That had to be the last straw for Alex he stopped and pushed me up against the wall and glared at me so hard. It wasn’t violence he was looking for, it was face to face and me to sit still. I knew it, I felt it. He was angry. I was angry and it was spilling into our minds like a cancer.

“I can handle this Nox.” Alex growled at me. “I don’t need your fucking help. You don’t need to fix everything. You have literal monsters to hunt let me take care of my own problems.” He pressed me harder to the wall and his stare said he wasn’t letting me go until I capitulated with his demands.

I wove air between us and I pushed him away from me. “Fine.” And I stormed away. I don’t know if he tried to follow me. I don’t know if he cared at all because I clamped my shields down so hard I heard him cry out in pain.

I stomped into the kitchen and Ryan was frowning but he didn’t say anything. I grabbed the sketches and separated them into two piles. I handed the large pile to Ryan. “Give these to Jin and Allison to get to our hackers. I know where this one is.” I waved it in front of me.

Ryan took the stack but he walked beside me and as soon as he passed someone else in the hall. I didn’t recognize the person. But I stopped walking when I realized Ryan was delegating the work I’d given him. He looked back at me sheepishly with those big green eyes and a smile, “I’m not leaving you alone. Not with Ant going with Alex.”

“How much did you hear?”

He shook his head, “I only know what I feel from Ant, and Alex to some degree as my partner in the bond.”

“Where are we going?” Ryan asked.

“Here.” I said.

“Just the two of us?” Ryan looked at the picture I handed him. He gasped. “That’s Marshall’s office.”

“It seems our local CCB is taking sides with the New World Order.”

“Sal isn’t there, he’d never associate with anything non-vampire. And it’s not Brandon’s way to hole up in such an obvious place. That has to be Evangeline. She and Desmond always were sort of sweet on each other.”

“That was my theory.” I said flatly.

“So what’s the plan?”

“I’m going to go talk to Marshall. He either gives me Evangeline or I alert the him to the Venatori. And there are plenty of things I cover for for the CCB that the Venatori would frown upon.”

“Black mail. No one ever said Mors Praetor played fair.”

“I’m Death’s Justice, when did death ever play fair.” I growled out.

“I wasn’t judging.” Ryan smiled, “Cari would go in guns figuratively blazing.”

“Right now that’s what I want to do.” I looked at Ryan and frowned.

“But you won’t.” Ryan smiled. “No matter how angry you get, how broken you are you always keep your head on straight.”

“Don’t say it.” I said.

Ryan laughed. “Okay. But it’s still true. I don’t hold any power over you like Alex or even Ant. But I won’t let you do anything stupid.”

I nodded, “Thank you.”

“Do you want to talk about it?” He asked as we took the stairs down.

I shook my head. “No. I want to fume in the fury. I can’t kill the bastard who abuses a child. I want to take it out on our enemies.”

Ryan sighed, “Don’t burn the place to the ground.”

“I won’t.” I said. “I only want Evangeline.”

The streets of New York felt more crowded than usual. I felt every person around me magic or no. I felt their fire, their fears, I felt connected to them all. This was my home, and I was going to protect it. The vampires brought their trouble with them and their traitors, but that was alright, the City listened to me.

“Nox what are you doing?”

I stopped and looked at Ryan and blinked. The connection slipped away and the City with it. “That’s new.”

“What did you do?” Ryan asked again.

“I don’t know. I felt the City – the whole City.” I confessed.

Ryan hummed as he walked a few paces and then started in the direction we’d been heading. “There is a theory.”

“Wait.” I put my hand on the Chevalier’s arm, “Are you like some all knowing font of mystical information.”

Ryan laughed. “Cari left it to me to discover things, she had no use for it. She said I could use whatever resources were at her disposal as long as I kept my fighting abilities honed.”

“So you are like a guru in this shit.”

“Not a guru, but I’ve been a live for over eight hundred years. I’ve seen a lot, read even more and studied under the best. Don’t think I’m not taking notes around you.”

It was my turn to laugh, “I see why you wanted to stick around now. I’m nothing but your science experiment.” I grinned to let him know it was a tease, but the blonde blushed none-the-less.

“You are my friend…”

I interrupted, “Ry, it’s okay. Tell me your theory.”

“There are things called ley lines, it’s possible they are real, and why the Venatori built their HQ hear. You could have tapped into it.”

“Ley lines are magic?”

“More the universe is made up of energy and it travels in paths and it’s why life took hold on this tiny island.”

“I guess that makes sense. I will try not to do what that was until we can ask around.”

Ryan nodded, “That’s a good idea. You feeling better?”

I nodded. “Thank you.”

Hunter stayed curled up in my lap, Rider ate his ice-cream he was an immovable object wrapped around me, so when the other kids left he stayed right there holding on to me. I’ll take him when I go to join them. Alex reassured me.

I gave him a happy smile and wrapped my arm tighter around my son. I had a soft spot for him, more so than the other children – maybe because he was having such a rough time growing up. But I wanted to give them all what I didn’t have growing up.

Quinn came around the corner with her phone in her hand. She looked bashful like she was interrupting something but we were just sitting here, I was sketching the last image Alex had given me. “Dad.” She said softly and when Alex didn’t turn I cleared my throat and he looked at me and then realized he hadn’t responded.

“Sorry, Quinn, not used to you calling me Dad.”

She blushed. “Sorry. Mom’s on the phone.”

Alex got up off the stool and walked towards Quinn – he left the room taking the phone from her. I could listen until he was out even my range, but I didn’t. It wasn’t any of my business.

Ryan sighed, “Except it is. Nox.”

“You can read my fucking mind too?”

Ryan laughed, “No. I know that look. You can’t keep expecting Alex to tell you the important things. Things he doesn’t know are important. He’s not used to talking like you are.”

“All the more reason not to ask.” I said.

“No,” Ryan shook his head, “It’s not. I get he gets angry at you, but you can’t shut down because it makes you worse. And don’t start with the self sacrifice. It’s a two way street – communication is.”

I had nothing else to say. Except I did. “Having a full time therapist fucking sucks.” I teased.

Ryan grinned. “At least it’s free.”

“Free advice isn’t always good to take.” I poked back.

“You would only take that which you deemed worthy anyway Nox. I love that about you. You always listen, might not do what is suggested but you never tell someone that’s a bad idea.”

“Yes I do.”

“Well you never tell anyone they can’t talk before telling them it’s a bad idea.”

I would go with that.

“Daddy?” Hunter interrupted.

“Yeah baby?” I looked down at the boy in my lap with a fond smile.

“I think Alex and Quinn are going to leave us.”

“Forever?” I asked.

Hunter shrugged. “Did you see this?” I asked.

But he didn’t get a chance to respond as Alex cleared his throat, “Nox.”

I turned on the bar stool to look at Alex, Hunter clutched at my shirt and I was feeling that very same apprehension. “Quinn’s mom is going to call the cops on us if I don’t get Quinn home in the next 24 hours.”

“She’s not going back to that bastard.” I stood up. Quinn looked down at the ground and Alex looked shocked. “He will not lay another fucking finger on her.”

I pulled on my bond to Ant. Quinn spoke softly, “I don’t want you to go to jail because of me.”

“No one here is going to jail because of you sweetheart.” I said. I looked at Alex, “Are you going to fix this?” I was pissed.

“How? I’m not her legal guardian. Fuck Nox, I’m not even on the birth certificate.”

My phone dinged and I looked at it quickly before thrusting it angrily back in my pocket.

“Then you better turn into whoever the fuck is her father. We have ten minutes before Ant gets here.” I looked at Quinn and smiled, “Do you want to stay here with your father and the rest of us?” She nodded, “Then I want you to go with Mr. Tony back to Sanctuary while we deal with your mother and step-father, okay.”

Alex and Quinn both protested but I just glared and they stopped. Hunter squirmed out of my grasp and took Hunter’s hand with a happy smile, “Come on Quinn, I’ll help you.”

Alex turned and watched his daughter walk away with my son and then he turned to glare at me. “I can fucking handle this.” He said.

“How?” I asked. “I’ll fucking back off if you tell me how you are going to make your ex stay way from your daughter.”

“I don’t know.” Alex said. “But I’ll figure it out.”

“She is not going back to that house.” I spoke out loud, “Sage you around?”

“Why do you do that?” Alex said. “He doesn’t live here.”

My phone beeped and I smiled at my husband. He was my love my life but right now he was a pain in my ass and not in a good way. “Are there any cameras that could have caught what the dip shit step father was doing to Quinn?”

My phone dinged again and this time I pulled it out of my pocket to look at the folder Sage had sent me. It was linked to a cloud storage that was clearly marked for Alex’s psuedonym. “You’ve been watching them? Did you know?”

A quick “no” flashed on my phone and I nodded. “Find me something to show the cops.”

I looked at Alex. “You better get into whatever guise you need to be whoever it is you were.” I said and walked away from Alex. I told him I would let him fix this, but he didn’t do anything. Not one fucking thing.

I heard Alex’s footsteps behind me. I sighed, “I’m sorry.”

Alex caught up to me and took my hand. “I can do this Nox.”

“Too late Alex. I tried to stay out of it but you were willing to take her back there. I won’t let her go back to get abused.” I sighed, “I won’t.”

My phone dinged again and Sage had a video playing and I handed it to Alex. “The plan is to show them this. Tell them if they come here her again it goes to the police.”

“How did you know there was dirt on him?”

“I didn’t, but cocky sons of bitches who prey on young kids screw up. And Sage has been tracking your kid since he’s known about her. I’m sure there are things on there no father wants to see.” I said.

“You are okay with that? Knowing your best friend is stalking your kids?”

I looked at Alex, “Aren’t you?”

Alex looked at the images playing on the screen. “I guess…”

In our room I found my bag and pulled a gun from the bottom of the bag. This was a mundane job and I wasn’t going in unarmed.

“There is no need for a gun.” Alex said.

“You never know.”

Ant showed up in our room with a frown, “I know you don’t use it often so what’s the emergency.”

“I need you to shadow walk us to where Quinn’s former family lives. A few blocks away so we can walk the rest. And I need you to come with us.”

“You don’t need to get Ant involved.”

“He’s not there to protect me Alex. He’s there to keep me from killing the bastard.”

The four of us left the mess for someone else to clean up. I magicked all of us clean since no shower was in our immediate future. Ryan chuckled, “He’s handy to have around.”

Alex laughed, “You have no idea.”

None of us blushed had we had Sage he probably would have at the innuendo. We took the elevator back up to our floor in silence. Alex pulled me against him and I took in his scent. He was my home and I had missed him even though I had just seen him an hour or so ago.

Once we got to our floor the talking started. “I’ll start some food.” Ryan said.

Ant added, “I’ll get Jin and Allison to get the heads here so we can put Alex’s information to use. I’ll have my dad bring the kids home for a little while so you can spend time before we have to go.”

Alex and I nodded as we walked into the kitchen with Ryan who was already working at feed a plethora of people from the looks of it. “Expecting company?” Alex asked.

“Yes.” He said with a grin. “What do you think about the beach?” Ryan said, specifically looking at Alex.

“I love the beach but he hates it.”

Ryan laughed. “He hates the sand not the beach.”

“Ryan and Ant have taken me to the Hamptons on a regular basis for the past five years for running. My discomfort of sand is still there but if I’m aware of it I can adjust. I’m not going to go lie down on it or anything but I can stand in it and walk or run on it.”

Alex looked at Ryan, “Why?”

“Nox mentioned something about needing a vacation. Was going to talk to Dorian about letting us all borrow the beach house for a long weekend – before the kids go back to school.”

“All of us?” Alex asked.

“Just the family – and Ant and i will go to make sure there is adequate protection.”

Alex chuckled, “Not the leaders, and not the councils, no lesser bonds or anything like that. So the kids, me Nox, you and Ant, Isabelle?”

“I think Jae and Seraph need to come as bodyguards, Ry, you and Ant are family. You need a break too. And I think Ant will enjoy the sun on his first ever day time vacation.”

“If that’s what you want. Maybe your dad will come. I know he misses the kids.”

I shrugged, “If he wants to.” I looked to Alex, “Benji is welcome to come too.”

Alex smiled, “I’ll let him know he might be too busy with the club.”

