There is supposed to be some epic solar eclipse I was going to mention watching later,” Alex added.
“Fuck!”
“What?” Alex asked.
“Rare phenomenon and wolves close to turning,” Ryan said, “Can mean bad things.”
“They are too young to turn,” I said flatly.
Ryan laughed manically and I growled at him. “I know shut the fuck up Ry. My magic is tied to them. I know.” I sighed and kissed Alex again. “Babe, I need you to keep the kids out of the house until I tell you it’s safe to come back.”
“Nox, what are you going to do?”
“I’m going to do my job, as Alpha. Faelen will stay with me, I need his help cause I can’t channel pack without that strong connection.”
“And he’s omega, he’ll help solidify the boys in the pack hierarchy,” Ryan said.
I nodded. “The omega is always with the Alpha when the new ones turn. It’s a pompous ceremony. I might be able to get them through this without a sacrifice.”
“I wouldn’t Nox,” Ant said.
“Nothing needs to die, Ant. We don’t have time to find a goat, or a chicken. I have enough magic I know I do.”
Alex turned from his food and looked up at me from his position on the stool. You promise me nothing bad is going to happen.”
I nodded. “They are changing, it’s not a big deal. But I want to be careful. My magic tends to fuck things up.”
Alex smirked. “Ya think?” He gave me a nod. “After breakfast we’ll all go find an eclipse party.”
“Thank you Alex.”
He pulled me close and kissed me long and hard. I broke away breathless and biting my bottom lip, I whispered, “My Alex.” And gave him a final peck on the lips before walking away ruffling my son’s hair as I did. I had to take care of my brothers.

Alex and I joined the party. He walked around with me pretty much attached at his hip. But Alex held my hand or had his arm around my waist the whole rest of the party.
Funny thing was no one said anything. Even Jace behaved. He gave me a hug and smiled and made jokes but never once whispered in my ear or propositioned me. Which was atypical for our relationship. Though I did catch him glancing at Alex and I wondered what had happened. It wasn’t curiosity or knowing him that was in his eyes, no it was fear.
But they left early as Naya was getting cranky, which meant Sage left with them. He’d pretty much stayed near the music after I’d started my play list. Every once in a while strange songs would play courtesy of my beloved geeky best friend.
Of all the people that I had expect to be last it was not my father and Margo. After a certain hour the party became college drinking and debauchery, but he and Margo sat on the couch drinking wine and talking while everyone else danced and drank and carried on.
Oddly enough it had been Rider and Laker who had shooed the last of the strangers out the door and turned off the music. The kids had all passed out hours ago and the boys had tenderly put them in their beds, Matt stayed with Hunter. Like me (and Hunter) Matt didn’t much care for people and socialization. He was more than happy to curl up with my son and sleep the rest of the night.
Even before guests were gone Alex would casually grab something and put it where it belonged. Never complained about things when they got broken, but just cleaned it up and threw it away and he felt better. That was my job but it seemed that we’d been sharing a little more now with our bond.
Another reason Alex was had touched me the whole night was the voices. With so many inhibitions gone, the voices were loud and I was hearing way more than I should. Alex’s shields helped me keep some of it out, but not enough. Which troubled Alex. It might be a case of uncontrollable – like his seeing the patterns but not seeing them.
I had another thought and wondered if the other person could block them, like I could keep my magic from flowing to Alex so badly and the same for him. I had a sneaky suspicion that was what had happened. Ant and Isabelle had been conveniently absent the whole night. They returned just as my father and Margo left. Kai hugged – hugged – Ant and thanked him. He gave Isabelle a wide smile and welcomed her to the family. Ryan on the other hand had been the life of the party – he pulled every girl who would normally fling themselves at me and entertained them. I was pretty sure he’d taken a few of them home and probably wouldn’t be back for several hours.
Alex and I slept in our own bed – though it wasn’t our bed – it wasn’t my bed. Strange places still made me restless. But I didn’t stray far I sat outside where Alex had waited for me and watched the sun come up. I dozed a little or I must have because before I knew it Alex was standing in the door frame. “Fuck time is it?” He groaned as he stretched. He hadn’t bothered to put a shirt on and stood in a pair of shorts that he’d not worn going to bed.