“Uh huh, too busy for a vacation.” I smiled. “But what did you learn Alex? Before the kids get here.”

“Well,” Alex said, “He was a jumble of messy thoughts because he’d been tortured. But even before that he wasn’t very coherent. Cari had nothing useful from him, not even in thought. But your simple questions shocked me. His voice was clear and he had answers. I’ve never seen anything like it. I don’t know if it was your power or if it was just coincidence.”

Ryan laughed, “When it comes to Nox, there is no such thing as coincidence, if it’s weird and he’s around you know it’s him.”

“Thanks.” I said offended.

“It’s true.” Ryan said.

Alex was nodding.

“So what did he have to say?”

Alex grinned.” Everything. He gave me locations in vague terms of where everyone is. I figure between Wicked, Trix and Chevalier we have a pretty good means of finding those locations. And I can show you, and you can sketch it out to give them something to search for visibly.”

I nodded. Ryan set a notebook and pencil down in front of me from a nearby drawer. We started keeping sketchbooks all over between hunter and myself it was handy. “What did he have to say about what they were doing next.”

“He didn’t really know, but it was big. Like big big, but he didn’t have details.”

“Did I kill him too soon?”

Alex shook his head, “No, he was wild by that point.”

Alex put his hand on my shoulder and showed me the places he’d seen in Nate’s head. And I started sketching.

Ryan shoved food at me some time later. Alex sighed as he saw the pancakes in front of him. But he ate them. I sketched until I heard squealing down the hall as Cass and Drake came running from the shadow walking room into the kitchen and flung themselves around Alex and myself. Alex lifted them into his lap and I continued my sketch. Drake leaned over across from me and rested his head against my arm, “What ya drawing?”

“Some pictures Alex saw in a man’s head we want to find.” I said.

Hunter was last of all the kids to join us. His hands wrapped around my waist and he held on tight. “Hey buddy.” I said and pulled him up into my lap. He sat facing me and wrapped his arms around me. “What’s wrong?” I asked softly.

“Nothing. It was dark…”

Rider sat down next to me and pushed a bowl of ice-cream at Hunter. “Hunter is not so fond of dark places.”

“The bad things come in the dark.” He whispered.

“Do they come every night?”

He nodded. “But not the nightmare?” I asked. He shook his head. “Alex, I think you need to visit Erebus and watch Hunter tonight. The nightmares might not have a leader now that we destroyed the demon who controls them.”

Alex sighed, “You think he’s got one?”

“I think it’s gotten worse.”

“I’ll do that tonight. We’ll do it.” I hugged Hunter closer to me. “Here that, little man, we’ll find those bad things and teach them what for.”

Hunter grinned against my chest, “After Daddy and you catch the bad guys.”

Ryan walked me back to the Night Life building. The wonderful thing about Ryan and Ant is they could keep up with me. Their own training had given them the stamina and speed to run all of the Night Life building too. We’d done it many times and I didn’t have to deal with my fears without Alex. Alex made it all better and I didn’t mind the elevator even if it was perfectly safe without him too.

But we didn’t go up, we went down into the bowels of the building – to vampire nation. It was were the more fearful vampires stayed and where the cells were. I felt a pull in one direction and it wasn’t the way Ryan was leading us. He followed without question.

“Is it a blind following?” I asked.

Ryan laughed, “You know better than that. It’s not blind. After you started that way I felt Ant in that direction. I’m still getting used to him in my head. His voice is so quiet.”

“Unlike Cari’s?”

“I imagine her voice is darker than yours but it’s as pained and chaotic as I think yours is.”

I grinned, “Which makes you well suited to be my therapist huh?”

“That’s not the only reason I’m here.”

“I know.” I nodded. “Something about being useful.”

He grinned and pushed open a door. Inside were four people. One of them was beaten and bloodied tied to a chair. I cocked my head and wondered if it was even doing anything as Il Cane took a thin razor to his cheek. He’d heal quickly but pain was pain even for a vampire it fucking hurt.

“I think that’s enough.” I said.

Ant smirked, “I told you when he came back your fun would stop mother.”

Cari looked at me with dark dead eyes. She was once beautiful but now she was just scary. Some people found her attractive, and she was beautiful but I knew too much, her eyes had seen too much, she killed and never thought about it. I didn’t know what she was thinking or feeling looking into her eyes, which could only mean she felt nothing. She was doing a job. At least she wasn’t getting off on it because I knew she could do that as well.

Cari’s eyes stayed on mine and she walked out of the room. There was no as you wish my king, there was no bowing, no scraping, with Cari it was real. She listened only because she wanted to. “I listen because you don’t demand.” She said, a thin curve to her lips formed but that was all that was said. “Do not be gentle with him, Mors Praetor. He is a traitor.”

I didn’t answer her. I wasn’t going to torture him. I didn’t demand that anyone leave. I preferred if they didn’t. Nathaniel’s head was slumped over his chest like he’d lost a lot of blood and I wondered how long Cari had been working him over.

“She was when we got here.”

I looked at Alex, “Anything yet?”

He only smiled and nodded at me, didn’t say anything out loud or in my head but Alex had information. I looked at the man bound before me and sighed. Then squatted down to below his eye level so he could see me without raising his head. “There will be no more torture. And this is your last chance to talk to me before I kill you.”

He looked at me with eyes – surprise and shock before he spat in my face. “I will ask the questions and even if you don’t answer I don’t much care. You will die when I’m through with you.”

Nate didn’t say anything this time but his eyes were wide. “Where is Valence?” I didn’t need to look back at Alex before asking the next one. “Where is Sal?” He glared at me and was laughing.

He was getting cocky. “Where is Evangeline?”

There was no answers still. I hoped Alex would have the answers. “Where is Brandon Holt?” His broken face smiled at me as he spat again.

“What does the New World Order plan to do?” This was probably the most important question to ask. “How soon?” He laughed hysterically. I looked at Alex finally and he nodded. He got all the information Nathaniel was going to give us. I held out my hand to Ryan and he put cold steel in my grasp. Ant and Ryan were old school warriors so the sword in my hand that had been hidden on his body was not a surprise.

I was no expert, but I could weild the sword and I did. I held it like a baseball bat this time thought the sharp edge level with Nate’s neck and I swung. Sliced through his neck like a hot knife through butter. The sword was sharp and I had extra human strength, but I think there was more to it than that.

The blade was dripping with blood and we were likely splattered with it from the spurts from the body before it completely slumped to the back of the chair. I turned and stared out the door handing Ryan the sword, clean of all blood with a polished shine.

Ryan whistled as he hid the sword back in the shadows about his person. I would have to ask about that one day. But right now I needed a shower. So do I. Alex whispered in my head. But we don’t have time.

I took his hand and nodded. We’d have to clean up and get all that information out where it needed to go.

The house was clear. We found some plans. And before we left the building was in flames. Ryan came with us as we walked back to the Night Life building. Everyone else disperser to the winds. No one really stayed with us other than my body guards.

“If I have body guards, how come you don’t? And the kids?” I asked Alex.

“You’re the king not me.” Alex smirked.

“But even the President’s family get secret service.”

Ryan laughed, “He has a point.”

“I have four body guards, you have what?” I asked curious.

“Alright. Fine. We’ll take one. The kids don’t need one per kid do they?”

“I don’t think we need constant companions when we are home, only when we leave.”

“You need to have your body guards. But maybe they can take turns. Jae and Seraph and Ryan and Ant.”

I shook my head, “No Ryan and Ant don’t get to be my body guards. No offense, they are my friends, and I know how to manipulate them. You need to hire two more if you want two at my side at all times.”

Serpah interjected, “One from each race would be fair. One therian, one dragon. Check and check. You need vampire, human. And whatever else comes should find a body guard to represent them. It might be prudent to have one of each on at all times.”

“I don’t need a lot of body guards.”

“But you are our leader and you lead all of the races. You can’t seem partial to one. Ant and Ryan not being on detail is good, but they are your friends and that’s going to tip the balance. Your kids are going to tip the balance. But you already have a good balance there, and with the one on the way you solidify Alex’s place by your side.”

“My place by his side is no one’s business.” Alex pouted.

“Alex is right who I spend my time with is no one’s business.” I agreed.

“That’s not how it works.” Seraph said.

I stopped and turned to look at her, “Since when have I cared about how it’s supposed to work. You, me, we wouldn’t be standing here right now if I give a fuck about how it was supposed to work.”

Alex stood by standing smug and smirking at them. Ryan didn’t try to hide it either, “And this is why he is who he is.”

“You would really fight me over him.”

“I would kill you if you were a threat to him or to my family. Straight plain and simple. I get you are looking out for me. I appreciate it, and the advice. But never expect me to follow along with the fucking rules. Because the rules were made a long fucking time ago and they need to change.”

“So you are going to make new rules.”

I shook my head, “No, we are.”

I turned around and started walking again. Alex took my hand and I fliched before realizing it was just him. He didn’t take offense but soothed me inside with a calming sound. He could easily manipulate me.

Jae chuckled, “How does he do that?”

“Do what?” Ryan asked from behind us. He was staying with the body guards giving Alex and I what little privacy we could muster.

“Go from full on bitch to holding hands like it’s nothing.”

Alex laughed, “It’s not nothing if you could hear inside his head.”

Ryan whispered, “Nox is good at putting on a front. Venatori life was not good for soft weak boys.”

Seraph laughed, “He’s not weak.”

“Not now.” I said as I kept walking. I need to get away from this.

Alex nodded. “Go. I’ll deal with this. Ryan you go with him, these two can walk me home.”

I didn’t wait for Ryan before I started to run. He followed closely behind. Thank you. I love you.

I know. Come back safely. I’ll interrogate your prisoner.

And that was the last bits of communication we shared as Ryan and I ran through the streets of New York. I was mildly curious what Alex would say to them before they got home. I wondered if he’d ditch them. I didn’t need body guards I wasn’t some vulnerable person. I wasn’t a king, no matter how many times they called me that.

Ryan huffed up next to me, “You should stop and talk to me.”

“I don’t want to talk I want to run.”

Ryan nodded and he kept pace. It wasn’t unusual. He and Ant ran with me many times over.

“This would be simpler if I didn’t need to breath.” Ryan laughed and I joined him too.

“Fine. What do I need to talk about?”

“How you are feeling.” Ryan said with a smile as we slowed to a walk.

“I’m not a king. I don’t care how many times someone says I am. I don’t rule anyone. I don’t make rules. I don’t follow them either, but I sure as fuck don’t make them.”

“That’s what makes you a great leader Nox. You know that you aren’t capable, that’s why you have a council of non-leaders – peers, pack members – normal people to guide you. That’s why you stand with the leaders and you talk it through. You didn’t go head long into this fight like most of us would have. You aren’t like us – any of us. You’ve fought for everything. And it’s been worth it.”

“What if I don’t want it?”

Ryan shrugged. “I don’t know.”

“I need a vacation.”

Ryan smiled, “That I can help you with. Mind if I give Dorian a call?”

I shook my head, “He won’t take mine.”

“I can manage that all on my own. I just wanted to make sure it was okay.”

“It’s fine. Tell him I miss him.”

“I will.” He smiled and pointed back the way we came, “Let me get you back to the work.” I followed like the good little boy I was. Ryan didn’t snicker or laugh as I lagged behind him. I think he knew it was what I needed.

We pushed through the front door in a single file line but the guns were blocked as we moved. I looked sort of out of place without a gun. But I didn’t really need one. I was defense. I could offense but I was more than happy to be the shield. I was good at being the shield.

The place was quiet but I felt the magics in the basement, the vampires there had found a confrontation. Of those that came inside, most went upstairs. There was a handful that were in charge of clearing the first floor while we went to where the fight was. There were just six of us. Six of us who were going to have to work together as a team in every future scenario. We might as well get used to it now.

The basement door was locked but it was a simple trick to unlock it from this side for me. Alex snickered, “You have to be the police’s worst nightmare.” I grinned at him as we kept moving down, the sounds of a fire fight was all that we could hear. The body guards moved in front of us. Alex frowned a little but said nothing. You get used to it. I said in my head and Alex looked at me and sighed.

But there was no comment. A flaming bolt came at us and splattered against the wall beside us. “I don’t want to hurt you.” Nathaniel called out.

“Fancy that Nate.” I said. “Cause you betrayed me once, I died thanks to your fire ball. I’m not going to play nice this time.”

We moved down the stairs and another fireball splattered above our heads. I formed a wall of air in front of us and on the vulnerable side. His aim was bound to get better and I didn’t want a repeat of that particular thing – specially with Alex at my side.

Alex sighed, “I think I’ll leave the heroics to you, if you don’t mind.”

“Just watch my back.” I said.

“Any time.” Alex smirked.

A thrid fireball splattered against the shield everyone winced at the accuracy of the shot. Which meant from there Nate could see us and we should be able to see him. Jae took up a lookout spot there while the rest of us headed down.

“Why don’t you come out and we’ll talk about this.” Ant yelled down.

“He won’t give me mercy. There is no point in talking.” He responded.

“He might be persuaded.” Ant said, but he looked at me and gave me an all too knowing look. I wasn’t going to have to kill him. There was a lot of reasons the rest wanted him dead.

“Tell us who all is with you Nate.” Ryan said. “And I’ll make sure it’s a quick death.”

“I’m not the one dying here.” He yelled as another fireball sprayed across the air wall around us. Ryan pointed in the direction it had come from. The fighting down the hall had come to a stop and our guys stood in the doorway waiting for us to come down.

“Nate, your allies are dead, it’s only you now. Tell me where Valence is.” Ant said.

“Valence isn’t your problem. I am.” He said stepping out of the shadows and his cover. There were five shots echoing in the basement, all of them hit the elemental vampire before he could launch another fireball. He crumpled as his brain splattered across the wall behind him. Three of those shots had been aimed for his head. It made me wonder who else had fired at center mass like Alex.

“How do you know I aimed for his chest?” Alex laughed.

“Because it’s a bigger target and is easier to hit.”

He looked at me and shrugged, I wasn’t wrong. “So why did someone else.”

Seraph chuckled, “A hit to a vampire heart is just as fatal.”

“In other words, it would drop him just the same as a bullet to the brain and it wouldn’t kill him.” I said for Alex’s reference.

“And he’d heal faster so we could interrogate him. Now we’ll have to wait until he heals brain matter and in the middle of the day that’s going to take a while.”

Ant and Ryan frowned. They both thought better of their shots. Jae on the other hand felt no guilt as he came down the stairs to join the rest of us on the landing.

I looked to the vampires standing in the hall. “Any other prisoners?”

Alec stepped through the mass of vampires. “The vampires are only incapacitated as Nate here is. No one else was with him. We didn’t kill anyone. Someone will know where Valence and the others are. Some might even know more about their plans, but I think Nate is the best bet.”

I nodded to the fallen vampire. “Get them back to the Night Life building. Take them to the resort. Lock Nate up separately. I want to talk to him when he wakes.”

Alec nodded, “As you command.”

I gave him a smile, “I’m going to check the rest of the house, make sure you scour the basement for any useful information. I want the building burnt to the ground when we are done.”

Ryan interrupted, “I’ll stay, I’ll make sure it looks like an accident.”

I nodded, “Thank you. That will help with the human authorities.”

“I know the drill.” He said with a grin, “Another reason Cari let me go. I’m actually helpful to you.”

“What am I? Chopped liver?” Ant asked.

“You are a vampire. I’m not.” Ryan teased.

Ant sighed and headed up stairs with me. I said to the bodyguards around me, “And after we check with the others upstairs I need to see my kids. But they can’t come home yet.”

Ant nodded. “I will arrange it.” And in the next shadow he was gone. It was just the four of us wrapping up the building search.

Alex took my hand now that the danger had passed. “I’m serious, I think I’ll leave this to you. I’m not a hero Nox. I’ll stay with the kids.”

“That’s your call Alex.”

He sighed, “I’m useless here.”

“You aren’t. But I don’t need you here to do the fighting. But I do need you when it comes to talking to Nate.”

Alex nodded, “I’ll do the talking bits, you do the fighting bits?”

I grinned, “Sounds good to me.”

It was time to do my job. And this time Alex and Ant were coming with me. So were a lot of other people but Alex was by my side, and there was no fucking way I was letting him out of my sight. And I knew he wasn’t going to let me go either. That meant even if I ordered Ant to take him away Alex wouldn’t go. But there was a power dynamic I was pretty sure Alex wasn’t 100% cognizant of, Ant was his master, and I was Ant’s. The bond could be used to compel the lesser – the servant.

I had never compelled Ant and I expected Ant would never compel Alex, but it was there. I heard Alex grumbling next to me as he listened in on my thoughts. “I’m sorry.” I said out loud.

Alex shook his head. “Just something I hadn’t thought about.”

Ant chuckled, “I won’t. It’s a promise I make to you. On my honor and on my life.”

Alex laughed. “Doesn’t have to be so serious.” He sighed, “I trust you. Just like you trust Nox.”

Ant gave Alex a fanged grin and we moved in silence through the streets of New York. The side walks flowed with us, and parted around us when traffic dictated otherwise. It was the magic of the supernatural at work. If you saw from above it would look normal and natural and everything would feel in place, but we were a current in a river heading to one location.

I didn’t know how many therians and wiccans were with us. The vampires were all under ground save the day lighters and Ant. Who now with our bonds completed was walking under the sun for the first time in his long life.

“I’m still having a hard time with that realization.”

Ryan laughed as he put his arm around his friend, “Me too. It’s like seeing your pasty white skin wasn’t enough.”

Alex blinked at Ryan. Ryan laughed, “It’s a vampire joke. Ant can’t walk in the sun and should have no tan even with his Mediterranean blood, but he’s half primeval so he does – sun be damned.”

The lot of us – every single one in my little army was heading for the front door of Sal’s little hideaway in New York. After Cari had fed for the early morning, she told us where he’d be. Said few know of the place because this is Desmond’s land and the council is particular about their guests. And no council members serve the same locations – not ever. This was the first time in vampire history that the council was in one place at one time for any extended period of time.

Not that a week or so was considered an extended period of time, but it was a first. And with three traitors among the council the council was likely in for a change.

Sal’s hideaway was a simple building in Harlem. Away from Armande’s safe haven. And far from Desmond who stayed in the CCB V&M building with Marshall. Their dynamic was odd, Desmond being a master vampire but it was Marshal who usually took the lead. But it didn’t matter the CCB was hardly an issue. They were being good little therian. Though I expected something from them with the New World Order staking claims in their territory.

We surrounded the building – the vampires swarming the cellar entrances and the rest of us top side. I raised a veil more massive than I had before. I gave the world exactly what they expected to see – a building standing here with no one home. Nothing was going down.

I knocked on the front door. Why the hell not? Ant and Alex stood a step behind me with the rest of my army standing around that with Ryan, Seraph and Jae right behind my love and bodyguard. Needed a better name to call Ant – he was so much more than that.

Stay on task. Alex warned me in my head.

I gave him a happy smile and nodded my agreement. Though my mind might still wander it did that most of the time.

No one answered the door. Not that we expected them too. I knocked again. And when no one answered again Ant stepped up and knocked harder. He shouted. “We are coming in under the vampiric law. Kidnapping and murder being the least of the charges against you.” It covered the vampires against any council repercussions though the rest of us answered solely to the Venatori of which I was no longer part of.

The statement was made and Ant kicked in the door. There was a brief flash of magic and light. The lingering magic was fear. Soul sucking, immovable fear. I glanced around at the army cowering. I felt the fear but the rune on my hand glowed softly in the light. It was balancing me out. I grabbed Alex’s hand and then Ant’s and they shook their heads. “Keep touching me.” I said as I put their hands on my chest. They listened as I turned and Alex reached for the person next to him.

Touch was the key for now. I wanted one of each race – And Jae and Seraph would do the trick with Ant and Alex, with Ant’s hand on Ryan I reached out to my two body guards and they came through and they moved to go through me but I stayed them easily. It wasn’t even a command just a thought and I closed my eyes and sent the rune through all my people under my protection.

I felt the magic flow through those present and then I felt it move past them and into the City. It reached far and wide to anyone who I had touched. I felt the magic spread out. And when I let go of the two in front of me they stared back at me in awe and fear of a different kind. Jae muttered, ‘what are you.’ But I didn’t have an answer for him so I pretended I didn’t hear it.

Alex pulled the gun from his holster and Ryan and Ant did the same. We all moved forward as planned.

It was a quickie. And there really wasn’t time for a shower. Though if we’d started in the shower that might have been a good idea. But Alex was smirking, “You smell fine.”

“To you.” I said.

“To vampires and therians I’m going to smell like sex.”

“So will I. It’s not exactly a secret we have sex.” Alex smirked.

I shrugged. “Okay.” Alex kissed me hard an I groaned against his lips. It was going to be a long day hunting, and stressful, but at least it would be with Alex.

Ryan made breakfast. It made me wonder if my job was no longer to feed my family. Ryan chuckled as he saw my face around the corner, “No worries bro, we’ll work something so we both can do this thing we love.”

Alex took my hand in his and dragged me toward the bench. “Wait, we are all going to be living like this? In a hotel style?”

Ryan shrugged. “I go where Ant goes. And Ant goes where he goes.” He pointed at me. “It makes more sense, to have a private bedroom and some big epic common rooms. I’m thinking a movie theater entertainment center, and a glorious kitchen your boy and I can share without getting into each others way. An epic gym and dojo is a must.”

“And a family bed.” I said. “Someplace big enough everyone can sleep bt still have our own private spaces to go to.”

Alex groaned, “As if that will keep anyone out of our bed.”

Ryan chuckled, “I think it’ll cut down on your night time visitors. We could do that here. I know a guy who can put it all together quickly.”

Alex looked down at his plate of pancakes. “I’ll just have what he’s having.”

Ryan frowned. “Don’t like my pancakes?”

“I’m spoiled.” Alex said.

“It’s probably better this way Ry. He might get fat eating all those pancakes.”

Alex rolled his eyes, “We can’t have that.”

Ryan laughed, “He’s Chevalier now. He can’t get fat, he can’t grow old. If he were a girl, he couldn’t get pregnant. Men can still get you pregnant, but we aren’t sure why. His body will change very little. How he is now is how he will stay.”

I laughed, “Unlike me who’s going to have to keep doing what I’m doing to stay this good.”

Ryan nodded, “He can build muscle to a degree, but what you get is what you get. Even tattoos are going to be difficult to keep. Sometimes they stick, but you’d have to go to the Venatori tattooist in order to keep one on your skin.”

Alex looked over at me and smirked, “So I can eat whatever I want and never have to work it off again?”

“With in reason yes. Ant will siphon off those extra calories. Right now you might not be hungry, or you might be starving. Until the two of you workout the new status quo. Ant’s got mine to contend with too so he’s still learning about that as well. And let’s not forget your boy over there. He looks like he’s starving.”

Ant sighed, “My fault.” As he walked in the room with Isabelle holding his hand. “No breakfast and Isabelle wanted to see her mother. I’m going to go find a snack and I’ll be back.”

Alex frowned, looked at me, then back to Ant. “If you feed on power you’ll be one up on the bad guys?”

“You know the truth of that. But Nox needs his strength too.” Ant said.

“But he’s alright with just real food, and you can get more from food too.”

Ryan laughed, “Let Ant go feed on a willing girl. Let’s keep all our army at top strength.”

Rider was behind Ant and Isabelle stretching and yawning, “He could bite me. Wolf blood is good right?”

Ant looked at Rider confused. “I’m not asking for you to sex me up dark lord or anything. I’m just saying. I’m not going hunting. I’ll sacrifice a little blood for the cause. I can’t really help any other way.”

“We need you top of your game too.” Ant said, “But thank you.”

Ant walked past them all in search of food.

It wasn’t uncommon for the kitchen to gather everyone so when Ricky came in toting his bags along with him I was a little surprised. He looked at me and dropped his bags in front of Alex. “Sir, I know you wanted someone to protect them kids of yours. But I didn’t ask to be kidnapped. This.” He waved his hand all around us, “Is not being a nanny, this is a war. I can’t be part of it.”

Alex looked to me and I shrugged. “Okay. We’ll find someone who can.”