“6am I think.” I glanced down and was happy enough with my estimation that I didn’t correct the few minutes I was off.
“You’re up way too early,” he said.
“I never really went to sleep.”
Alex sighed. “We dreamed though.”
I nodded. “I dozed on and off.”
Alex rubbed his head and then his chin. “I must have had more than I thought to drink.”
“Can we talk?” I asked.
Alex frowned. “No good conversation ever starts that way.” But he sat down turning the chair to face me instead of looking out on to the beach. “What’s up Nox?”
“This new bond. What if you and I had more control over what we sent over it than we think.”
Alex was in my head so he was nodding as he picked up on those thoughts as well as what I said. He used it regularly so I didn’t talk to so much. And that I knew cause I could read him.
Alex frowned. “Okay, that’s not fair.”
“You do it to me all the time.” I chuckled.
He sighed, “I will do my best not to use your thoughts against you unless you say them out loud.”
“I don’t mind Alex. I’d rather have you in my head then not.”
He grinned at me. “You are such a bottom sometimes. Always so greedy with the me inside you thing, I swear.”
There was a groan from the other door. Ant stood wearing only a pair of very short shorts standing in the morning light. “I don’t think I’m ever going to get used to this.”
“Wearing clothes?” Alex asked.
“The sunlight.” He turned to look at us and smiled. “You two are talking about new powers right?”
Alex nodded. “Did you hear us?”
He shook his head. “No, I’m trying to keep the hunger back from you but it’s morning and I’m awake and I’m not starving.”
“You have two Chevalier and me bound to you in metaphysical ways, you might not be so hungry.”
“I’m ravenous.” Alex said.
“I’m hungry myself.”
“We are going to have to adjust to these new crossed powers.”
“Sharing powers is good,” Ant said.
“Except I hear voices I shouldn’t and I can’t keep them out. And Alex is seeing things he can’t see which makes everything off.”
Ant leaned on the wall separating the two areas of the private patios. “Can I try something? Though I’ll need some blood, my reserves are low – no breakfast.”
I looked at Alex to make sure it was alright, and he sighed but nodded. I lifted my wrist to Ant and he asked Alex, “You sure.”
“If you try to fuck him you don’t do it again, but yes, I’m sure.”
Ant took my arm in his cool hands and his fangs sank softly into my arm. There was no rush of lust or desire, just the prick of his fangs. Ant noticed too and stopped drinking letting my arm go. “Did I hurt you?”
I shook my head. “No. But there was nothing else either.” I chuckled. “Are you a full vampire now? Completely primeval?”
“I walk in daylight, control my bite, those were my only real differences.” Ant laughed. “I think the triumvirate bound is responsible. Magic is distributed better. Nox’s power isn’t overwhelming him. It can settle into us. Balance him.”
“The Ascendant to my knowledge has never been a split soul before. Aeryn was one of the First. Prometheus is said to have Aeryn’s energy – her soul.”
“Prometheus isn’t dead. I’ve met him,” I said looking to Alex with a smile.
“You what?”
“I met him. He’s been watching me my whole life. He sent Alex back to me.” I looked at Alex and frowned. “I think he broke us apart.”
“No, Jace did that.”
I shook my head. “To our eyes. But my father got hurt in a routine vampire hunt. He got overwhelmed and they ambushed him and one got hold of him, but only bit him didn’t kill him despite the numbers. My father can see the future, he’d have seen it. He’d have planned for it. Something else he couldn’t know or see had a finger in it. Kai always says that if I’m involved he has trouble seeing things.”
“Hunter doesn’t have that problem,” Ant said.
“Hunter is my son, he’s more like me than my father would be, in terms of magical powers. Genetically the same distance separates us, but the magic is vastly different.”
“He could teach you,” Ant said.
“I don’t want to learn from him. He’s an asshole,” I said getting up and walking into our room. I was hungry I needed to eat and the smell of bacon was coming from the kitchen – probably pancakes too.