Ricky picked up his bags and marched out the door muttering under his breath in a demonic language that sounded awful like he was cussing us out. But I wasn’t exactly sure I heard it all right.

Alex looked at me, “Can I just walk away like that?” He grinned and wanted to see my reaction.

“You are welcome to try, though I don’t think you’ll get the demonic tongue down or that sassy walk he had. You never did play the light and fruity well.”

Alex blinked at me and then growled, “I’ll have you know I play a fruity man well.”

I nodded, “So said who? The trollop who tries to dominate me every time I see her? Or some other little trick you got on the side.” It was mostly a joke, but there was some bitterness to that particular con, but without that con, Alex wouldn’t be here and for that I was grateful.

Are you angry with me?

I shook my head and held out my hand to Alex. He walked over to me and took it and I pulled him close. It’s the past, it doesn’t matter. I’m just glad you are all mine now.

Alex muttered, “Always and forever.” as he wrapped his arms around me and pulled me into a tight hug. He was my home, and this was our new world – together. But now we had to take down the New World Order in order to keep our happy little life from exploding into a billion tiny pieces.

Alex walked me to our room. But I didn’t want him to leave. I held his hand even though he’d covered me up and pressed a kiss to my temple. “Nox, I’m not going anywhere.”

“I know,” I said.

“Then let go.” He laughed like it was funny, but I couldn’t. I didn’t want him to go. I needed him with me. He gave a little sigh and sat down. “Pretty boy, I’m just going to meet Henry. And this isn’t Nick’s Henry right? Tony’s son – this is a vampire kid.”

“He’s ten,” I said.

“Wait. I’m trusting a ten year old kid with the lives of our children?”

“He’s a shadow walker. You aren’t put their lives in his hands. He is their travel arrangements. Tony’s keeping his son safe with our kids. Send bodyguards if you don’t think Sanctuary will be safe.”

“You’re okay with it?”

“If the Primeval vampires are on our side the bad guys have only one shadow walker – Brandon Holt. Sal and Evangeline do not have that ability. If they have others of the primeval vamps then we might have a problem, but Francesco and Tony will make sure the kids are safe. They are on our side.”

Alex sighed. “I still want to meet them.”

I nodded. “I need sleep.” There was little more talk as I closed my eyes and Alex pulled his hand from my waning grip. He pressed a kiss to my temple and muttered ‘sweet dreams’ before I drifted off into the nothingness of my normal dreams. A place I’d drawn most of my life with a tree that represented my family. The ground was lush with green growth but the tree still stood naked save for the imagery floating in it.

I wandered my dream until I felt the warmth of the sun across my face. I blinked awake and covered my eyes with a groan. “It’s time to get up,” Alex said cheerfully. “You’ve been asleep for two days.”

“What?”

Alex looked at me and grinned. “That won’t work will it?”

“It could have if you could have stuck with it. I feel better.”

Alex sat down and ran his fingers over my jawline. “You look better. That pale sickly look doesn’t look good on you.”

“Did you meet Henry?” I asked.

“I did. Then I caught a few Z’s with the twins.”

“I’m going to assume you weren’t slung out between Laker and Rider.”

Alex laughed. “You are assuming correctly. Hunter was having a rough go of it. And Cass was happy to have me curl up around them both.” He sighed, “And then Quinn came in fretting about dark holes, and the boys followed after that. Though they took up space on Hunter’s bed with Drake. It was like they understood my dislike of the whole puppy pile.”

“Or the bed was too small.” I grinned up at him.

Alex shook his head. “No. I think Rider …”

“It’s weird sleeping with teenage boys, I got it.” I smiled. “But they are my brothers. And it means nothing more than family.”

Alex nodded. “I know, but…”

“It’s okay,” I reassured Alex. “Are we going at dusk?”

Alex shook his head. “We’re going as soon as you get up. Everyone else is ready. The vampires coming with us are all day lighters. Or the strongest to be up. They’re waiting for us in the underground, we’re going to take them by surprise.”

“Which is what they will be expecting us to do,” I said as I kicked my feet over the edge of the bed. “I don’t like you coming with us.”

“You’re going to make me stay behind?” Alex growled.

I shook my head. “No. I’m just telling you a fact.”

“You wouldn’t make me stay?”

I shook my head again. “No. You’ve proven you can take care of yourself. And we are stronger together – right?”

“That’s what Ant says.”

“Has nothing to do with magic Alex. Just me and you – we are stronger together. With Ant we get stronger, but me and you – together.”

Alex smiled. “Forever and Always – for real now.”

“It was always that,” I said as I got dressed in the clean clothes Alex had set on the chair next to the bed.

“Forever means forever now. I have that right. Chevalier means forever.”

“Until Ant releases you – yes. Forever is forever.”

“But I won’t die with him?”

“No. He didn’t make you full Chevalier. This is what you want?”

Alex looked at me confused. “Don’t you?”

“I’m happy to have you in anyway possible. Forever is wonderful, but you are tied to the one person who pushes all your buttons, he represents things you hate.”

Alex laughed. “He’s your friend. He’s my friend for all that I say I hate him Nox. He has had nothing but my back the whole time. Even when he was warning me off you, he had my back. Yes, he’s a vampire. Yes, I’m jealous. But I’ve no reason to be jealous Nox. I’m bound to you fifty fucking ways and I’m bound through him to you.”

“You never asked for any of this,” I said.

“Neither did you,” Alex said wrapping me up in his arms. “I’ve got this Nox. I’ve got you. You’ve got me. We’ve got a family. A huge fucking family full of misfits and impossible things, but it’s ours. I need to get used to it. Just like you need to get used to me trying to protect you.”

I smiled. “Walking me home is still going to be a thing huh?”

“Abso-fucking-lutely.” Alex grinned. “And Ryan gave me a gun, not that I needed him too. Made sure I could use it. Said I would start training once we got through this mess.”

“You know training is also his way of saying therapy.”

Alex groaned. “Yeah, Ant said the same thing.”

I smiled. “You’ll have fun. Maybe you’ll give me a run for my money.”

Alex had me pinned to the wall where I stood. He hadn’t moved quickly, was actually pretty slow about it as I backed up against the wall watching him. He pressed my hands to the wall and trapped me there. “Oh pretty boy is that a challenge.”

“Maybe.” I grinned back at him. But the humor and flirting was lost to the kiss that Alex started with a tender press of his lips. It quickly dissolved into frenzied and hurried motions, our bodies finding comfort in one another. The bond between us strengthening. Like sex was the magic it needed to cement itself – and maybe it was. Maybe with that final piece in place this was meant to be. But I didn’t care as long as it was Alex. He was mine and I was his.

The group distracted me from the problem. Talking about other things. Adrian bringing up old friends. Ryan talking about movies he wanted to see. Valentina offered to babysit the children while we did things – me and Alex. She said she had always wanted children, but had become a vampire to save her own life – typhoid fever I think she said. Before the days of modern medicine.

Aurora regaled us with stories of a much younger, much darker Il Cane. Her and Ryan giggled on about things their boy Anthony did. As he was not Ant then, he was Anthony – son of the hound and a terror worse than his mother.

It was fun listening to everyone’s stories as they distracted me. No one asked me questions, but they distracted me from my problems. My thoughts, my fears, my worries. They were fleeting, not gone, but distracted none-the-less.

Ryan kept a steady flow of food coming my way, though he had taken the time to prepare things more to my liking than before. It wasn’t a constant barrage of easily edible foods.

Valentina never strayed from my side. He hand pressed to the spot where Alec’s rune was and I realized that my own hand rested on Alex’s. Ant was on the same arm so I couldn’t do both at the same time, though it was his I pushed the power through. It was more an internal hand holding.

I don’t know how long we sat in the comfort of our apartment waiting for them. I was useless. I couldn’t move every time I tried I nearly fell to the floor puking. So I remained still. Needless to say it was nearing time for a massive bathroom break, when the doors burst open and the children all fled into the room.

All hands were up and moving towards the children and the others who had been taken. I didn’t move and Ant and Alex looked about as beat as I did. Alex did smirk though, “Look at you all cozy up here eating while we were kidnapped and dying.”

I tried to get up but my legs gave out underneath me and my head lolled forward. Alex was at my side before I could find the strength to look up at him. “Yeah. You would be dead. We can’t even save ourselves without your help.”

Ant sat down on the floor pulling Isabelle into his lap and leaned against me. “Thank you. And I’m sorry.”

“No problem.” I said.

“Why are you apologizing?” Alex asked as he pulled me to my feat and sat down pulling me with him.

“I made you Chevalier without my own magic. I was taken before I’d fed and I was almost powerless. But I pulled the magic through my bond to Nox and that was why we puked on the stone floors. Payback for all the times I made him sick.”

I chuckled softly, “Though I did the same thing, so not payback.”

There were things I wanted to ask but Alex shush me in my head and just held me. And soon all the children were piling into our little group. It was a puppy pile and it was a happy moment. I rested for the first time since finding out Alex had been taken – since all of them had been taken. I wanted to know what happened but I was more than happy to just stay here in the pile absorbing what was mine.

It was just family, it was the whole connection. I felt the magic all around. And touching both Alex and Ant was like electricity. The magic flowed between us and healed us. There was a cut on Alex’s wrist and he pulled his sleeve down to cover it even as it was healing. “Why did you do it?” I whispered.

“I would love to say it was to save us. But it wasn’t. It was selfish.” Alex said.

“How so?” I asked.

Alex chucked to himself and pulled me tighter against him. “You thought about the solutions to that problem while we fought. And after you left Ant interrupted my brooding to make an offer. I left to think about it and to sleep. And I came to a decision, then, that I would do it. Not because you needed me to but because I couldn’t leave. As overwhelming as all of this is Nox, it’s home. You are home. I’m going to run but I’ll come back.”

Alex sighed but continued, “I did it then for a lot of reasons, mostly to get your attention. So you could never leave me.”

“I wasn’t running away.” I whispered.

“I know, but I was. I was ready to run away with Quinn as an excuse – deal with her parents. Never come back. Though I don’t think I could stay away. I still don’t understand pack Nox.”

I smiled, “You will.”

Alex shook his head, “I don’t think so. I’m selfish.”

Ant laughed, “So selfish he did one of the worst things possible in his eyes and feed a fucking vampire just so he could give you the power you needed. Don’t let him fool you. He’s as much of a hero in all of this.”

“I’ll ask later. I need sleep. Then the three of us can take down the traitors who took you.”

Cari stood in the entrance to the room watching us when I stood up. She gave me a half smile. “I imagine you’ll be getting a ransom for us. We got away with minimal knowledge. Everyone should act the parts. We will take the children to Sanctuary. Henry has set up a daylight room for the children. No one will get in or out.”

Alex looked at me and frowned, “Sanctuary?”

“The underground home of the primeval vampires. The only way in or out is to shadowwalk.”

“Like The Resort downstairs?”

I shook my head. “No. Its in the middle of a mountain deep inside, there is no way in or out except through the shadows.”

“And what if all the primeval vampires die how will our kids get out.”

“Henry will stay with your children at all times.” Tony said. “My son will make sure your children get out of Sanctuary if it were to be breached. He as agreed that is the best use of his talents. He wants to help fight, but Cari knew your family has to be safe.”

Alex interrupted. “I want to meet the kid who is going to watch my family with his life.”

Tony nodded, “Take your boy to his room, he looks about ready to die. And I’ll get Henry here.”

So I fueled my protector and love and tried not to focus on the reason that I was so fucking hungry. But no matter how much I ate my body didn’t like the draw of power.

Adrian was the first to arrive. “Good he found you.” He looked at me and frowned, “Why are you sitting here eating?”

I shrugged with my mouth full and Ryan answered for me. “Ant is draining Nox in a way he previously couldn’t. My gut says that Ant and Alex completed the triumvirate bond.”

Adrian frowned, “And that means?”

“Ant took Alex as lesser Chevalier, completing the third side of the triangle that made up their soul link.”

“I hate fucking magic.” Adrian said. We all agreed with either or a nod or verbal chorus. But we all had agreed.

Jae and Seraph looked on helplessly. They’d go save them if they could. And I wished I could relieve their worries over me but I was fucking worried too. I knew no one was dead, and I was pretty sure no one was dying. But beyond that I was a mass of worry. Fear and anxiety coursed through my veins but it wasn’t making me spin.

I could think for once in my life and right now the only thing I could do is pray that I was giving them enough.

Adrian put his hand on my shoulder and the world felt better. I smiled at my friend and mentor and he gave me a smile back. “The rest of the pack will help. I’ve warned who I could. Sent out an all hands alert.” He chuckled when I paled, “Don’t worry they aren’t going to all show up here, but they are in a safe place just in case what is happening to you happens to them.”

There was a commotion down the hall as I heard others arriving. They felt the power in the room, and it made them hurry and make haste. And before I knew it there were multiple hands on my body giving me strength.

Ryan laughed, “When you learn to pull in your connections, Nox, you won’t need that physical contact.”

Adrian laughed, “It might work for a vamp like that but pack has always been about touch.”

Ryan nodded, “But he’s not vampire or therian. He’s something new. And I imagine his power will come when he calls if he learns how.”

“Seems I have a lot to learn.” I said as I stopped eating and dropped my head revealing in the power that surrounded me. There were many people vampires here, but there were some that were missing. “Did we call all the bloodlines.”

“Alec is missing. He was here with you when the others went missing.” Valentina said softly.

“Everyone is alive”. I reassured her, lifting my shirt to reveal a rune on the right lower back. “That’s Alec from what I can surmise, and he’s as well as can be expected. Hungry, like Ant, but alive.”

Valentina sighed with releif and wrapped her arms around me, “Thank you.” She whispered in my ear, “Me and mine are yours.” She sealed it with a kiss to my cheek and there was more power flowing through me than before and now I felt Alex more than I had before. The auspex connecting to the telepathy of his gift. He was busy and I let it be. Though I smiled at knowing he was there. I felt him in my head.

Holy fuck pretty boy! What just happened.

Valentina swore fealty. Do what you need to and get home now. I can’t stay here forever feeding you and Ant power.

There was a simple nod in my head and I smiled but I let Alex work even though I wanted so much to do more. Valentina chuckled as pushed a barrier between us, “I’ll show you how later. Right now concentrate on giving them power and not using it.”

I nodded. “But where are the rest of the council.”

Aurora spoke. “Nathaniel is with Valence, as are Evangeline and Sal. I suspect the latter two are who took our people.”

I growled. I had names and now I was going to find them. And make them pay for what they’d done.

Valentina put her hands on my shoulders and pushed me down into my seat, “Later, mon ami. Help them help themselves.”

So we waited… I focused on the power and nothing else. Just the power to the other two connected to me. Waiting sucked.

We weren’t even close to the entrance when Tony and Ryan showed up from the shadows. “If they took her instead of killed her they are in for a treat.” Tony said.

“Trust Tony. If not you’ll be puking on the other side.” I said as I grabbed the two body guards and Liam was gripped by Tony. Ryan’s hand squeezed Tony’s shoulder as we shadow walked to the apartment’s travel location. It was the only place on the whole floor you could walk to from the outside. Inside was another story.

When we arrived there was a silence I never thought to hear. There was nothing. Not even a drip of water. It was like sound didn’t exist. It was so still, two floors of complete emptiness. How on earth did they get in?

Ryan was shaking his head too. It was unfathomable. “It had to be someone inside.” He said. “There is no way they could take everyone if it was an attack.”

A traitor. I sighed. There wasn’t much I could do against a traitor. That was something that was going to happen. People were people. Wasn’t exactly the first time. I could count the number of times it happened with in the past few months since my birthday. Hell with in the past few weeks.

But I pushed all of that away as I tried not to panic. My family was gone. And it looked like an inside job. Who the fuck Took my family?

And what the fuck had happened in the tunnels. I was feeling better. But something was different. I felt Alex. I brushed my fingers across the tattoo on my left arm and I could feel him even more. It wasn’t exactly a homing beacon but it was working better than anything else I could think of. I needed to get them back to get my family home.

I could feel a growing hunger and I staggered as we walked through the streets of New York following this feeling.

I stumbled and fell against the brick wall of the closest building. Ryan was at my side, his hand against my forehead. “Nox you need to eat. This is…”

I interrupted, “Ant got woken up. He hasn’t fed yet.”

“You’ve never felt this before have you?” Ryan said rhetorically. “And that thing happened in the tunnels. Let’s assume you just preformed a very draining magic, and you were connected to someone else mystically. What happens?”

I leaned against the wall, “Logically the magic would drain from one to the other.”

“And what if Ant just took a Chevalier? To save a life.”

I stared at Ryan and he looked at me. “You need to eat, so Ant can gain from your strength.” Ryan looked at Jae and Seraph, I need you to wrangle whatever food you can find – preferrably not fried or we’ll have to clean up a mess as the health nut pukes up all the grease. Vegetables, and yougurt and the likes. Meats precooked – things that don’t take a lot of preparing.

My bodyguards looked as if he was crazy. “Look.” Ryan said, “If Ant doesn’t feed soon he’ll drain Nox of all his power. And Nox’s power is what keeps him alive. Nox needs to eat. And I am more than enough body guard. Tony will take us home.” He looked at his friend with a smile, “And we’ll watch over him. But he needs massive quantities of food. Nox doesn’t power up with blood like Ant does and whatever Ant is doing or did just drained him and they need to work together. Symbiotic bonds are even worse than than one sided ones. Now move.”

“How does a kid get so knowledgable?” I joked. For all of Ryan’s 16 year old looks, he was over 800 years old and tied to the scarest fucking vampire in the world.

And that was what we did. Tony found a deep shadow in the next alley and the three of us walked through into our apartments and Ryan started finding food. He tossed a bag of bread at me. “I know carbs but eat now. Fuel first, Carbs are good. We’ll get protein soon.”

Tony handed me a jar of peanut butter and I frowned, “I need jelly or fruit cause this will be utterly dry.”

Ryan pulled some berries from the fridge. Perfect. I made a sandwich and started eating. The act of shoving food down my throat was tempered only by the worry of what Ant needed the power for.

As I ate, I pushed magic at him. At Alex too. To and through the bonds. Ryan kept the food coming and I ate as much as I could as fast as I could. My stomach rumbled.

Doc was there monitoring my status. “The fever is dropping. Try some ice-cream to break it down.”

I glared at him even as Ryan pushed a pot of ice-cream at me with a spoon. “At least it’s chocolate.”

“How much fucking blood does he drink in the morning.” I commented as Jae and Seraph set down their haul on the counter we were sitting at.

“It’s not about how much. It’s how much he’s expending just living right now. The sun is hours from being down, he made Chevalier. And while the spell itself isn’t simple, the process isn’t. Most vampires will eat and sleep for three days. When Cari takes a new one she has to be careful of the blood lust.”

“So shouldn’t I be helping them get out of their predicament instead of eating?”

Tony put his hand on my shoulder. “You are helping. Trust that my son and your husband can find their way home to you Nox. I’ve had Allison call your friends in. Your council and the heads of the community. We can lend you strength. So you won’t have to eat as much, but right now keep eating. Let your boys get our family back.”

I had listened to what Tony said, but his words got stuck in my brain. My husband… Alex was my husband. Maybe not on paper but he was in reality my significant other, my other half, my ball and chain. He was mine and I was his and now he was gone.

Leaving had been the hardest thing to do for me in a long time. But there were things I had to do and fighting with Alex was not something on that list. I didn’t want him to leave and I was just going to do my job. But I had a bad feeling about it all. Alex was going to leave and it was the only thing on my mind as Ryan guided me through the tunnels the manual way. There was tunnels under the Night Life building for just that purpose. So we started our search again. Bernstein’s men were all asleep – cursed vampires didn’t walk in the day. But the tunnels were filled with Therians. Therians I didn’t call, but they came anyway. The bonds were thick and I was almost suffocated with the power of pack around me.

But all I wanted was the small pack of mine – specifically Alex. I wanted to curl up in his arms and just stay there forever. That is all I wanted, but it was never going to be a reality. I had a job to do and I couldn’t just be normal even if that was all I wanted to do.

A voice in the back of my head ‘you don’t want normal.’ And it was probably right I’d be bored out of my mind. Stuck in a rut was not something I enjoyed even if I was prone to schedule my life to the second.

The spelunking group was small, just me, Ryan, Seraph and Jae – my three bodyguards. I had three. Why the fuck did I need three. But I knew why – one dragon, one therian and one vampire – though Ryan wasn’t vampire he was a servant of a vampire. And one of my best friends. Though until that moment I hadn’t thought so. He was always an accessory to Ant. He worked for Cari and he was my connection to her, except he was more the one who talked me down. He was the one I confided more in my problems than Ant.

But they both liked to beat the shit out of me.

We walked through the dark damp tunnels and found nothing more than what we had the first time. Even as we ended up in the same spot and going from there. We were too deep for any signal. Though we still had our hackers work doing things for us, but it was fading quickly.

I had an itch. More like the tattoos on my body all started to ache in the pin biting sort of way. And then it was gone. A phantom itch. I was slightly worried.

We kept moving down deeper into the tunnels that were clearly abandoned now. How did they move people so quickly? And to where? Unless they’d left those people for us to find. Everything here was days old. And it smelled it too.

We kept searching but we found nothing. But then there was a that itch again. It was too dark to see anything, but they all hurt, slowly they had all come back into existence with that same pain – that itch I could do nothing about.

Then all of a sudden there was ringing and a snap and my world spun. I collapsed to my knees and I wretched worse than if I were walking through the shadows. There was double and triple feelings of losing my breakfast or lunch of whatever. Like a mirror and it cascaded down through the world.

Ryan was by my side the other two had weapons drawn and were watching our back. “What’s wrong? Nox, I’m used to being fucking strong and weird and but what the fuck was that?”

I shook my head. I didn’t have an explanation. I could barely see. “We should go back.” I said.

Ryan helped me to my feet and we walked like that. The world grew cold and damp and I felt like I’d lost something. I felt alone and afraid and strong and full of life but I felt weak and hungry. “Some thing’s not right.”

Ryan laughed. “You’re telling me. You’re burning up. You feel like a baby vampire who hasn’t feed yet.”

“I’m not a vampire.”

“I know. But you are bound to Ant. I feel you Nox. I shouldn’t feel you. I feel Alex too. Like he’s with Ant but…” He sighed, “Let’s get you top side.”

We weren’t much father than the prisons where we’d found Darwynn and Fae, when a lopping werewolf strode into view. His nose held high and he froze when he saw me. His head lowered, his hair stood on head, but he sniffed my feet. He pressed his furry head against my leg and then in an instant he was human – naked human but human none-the-less.

Liam looked up at me with fear. “Adrian sent me to you. Said they attacked the Night Life building. They took ’em.”

“Took who?” I asked.

“All of them. Everyone there is gone in your home. Even Il Cane.”

“We need a fucking shadow walker.” I growled.

“I’ll go topside call Tony. We’ll get you to them.”

“We don’t know where they are. I just need to get home.”

Ryan nodded, “I’ll get Tony here, soon as I get a signal on my phone. I’ve already called Ant several times he can’t come, I feel his fustration.”

“So do I.” I said softly. “But I also feel they got whatever it is.”

Ryan nodded, “They’ll be fine.” He said but he ran. Liam could probably run faster, but Ryan was chevalier, he was used to keeping up with vampires and I knew he’d be faster – more was at stake for him than Liam. I still had two body guards. And Liam. Not that Liam would protect me with his life or anything but he’d save his own neck. Wed be fine as we headed up to the street as far as I could move.

I followed after Alex and stopped halfway down the hall. He’d told me not to follow and I had. I stopped and leaned against the wall. I closed my eyes and took deep breaths, but there was nothing to calm except my mind. My thoughts that what Alex wanted was space. He didn’t want me to follow. He didn’t want to fix things. He wanted to be the savior, the man, the one in charge. He needed to be in control and I took it from him in so many ways so many times.

I slid down the wall and pulled my knees to my chest and just sat on the floor thinking of nothing. Focusing on my breath not on the fears running through my head. I wasn’t panicking in the same sense as I used to. But it was still panic, still rattling around in my head. It was disorienting as I tried to pull myself together.

A door opened and I felt a cool breeze waft across the floor carrying the scent of oranges and lavender. I focused on the scent of home, on the presence of my love. But I didn’t move. Didn’t say anything. Didn’t look up at him. And he didn’t move from the door way.

“You don’t listen too well.” He said. It was sort of a joke, but I didn’t take it that way. It was a failure of mine. I had no explanation.

The silence was difficult. And I heard the door close. My head fell to my knees and I felt the tears fall. There was no panic, no racing heart, just fucking sorrow.

“Every fucking tear you shed breaks my heart pretty boy.” He whispered as he sat down next to me.

“I’m sorry I’m who I am. I’m sorry I try to fix things, and I’m sorry I followed you when you asked me not to. I’m sorry that my being me causes you so much pain. I didn’t ask for any of this.” I felt sad and dejected and my voice found the same notes.

“You need to stop apologizing for things like that Nox. I get really tired of hearing the same shit.”

“I’m so fucking sorry my self worth bothers you so fucking much.” I stood up angrily. “So go if your going to go. Leave me before you get too old and you feel like you aren’t good enough. You’ll know I’m alone. You’ll know where I’m at. You’ll feel me for every dejected moment of my life until your dying breath. Or you can stay with me and live through my shit storm head and be with me forever. And when I say forever I mean forever. Because there are ways to solve that problem.” I shook my head. “For every time you get pissed at me for my self sabotage, I should do the same to you. But I don’t, I accept it, I try to make sure you don’t feel that way because of me.”

I walked away. “I’m going to find who the fuck is taking people. I’ll see you when I see you.” I didn’t turn around. I felt my heart sinking each step I took as I walked away from Alex. I prayed he’d be here when I got back. I begged the fucking universe to make him stay.

I hadn’t gotten more than ten steps before Alex grabbed my hand. “You’re right. But don’t walk away from me.”

I sighed and closed my eyes as I stopped. “That’s your thing.” I growled. “I have people to save.”

“We aren’t worth it, then?” Alex growled back squeezing my arm tighter.

“Of course it is Alex. But you’re going to leave me. I feel it Alex, deep down inside. It’s not my thought.”

Alex let go and stepped away from me. I saw only the edge of his feet. He had been getting ready to go back to bed like he said he was. “You can’t know that Nox.”

I looked up at him and frowned, “Why not? Because it’s not true. Because it is Alex. The bond lets me feel what you feel. You don’t notice it because you hear what I think, you know when I’m having a panic attack you see it, you hear it, you feel it, so now with the wiccan bond you get the deep down emotions but you don’t notice. I do. I don’t have that connection to you, and all I feel from you is deep down how much you hate what I am.”

“I don’t hate you.” Alex added angrily.

“Everything I am takes me away from you. In my dreams the night mare took me from you. My friends take me from you. My job takes me from you. My family takes me from you. Our family takes me from you. Everyone is bound to me mystically. Drawn to me, take me away from you. You hate it. You hate that I’m not all yours. Instead of allowing us the few moments we get to share together you think about all the things that could break us apart. Whether it’s near or not. I can’t live without you Alex. I won’t die with you gone, but it won’t be living.”

I shook my head, “You got what you wanted – my undying love. My heart in your hands. You can feel me, you can track me, you can sense me, you know everything about me. I can’t give you anything else Alex. There is nothing left to give you except complete and utter submission. But even that won’t make you happy.”

I turned around and I wanted to walk away but instead I put my hand to my face and closed my eyes trying to breath through the tears. “I love you Alex. I will love you till my dying day.” I said and I walked away. Alex didn’t try to stop me. But I had a feeling Alex wasn’t going to be here when I got back and that broke my heart into a billion tiny pieces.

Fuck pretty boy. I’ll be here. I promise.

Alex and I were finally alone – again. But even with Rider trying to manage the kids before the night was out, everyone was in our bed. Alex didn’t seem so putout but I hated that we didn’t get time alone. And I knew it would grate on him eventually.

I was up before everyone else and Alex soon followed. Not because he was awake but because he didn’t want to be in the bed with that many people alone. Even though he was pack. He didn’t have the same draw, or maybe he did now and just was denying it. He’d learn he couldn’t do that forever, but he
was human in a therian world. He was supernatural. The demon had called him a name.

Alex said, “Eidolon.”

“Why don’t you go back to bed you are like walking dead right now.” I said without really a question. Alex looked tired.

“I’ll be fine.” He held up his cup of coffee, “I’ll get used to this.”

“You realize most adults are up at this hour.” I poked at Alex.

“Not any sane ones.” He griped and then too a slow sip of his coffee. “What’s for breakfast?”

“Pancakes for you, eggs, toast and bacon for everyone else. But you can have that too.”

“So I’m the only one who gets pancakes, why?”

“Because they need to learn that pancakes are everyday things.”

Alex nodded, “But they are for me?”

“If you want to eat that many carbs whom I to stop you?”

“The man cooking me food?” Alex asked.

“Do you not want pancakes?”

“Don’t make things special for me.” Alex said.

“But that’s my job, Z. I only want to make you happy.”

“Then come back to bed with me.” Alex said just as Jin, Ricky and Ryan came into the room.

I sighed. “I’m sorry babe, looks like they found me.”

Jin looked at Alex a bit confused, “Are we interrupting?”

Alex shook his head, “No. I was just going to go back to bed.”

“Alex…” I started.

“It’s okay pretty boy. You are right, I’m still dead. Someone kept me up too late last night.”

I smirked, “Would you like me to stop?”

He turned back to me with a look of horror playing on his face. “No, not ever. Not even when I’m old and grey.” And as the words came out of his mouth Alex frowned and waved a good bye. Stay pretty boy. He said in my head and left the room. I couldn’t follow after him, the command had been deafening. I stared after Alex afraid things were going to blow up in our faces over something a simple as getting ‘old’ together. Except if the theories were right, I wasn’t going to get old.

Ryan looked the direction Alex left and shoved me out of the kitchen, “Sit down, Nox. I’ll finish up breakfast.”

I moved slowly and sat down and hung my head against the palms of my hands. Ryan busied himself with cooking breakfast. Jin set down the planner, “We have quite a few meetings today.”

I shook my head, “No clear my schedule of everything but lunch. I have missing people to find and an organization to disrupt their plans.”

“Nox, we can’t keep putting these things off?”

“What things?” I growled.

“The appointments to your council are coming in. They want to meet with you. They need to make sure you understand them.”

“Well if they want me to understand them, they need to understand me. Today I’m traipsing through tunnels looking for the rest of their fucking missing people so if they want to join me they can.” My anger ran its course and I was fuming inside. The power outside was consistent with normal, and inside I only felt the heat of my own voice. I was balanced in a way I never thought possible. I was fucking scared.

Ryan interrupted, “Jin. Tell them it’s a walking meeting. And if they don’t want to help then they can reschedule. This is important. As saving the world always is.”

“It’s not saving the world, just a few people.” I said.

Ryan smiled and put his hand on my shoulder. “I know. But that is the world to some. I’m your’s now. Ant sleeps, I’m with you.”

“So you never get to see your best friend again?”

Ryan laughed, “We have several hours of shared awake time. I saw him off to bed, and he will see me off to bed. Plenty of time for the three of us to spar and kick your ass.”

“Much appreciated.” I said.

“You know there is a solution to the problem you and Alex are having.”

“Alex would never agree to becoming a vampire.” I said.

Ryan laughed, “Ant is the second, if not most powerful vampire I know. Cari holds seven bonds at one time because she sires none. Well except Johnny. But still, Ant has no childe. He has me, but my bond is still sorta tied to Cari. I think that it’s stretched between the three of us, most of it to us.”

“But if you die, she dies.” I said.

He nodded, “I think so. But Ant can take another Chevalier. Even if he brings Isabelle into his claim by either vampire or chevalier. Alex could live forever.”

“It’s not my decision to make Ryan.”

“But you could suggest it.” He said.

I shook my head. “I don’t think Alex would take the suggestion well from me. Like he’s not enough. And I will love him forever. I will break when he’s gone. I don’t know if I’d be able to go on.”

“You would Nox. You would because he’d tell you to. You know that right.”

I shook my head, “No. Alex would be gone long before he felt too old. We struggle through this because we both believe the other deserves better than what we offer the other.”

Ryan laughed, “That’s life.” He bent over the counter and removed my hands from my face and I looked up to see his green eyes. “Go talk to him about it. I promise you it will be alright.”

I stood up and only nodded, I wasn’t sure that I wanted to do this, but Ryan was right – we had to talk about it.

Ryan grinned, “Hey Nox. I spoke with Margo. She’s going to show me all your therapy sessions. Since you can’t come to the AU building any longer, she’s giving you over to someone else.”

I turned and looked at him, “You?”

He grinned. “I might look sixteen. But I have several doctorates in psychology from children to the arcane crap. I have been bonded to a psychopath for almost all of my life. I had to find alternative ways of helping myself and help her. Let me help you.”

I growled and nodded, “That’s why Ant brought you on?”

“Yes and no. Ant brought me on cause I asked him to. For the same reason Ant follows you. I follow you. Because you give my life a new meaning. One that I need to follow. Ant agreed mostly because he’s my best friend and can’t say no to me. And Cari understood. 800 years we’ve been together, she’s a good friend, but I was always her servant. With you, I won’t be. Let me help you and Hunter, and Alex and just let me help.” It sounded like Ryan was begging.

I nodded. “Alright. It might take a while to get you up to speed. With you being a body guard too and all.”

Ryan laughed, “that’s alright I got you covered in everything bro. Don’t worry. Go talk to him, Tell him. Ant has already agreed. He told me to tell you.”

Ant was on board. I didn’t think Alex would be.

Alex almost dragged me into our room but then he saw the wolf trailing behind us and sighed. “Faelen doesn’t want to change back, but he’s not sleeping with us tonight.” Alex said.

The wolf’s ears fell down and he started to slink away. “Fae, no, come here, you can stay with the kids. You’re mine now, part of our family so you can stay. Let’s go find Rider. I’m sure he can find you a place to curl up with the rest of the brood.”

Alex pointed me towards the kitchen. “You go make the charms, I’m going to find the kids, we can have ice-cream and then it’s bed.”

I nodded. Faelen followed me.

Alex laughed, “Nox, Fae wants to change back if we are having ice-cream.”

I grinned, “Alright. Can you have one of the boys bring him some clothes to change into?”

“Yeah. I’ll Send Rider down first. I don’t think I want Quinn anywhere near naked boys.”

I laughed. Alex was already fretting over his daughter and boys. For the record I’m fretting over Cass already too.

I yelled after Alex,”She’s five!”

“So were you.” Alex called after me.

I was five when I met Alex. I wasn’t five when I fell in love, but Alex had been mine since he was five. I adored him even then. I wouldn’t want to get in the way of either of their lives, but we were going to have to teach a lot of rules quickly around here.

When Faelen and I got to the kitchen I sat down behind the bar in the middle of the room and pulled the wolf into my arms. He came willingly and licked my face before he settled. I buried my face in his fur and took a deep breath. He smelled like pack. I couldn’t really explain it other than it was comforting. Danny’s family had always accepted me. Rosies side had always taken me in, I’d helped Sage integrate into their pack because of it. But it hadn’t felt like this.

I let the pack flow through me and I felt Faelen, I felt Adrian and Darywnn and others I didn’t know by name. I felt my pack. I even felt Rider and Laker and Cass and Hunter. But Alex, Quinn and Matt were missing. We’d have to fix that.

Alex came back in to me holding a cleaner looking naked sixteen year old boy who was just as entranced by the experience as I was. I looked up at Alex as he handed Faelen some clothes, “Everyone else is sorta reveling in pack magic right now.”

“Alex.” I said.

He grinned at me, “I know pretty boy. I will and I know Matt will. I think Quinn might need a little more time.”

“I don’t want her to feel left out Alex.”

She won’t. “The kids are doing a bang up job of making her feel part of the family. I’ve never seen her smile quite so much as when she is sitting with your gaggle of boys and Cass and doing silly kid things.”

“Join please?” I said as I held up my hand. Alex took it.

“I don’t know pretty boy. I think we have enough connections.”

“Never too many.” I said.

And I encircled Alex, and I felt Matt too, he’d been holding Laker before and their mating bond pulled him in at my thought. I let out a happy sigh. “Only missing one.”

“Let her come to it on her own.” Alex said.

“I know. I won’t force her into anything.”

Faelen pulled away from me and quickly got dressed before anyone else joined us in the kitchen. “I got the ice-cream. You do the charms.” Alex pulled me up and against him to press a kiss to my lips softly before he turned to grab the bowls and spoons. Rider was already in the freezer getting the ice-cream.

“We really need to make this a thing, Nox.”

“What ice-cream before bed?”

The kids all agreed happily. “We’ll see.”

I sat down on one of the stools and set the small metal block on the counter. The spelled metal wasn’t really anything different except I felt the magic on it. I could do a flat disc and etch it in, but that felt wrong. I split the block five ways – Matt didn’t need one because he was a null, magic didn’t work on him but then he’d be left out, so I split it again this time seven ways. Seven fucking kids under my roof. When the fuck did that happen? I named each kid in my head and held a finger out for each. Cass. Hunter, that was two. Rider and Laker made four. Matt was five. Quinn was six and Faelen was seven. Holy fuck pretty boy. Alex added to my mental what the fuck.

Seven small orbs of metal now sat on the counter top and I squashed each one. It was actually fairly difficult to do it all at one time. Cass giggled, “Look, Daddy’s sweating.”

Matt laughed, “It’s hard work Cass. How many balls of light can you hold at one time?”

Instead of answering, she made a ball of light and tried to make another. But the second one fizzled and then the first one popped out of sight. “See a light ball is easy. Nox how many can you do?”

I shrugged. I made three light balls while I was still working the seven charms. They were flattened, now I was shaping them into the form I needed. Which was a lot harder than it sounded. I had to keep looking at my hand in order to get it all right.

“Now you are showing off pretty boy.” Alex said.

There were seven balls of light floating around in a circle while I worked on the charms. “Sorry. I wasn’t meaning to.”

Hunter interrupted, “They were making the symbol Daddy’s trying to get in the metal.”

“I guess I got distracted.”

“Show off.” Alex said as he pushed a bowl of chocolate ice-cream in front of me. I was just about finished when he lifted the spoon and feed me some ice cold chocolate goodness. It melted on my tongue and I let out a small moan. Which made the little kids “ewwwww.” And Alex laughed, “So easy.”

But the charms were done. “We only need some cords now.”

“What you can’t make them?” Alex asked.

“I can but I don’t know how good they’ll be. Organic things are harder than metals and the like but I can’t make a chain without taking forever.”

“We’ll go out and buy some tomorrow just make it for temporary usage.”

So I did that. It wasn’t perfect but each charm now had a leather cord to hang from each of their necks. “One for each of you.” I said as I handed them out to them. “It will help balance out magic, senses and emotions.”

“No more moody kids?” Alex asked.

I laughed. “Probably not. But it is worth a shot right?”

The kids didn’t really care, but Hunter sighed a moment of releif the second it touched his skin.

Matt smiled, “It’s kinda weird.”

“What do you mean?”

“I feel more of your magic wearing it, but less of everyone else’s. Like it balances out everything else but can’t figure out what to do with you.”

I shrugged, “I dunno Matt. I’m surprised you feel anything.”

“Me too. But I don’t nullify the rooms at the Acadmey. The fire proofing and the tardis rooms. Maybe it’s the runic magic?”

“It’s a thought. Maybe we can get you to touch the elements with one or let you use your gift differently.”

“Sounds like we have some research to do once you get things squared away with the missing people. We still have quite a list of missing people, and even more added with the new people here.”

I sighed. “I know. We’ll do it soon.”

“No rush. I’m not going anywhere till school starts right? I get to pretend to be human?”

I nodded, “I guess you do. Good thing you are the same age as Lake and Rider.”

“Yeah it is.” he said. “I’m looking forward to it.”

It was going to be interesting come September when all the kids went off to school. It felt so far away.

Alex pulled us towards where Isabel was staying in the Night Life building on our floor. “How the fuck can you forget me?” Isabelle yelled.

“Maybe we should come back later.” I said.

Alex smirked. “No, I want to watch this.” He stepped into view of the door where we could see the inside but weren’t actually in the room.

Ant stood there with his hands behind his back in the military at-ease pose. I only ever saw him stand that way when he was with his mother. He shook his head, “I never forgot you. I thought Nox was you. It wasn’t the first time you’d come back as a man.”

“I’m fucking obviously not a man. Why do you think he was me?” She shouted at him.

“Because I am drawn to him. But I was wrong, I feel the pull with you so close. And I know he’s close. So is Alex. Together they pull stronger than you. You could see why I thought so.”

“So you are saying he’s,” She gestured to us in the doorway, “your soul mate?”

I frowned and looked at Alex. “You knew this didn’t you?”

Alex nodded, “Ant told me we three were soul mates yes. But I’m not drawn to him like I’m drawn to you.”

Isabelle stomped out of her room and stopped in front of us. “I feel nothing Anthony.”

“A soul mate is energy that once possessed a body and then was split after death and brought together again in separate bodies. So what happens when it’s split three times? Ant has half of one soul, Izz has the other. Alex and I share another, and a third is split between the three of us?”

Isabelle gasped, “A triumvirate. And you already are bound twice.”

“What happens if the third is completed?” Alex asked.

Isabelle shrugged, “The legend says a triumvirate is a powerful source to be reckoned with. And to have the apex be the third Ascendant.”

“Who says Nox is the apex.” Ant griped with a fanged grin.

Isabelle didn’t think it was funny. She rounded on the vampire and growled, “You need to keep your mouth shut vampire.”

Ant looked at her and opened his mouth but he said nothing. Isabelle punched him in the shoulder harder than I thought possible. Ant shifted his stance to remain standing. “Nox is the third Ascendant his is and always will be the most powerful in any union.” She looked at Alex and frowned, “Our King, The Alpha Omega, the Last Phoenix, Mors Praetor, The Imperordo.”

“Wait, wait, wait. I’m not the Imperordo.” I corrected, the others I had been called before or I understood.

“Are you not the most powerful Magnus of the Venatori. Is that not who the Imperordo is?”

“I’ve been exiled from the Venatori. Any titles would have been stripped had I had any to begin with.”

“But you are the most powerful Cesari born to the Venatori in a long time.”

“You know an awful lot about me.”

Ant laughed, “Nox, you are know throughout the tri-state area. If a supernatural creature doesn’t know of your name, then they haven’t been here long. And now you are king.”

I sighed. “I’m not king.”

Alex laughed, “Yes you are. You should have heard all the people down stairs. Ooooh he’s so cute, a strong jaw, oooh those eyes.”

“You sure that wasn’t you?” I asked.

“Oh maye that was. Those weren’t the thoughts you wanted to hear. He’s king, he’s so young, feel that power. ooh those eyes, a strong jaw.”

Ant rolled his eyes, “There he goes again.”

I kissed Alex to express my love for him. “I’m still not king.”

“And that is why you are king.” Isabelle said.

Alex rolled his eyes. “We came to ask about about making a charm for Hunter, Isabel.”

I held out my hand where I’d drawn the symbol. “I don’t want to draw it on Hunter’s skin and do this until he’s able to understand what it truly does and make that decision himself.”

Isabelle took my hand and looked at it. “I can give you spelled steal to fit to him. I imagine you can do the rest?”

I nodded. “Yeah. I can do the rest, I was thinking a pendant is better and we wouldn’t have to change it as he grows.”

Isabelle nodded. “Whatever you want. I’ve never seen it, I’m surprised by it but it works?”

Alex nodded fervently. “Too well. I think he freaks out a little more because of it. What did you say the runes were?”

I wove fire in the air and drew the overlapping symbols. “Magic. Emotions. Senses. And Balance.”

Isabelle nodded, “And you just decided to lay them all on top of each other.”

I shrugged. “I just did it.”

“What else did you learn in the book?” Ant asked.

“A lot of things, but I can’t really tell you cause I don’t understand it.”

Isabelle growled at me. “You need a teacher.”

I sighed. “The man who can teach me is the same man who sent Alex to spy on me. He has eyes and ears here. And his hacker has breached the security. I won’t be taking any lessons from him. So either you are going to have to teach me, or I’m going to keep stumbling through it like I have been.”

There was a large smile on Isabelle’s face. “It would be my honor to teach you.” She grinned at me and then flourished a bow and giggled softly, “My liege.”

I rolled my eyes, “Get with Jin and schedule time. Eleven to Three is taken unbreakable and uninterpretable.” I grinned at her and grabbed Alex’s hand. “Thank you, Isabelle, I’ll take that metal now.”

Isabelle stepped quickly into her room and came back out quickly with a small chunk of metal. “Good luck. Maybe you should make a few for all your collection.”

“My collection?”

“Laker, Rider, Drake, Cass, Hunter, Quinn, Matt.” Isabelle gestured to the wolf curled up on the floor. “Him.”

“His name is Faelen.” I said.

“Part of your collection.”

“They are my family, not my collection. You are part of my family now too. So unless you like being called part of my collection you’ll not spread that rumor.”

Isabelle put her hand on her stomach and nodded, “It is an honor really Nox. Alex. I’m sorry.”

Alex laughed and pressed a kiss to her cheek. “We are his fucking collection. He just keep getting more of us.” Alex grabbed my hand and pulled me towards our room. “We got things to do. You two can resume fighting. Just keep it down.”

Our bed remained empty as Hunter handed me the drawing he had finished, and there was a shocked scream from the kitchen where Ricky was staring at the glowing book. “It’s been like that for a while now. It just flipped open though.”

I looked at the page that had been opened magically and found several runes staring at me. Four of them were glowing and the rest looked like normal. “I guess this is for Hunter.” And the glowing stopped satisfied I’d seen it.

“You can read that?” Ricky asked. “All I see is a bunch of junk.”

“I can read it.”

Quinn looked at it, “There’s nothing to read, just a bunch of symbols.”

“They are runes. We can use them to do sort of spells.” I said.

“So what? You draw them and they do magic? That’s stupid.”

“I don’t think just anyone can draw them.” Alex said as he wrapped his arms around me from behind to look over my shoulder. “There has to be something behind it. Right?”

I shrugged. “I don’t know. But the four symbols it showed me was balance, magic, emotions and senses.” It wasn’t even about sight. Then again I didn’t want to blind Hunter, I wanted to balance him out. His… I smiled and I formed the paper and pencil as Hunter had earlier and Alex laughed, “Jeez, Do we need to keep paper and pencil around you two all the time?”

I smiled, “Nah.” I drew the symbols on top of each other, and when I connected the last line to the rest of the from it gave of a sort of purple glow like the book had and I knew it was what I had needed.

I changed the pencil into an eye liner pen and drew the same symbol on my hand. Easy enough to do and easy enough to remove if it fucked me up. But when I finished the last line it sank into my skin like it was some sort of tattoo and I couldn’t rub it off. “Fuck!”

Alex squeezed tighter, “Nox.”

But my mind was rolling into a direction I couldn’t fight it. I was panicking. “Nox!” Alex shouted beside my ear and I turned to look at him. “Pay attention.”

I blinked at him and he rolled his eyes, “Stop freaking out. Listen. Feel. Fucking get out of your head for just a minute.”

I sighed and closed my eyes. I didn’t know what he was trying to tell me. But I calmed down. Or tried to as I leaned back against him and took a deep breathe. I felt the calm of him, and realized that I wasn’t actually spiraling. My heart was steady, my breathing was right. And I hadn’t done anything more than relax. It worked. Alex said in my head. “What do you see?” He added out loud.

I opened my eyes and found that while the world was still the same, the patterns were muted, the magic around me felt distant but all I had to do was grasp at it. Alex whispered into my ear, “And you didn’t lose control of your magic.”

“I guess I have to live with it even if it was wrong.” I said as I tried to rub at it again.

“Teach you to put shit on your skin.”

I laughed and stuck my tongue out at Alex who promptly leaned in and sucked my tongue into his mouth and I groaned. Ant laughed and took the rest of the family away, though we weren’t going any further. Alex chuckled. “I need to do that more often if it scares away the natives.”

I smiled and pressed my back into Alex’s chest and looked at the drawing Hunter had given me. “This is what he saw.”

“I don’t get any of it. I mean there are people, how is it helpful.” Alex said, “But for five it’s pretty fucking well done.”

I smiled, “I think Michaela made him draw his dreams too.”

“Just like you do.” Alex said.

I shrugged. “I think this is some sort of factory. They mentioned treating the humans like cattle.”

Alex frowned, “In one of the former prisoners I saw them taking blood samples from one area to another. They were all marked.” He looked at me and his frown deepened. “I don’t like that thought Nox.”

I shook my head. “I don’t either. The vampires are using the humans to breed the best tasting blood – cleanest blood.”

“They are becoming gourmet.” Alex joked.

It brought a smile to my lips though Alex added quietly, “It’s sickening.”

“It is. The New World Order intends to live long and prosper on the weak wills of humanity as live stock.”

“You have to stop them.” Alex added.

“We will.”

Alex shook his head. “No We, pretty boy, I’m no vampire hunter.”

I pulled Alex closer and smiled, “I didn’t mean we as in only you and me. Though it is only you and me right now.” I winked and bit my bottom lip.

“You are such a fucking tease.” Alex said pushing me away. “I get all amorous and then someone is going to pull you away from me. You’re fucking schedule is so blow out of the water I didn’t get to eat lunch with you.”

I frowned. “I’m sorry.” My gaze dropped and I was ashamed, work had come first and I’d fucked up the one thing I had set in stone.

Alex put his fingers under my chin, “Hey pretty boy.” I lifted my eyes to meet his, “I was only joking. I know life is shit sometimes. But…” He stepped closer, “I can hear your mind rolling around in all the failure you feel right now, but your body isn’t panicking.”

I blinked at him. Again I was a mess inside, but I didn’t feel the pounding in my chest, or the heaviness of catching my breath. I looked down at the marking on my hand and sighed. “I don’t know if I’ll get used to this.”

“It’s okay.” Alex said. “You and me will get through this. It’s what you should have had your whole life so you could deal with the things inside that make you think bad things. We’ll get Margo here, maybe you can finally make some head way. And I think you need to give that to Hunter.”

“I don’t want to mark him permanently.” I said.

Alex nodded, “So a braclet, or a necklace work better?”

“I think a necklace would, the bracelet would need to be adjustable. He’s so slim and tiny.”

Alex grinned, “Just like his dad was.”

I blushed a little, the pink rose and heated my neck and cheeks. Alex pressed a kiss to my lips, “Sometimes you get all shy and cute over the simplest things pretty boy.”

“Because of what they imply in our past, Z.” I said softly.

Alex chuckled, “I love you too.” He took my hand, “Let’s go find Isabelle and interrupt her and Ant.”

You’d think after an expenditure of power after bringing 30 some odd people into the pack would have felt draining but it was the opposite, I felt more alive – stronger. I’d have to ask Adrian or Dom about it. Or I would have if Darwynn hadn’t followed me to where the rest of my family was waiting for a ride back to our living space. “Feels good doesn’t it?” He said.

I nodded. “Why?”

Darwynn laughed, “Doesn’t family feel good? It’s like the larger your pack the bigger you feel. The alpha gains strength from the pack, the rest of us feel happier – fuller.”

“More like home.” Alex added. “You were a leader of your pack?”

“My clan yes.” Darwynn said, “But they were of weak minds. They came and went much like the Lone Wolf pack here. Except we weren’t just lion, we were whoever. Like you.” He chuckled, “Though I will admit I did not have any vampire. Yet I feel the undead as part of the whole.”

“You mean as pack?” I asked.

“The same magics bind them in their kiss, and bloodlines. Wiccan too. The Venatori are the only ones that only bind to mates. Or am I wrong?”

I shook my head, “No that’s right. The Venatori don’t form clans even a large one as a whole.”

Darwynn laughed, “Your’s isn’t a clan more like kindred spirits. People who believe in you in the same things.”

“So what do I believe in?” I asked.

“Family above all else.” Darwynn said.

“But family isn’t just about blood.” Ant said, “It’s the people who choose to be there when you need them most. Who stand by your side even if they don’t agree. We don’t follow blindly, Nox. We don’t call you king because you rule us. But there is no other term to call what you are. You aren’t Alpha, because you are so much Omega. You aren’t a pack leader, you aren’t our master, nor a prince. You are so much more than all those things.”

“I don’t need a title Ant. I’m not doing any of this for any other reason other than it’s right.”

Alex laughed, “It is right, but Nox, they need someone to lead and they chose you.”

I nodded. “I know. But find something else other than King to call me. Please.” I begged.

“How can he be Alpha and Omega – that’s first and last right?” Alex asked

“You tell me.” Ant laughed, “You of all people should understand it. The bedroom is only a part of his inclination. Adrian let him go because his power grew beyond what Adrian was able to dominate over. Alec submitted to a greater power. And I’ve known Alec my whole life, that’s over 800 years of watching the strongest dominate I know lord over vampire and human alike with a blink of an eye. And he would never submit to a soul, yet, he bent the knee to this Omega. And you can’t tell me Nox isn’t one. He wants nothing more than for someone to take care of him.” Ant smirked, “And for some forsaken reason he chose you. So in all reality – that makes you the most fucking powerful person on this planet.”

“I highly doubt that.” Alex rolled his eyes.

“Who has more power than Nox?”

“If everything you say is true, no one.” Alex answered.

“Except you. Alex if you asked it of him, he’d grant you anything.” Ant smiled. “He’d kill for you. He’d hate you for it, but he’d do it. The reason people fear my mother isn’t because she’s a cold blooded killer, it’s because she would do what was asked of her without a second thought. She wouldn’t concern herself with the morality of it and she would survive the injustice that was merited out. But Nox. Nox has that soul, that morality. But if he says he’s going to do it, you know he will. And if you ask him, he’ll do it.”

Alex laughed, “You talk to much.”

Ant grinned, “I learned from your boy.”

“Hey!” I complained but there was no heart in it. I knew I talked alot. I knew I fell into thought a lot and lectured myself on things. It was a bad habit.

“An endearing habit.” Ant said. “I love the blank looks.”

I rolled my eyes. “Ha ha ha.”

Alex wrapped his arm around me and nodded, “Can we go home now? I’m not sleeping in this fucking puppy pile. I want my own damned bed.”

Ant nodded, “As you wish.”

Alex and I walked around the refugees talking with as many as that would talk, and Alex listened to those who wouldn’t talk to us. Quinn was by our side short after we left from the exam room we’d been in. I put my other arm around Alex’s daughter and asked, “How you doing?”

She looked up at me and smiled. “Good. Everyone is so nice. Well their thoughts are grateful. They keep talking about their king. I didn’t know there were kings anymore.”

Alex chortled on the other side of me and I just gave him a glance before I grinned at his daughter, “There isn’t anymore kings here in the US.”

“No just you.” Alex smirked.

“What are they saying about their king?” I asked.

“How happy they are he saved them. And some of them about how cute he is for being Feras.”

“Well I can’t help but agree with them on that one, Pretty boy.”

I stuck my tongue out at Alex and he pulled me closer and gave me a sideways hug. “Or should I say your magesty.”

“Please don’t.”

“Why do they think you are their king?” She asked.

“Because I supposed lead several different factions of the supernatural kind.”

“Really? Like who?” Quinn was curious. I liked that. She reminded me of her father in a way. Though Alex didn’t actually ask the questions he just sort pulled them from my head.

“Hey. I resemble that thought.” Alex griped.

Quinn giggled. “Dad, always says it’s polite to ask the things you want to know more about instead of rummaging through someone’s mind.”

“Isn’t that noble of him. And then the thoughts sort of just trickle to the front and you get all sorts of other tidbits.”

“With most people.” Quinn grinned and nodded, “But not with you. You tell it exactly how it is. It’s kinda boring.”

Alex laughed hard. “She is right, it’s boring.”

I removed my arms from both of the telepaths and stepped away from them, “I think I’ll go over here.”

Quinn giggled again, but Alex wrapped his arm around her shoulders and smiled. “That’s fine, we’ll just go over here and play with the other telepath.” Alex nodded in the direction of Cass. “I think your son needs you.” He nodded in the direction of Hunter who was crying in Rider’s arms and inconsolable.

I sighed but headed over to my son and brother, “What’s wrong?”

“He won’t stop crying.” Rider exclaimed. “I don’t know what happened, he was happy and then all of a sudden he just started crying.”

I took the little one from my brother and held him close. I didn’t bother asking him what was wrong. He’d seen something that scared him and there was nothing to do, or maybe he was still seeing it. I lifted his shirt and saw the rune was mostly rubbed away. We needed a more permanent temporary solution than ink on skin.

I magicked a eyeliner pencil and drew on a quick balancing rune hoping it would help. I would need to figure out what one worked best for me before we got something that he could use easily. And then hoped it even worked for Hunter. As soon as the last line was drawn Hunter calmed down a little and wrapped his arms tightly around me. “What did you see, little man?”

He hugged me tighter. His breath was ragged in my ear and he pressed his face against my neck. “They were tortured.”

“Yeah.” I agreed.

“Daddy,” Hunter said pulling away from me and looking deep into my soul, at least that’s how it felt, “Mean men did this. They want to do it to everyone.”

“I know. I’m going to stop them.”

Hunter smiled. “I will draw you what I saw.”

“Thank you.”

Hunter ran over to a table and magicked up a pencil and his own peice of paper. It was really sort of awesome watching my kid do the simple things. Alex was standing next to me staring, “When did he learn to do that?”

I shrugged, “I don’t know but they watch everything we do and I’ve done that before.”

“I don’t think you’ve done that with them around though.” Rider said. “I’ll stay with him.”

I clasped my brother on the shoulder and thanked him. He was such a great little brother, even more so when he took care of my kids. I knew I was supposed to be his guardian but sometimes I thought he watched over me more.

Rider grinned back at me after he’d walked away. I was proud of the man he was becoming.

Alex laughed, “I swear sometimes it’s like you two are the same. Laker is not his twin.”

“He’s proud of you. Thinks the world of you, wants to help you out cause you deserve it. Deserve the love your Mom never gave you. I think he’s trying to make up for that.”

“He doesn’t need to. I’m going to love him the same no matter what. Even if he was a prick. I loved my Mom. I understand why she did what she did. And it wasn’t her fault.”

“No it wasn’t but it still impacted you in a way no one can ever change, Nox. Love her but she impacted your little brain so much you still think you are a monster. It never goes away. One little misstep and instead of saying oh I made a mistake, you spiral into that dark place. Rider knows above everyone else what she did. I don’t know why, but there is a familial bond there I can’t explain. Laker has it too.”

I grinned, “It’s pack. The family bond is strong.”

“You share it with Cass and Hunter then?”

I nodded, “I guess so.”

“But not me.” Quinn said.

“Do you want to be part of the pack?” I asked. “You are family, always will be. Pack is a bond we can extend to you. Like Danny did for Sage.” I added mostly for Alex’s benefit. “That goes for you too Alex. Matt is part of the pack through Laker.”

“And Isabel through you.”

I nodded. “Though I don’t think she wants to be part of the pack. I don’t think she likes me much.”

“That would be a first.” Quinn said. She grinned at me, “Will it hurt?”

“To become pack?” I shook my head. “No, it’ll be like coming home.”

“I am already home.” Alex said wrapping an arm around me. He was more right than wrong, but I didn’t know how else to explain it. He added, “But if Quinn wants to I’ll do it too. But it won’t mean we’ll want a puppy pile all the time will it?”

I laughed, “At first it will.”

Alex growled. “Great!”

Faelen had followed us and understood everything he brushed his head up against my hand and I ran my fingers through his fur. The connection to pack was stronger with him standing there within reach. I let that power go again for the third time that day and I let it touch Alex and Quinn. I felt the trees reach through me, and the bonds of pack wrap around them and take a strangle hold on them. But it was like it stole the air, more like it gave it back to them. Like they had been breathing under water and now were full of vibrate air from above.

But what I hadn’t expected was that others would join us. People I didn’t know touched my arm or back and I felt them connect in a moment. In front of me amber eyes stared back. His smile was slight as he reached across the distance and touched my chest. He whispered, “You saved us. You helped without even knowing us, that is pack.”

The whole room was standing around us – all my pack.