The kids were all asleep in the other room. Alex pulled me towards our bedroom. Ant followed but he stopped at the door. “I’ll let you guys have some alone time.”

Alex looked at Ant and frowned, there was tension between them and it was because of me. I sighed as I stepped inside. “What happened between you two?”

Alex looked back at the closed door and shook his head, “Doesn’t matter.”

“It does matter, Alex.” I pulled him towards the bed and sat down. “I can’t have my best friend and my husband, my love, my everything fighting. So tell me what happened?”

“Nox, I don’t want to fight.”

“This is not a fight.” I pulled Alex down on to my lap. “Please Alex?” I begged.

“He brought me here.” Alex said. “And he didn’t bring you.”

“It’s not his fault, he was following orders.” I said.

“You were an idiot. I had to blame someone.”

I sighed, “I’m sorry. I will try not to do it again.”

Alex growled, “Is that what you being so bossy was about? All I am King you must obey.”

“What? I was just getting things done.” I said confused.

Alex laughed, “You didn’t notice that everyone did what you said regardless of whether or not they agreed or not?”

“Did they disagree?” I asked still confused.

“No.” Alex said surprised, “Every single one I could read was fully on board. But that wasn’t the point of my comment. You needed to get stuff done why?”

I shrugged, “Because it needed to be done. I fucked up. I’m sorry. I have a second chance to do it. I won’t screw up.”

Alex pressed me to the bed. “What if it’s not a second chance though. If Ryan is right then Nox, you are immortal. You can’t die. Not ever. Which means you’ll watch me grow old and die.” He pressed a kiss to my lips.

The weight of Alex’s body pressed me into the bed and I groaned as he shifted but my mind was lost in the fact that he thought he’d leave me – old age was a good enough reason, but I didn’t want to think about it. Alex chuckled and captured my lips with his I think I can distract you.

And distract me he did. His body and mine still clothed pressed together as close as possible. I needed that contact, wished it was skin on skin. The thought prompted hands under shirts, and soon it was a blur of clothes. Dreams make this so much easier.

I laughed as I bit into Alex’s neck pushing a moan from low in his throat. I like this better. I got to remember the taste of Alex in my mouth, the feel of his body against my skin. The stretch of penetration. I yearned for that feeling. I needed it. I needed Alex in so many ways. Sex was only one aspect of the whole wanting Alex and need him.

Alex pressed hard against me pushing my hands above my head and biting my neck. You talk too much.

“I wasn’t saying anything.” I chopped out through sharp breathes and moans.

“Shush.” Alex commanded and I clamped my mouth shut and groaned as he ground into me.

There was a knock at the door. “Go away Ant!” Alex called out.

“How do you know it’s Ant?” I asked.

“Cause I can’t sense anyone.”

“Could be any other vampire.”

Alex shook his head, “No, I feel other vampires differently. With Ant it’s like a constant hum but it’s coming from you. It’s weird.”

I sat up and sighed, “Did you feel that buzz when I was dead?”

Alex pressed me back to the bed but he cocked his head to think about it. “I don’t know. I was full of angry thoughts and not really attuned to my senses.” Alex admitted.

Ant shouted through the door. “I wouldn’t bother you two if it wasn’t important.”

Alex groaned and climbed off of me pulling his shirt over his head and tossed mine at me. “It’s important.”

“Alex?” I said with my hands through my shirt but not quite ready to pull it over my head. He turned and looked at me with a questioning look. “This is why I scheduled the three hours to be with you.”

His look softened. “Not because you are an inconvenience, or an obligation but because no one respects my time unless it’s scheduled. It’s free for them to do what they want with it., and I really, really need time alone with you for just me and you it’s not even the interrupted sex.”

Alex was walking back towards me and pressing his lips to mine. “I’m sorry that made me angry. So three hours of undisturbed time or we can be spontaneous and be interrupted?” Alex sighed and took my shirt and pulled it over my head to allow me to finish getting dressed. “I’ll try not to let the feeling disrupt us too much. But we do have an important calling now.”

Alex walked over to the door while I still sat on the bed. “What’s so important?”

“The coven will speak with you both, but they said it had to be before four am. Or tomorrow after midnight.”

Alex held out his hand to me. “We have what 30 minutes?”

Ant nodded. “I can take you to them, they are waiting.”

Alex frowned but nodded. “I need to talk to them and so do you right, Nox?”

I nodded. So much for alone time.

Everyone piled into the room. Adrian and Dom where here representing the packs. All the Dragon Clan leaders were still here from around the world. They had remained because of The Dragon’s death and to see how I handled the Last Phoenix. Which I’d done nothing with – which is why they remained. The masters from all the bloodlines sat in seats including Tony who was representing the Primeval Vampires in lieu of his father. Armande and Bernstein were here as well representing the rest of the vampires. We were only missing the CCB and the human factions. That would change eventually, but for now this is what I had to work with.

I sat on the floor and everyone else chatted amongst themselves. My stomach rumbled again and I got up and grabbed a few more sandwiches before walking back to the front of the room. My rising had done one thing – quieted the room. It was as if I’d been hiding in the shadows – no one noticed until I had stood up that I was walking and talking (well not yet), and moving around like a person who was alive and well.

Their eyes followed me around the room and I smiled when I got there. “I’m sure the rumors of my death are grand. That there is chaos.” I rolled my eyes. “The Venatori think I’m dead, as do the traitors that attacked.”

“You thought I was dead.” I smiled, “All but one of you thought it. Maybe two, I don’t honestly know what Il Cane thought. But Ryan believed and you’ll have to excuse him while he comes and goes from the room feeding me. Healing death takes a lot of you.”

“The main reason you are here is to see for yourselves that I am not dead.” I took a bite and then finished the sandwich before I spoke again.

“But death has a way of making you change the way you think. And as my lovely fiance has brought to my attention I need to use all the tools available to me. And that means you, and prophecy and the book that no one can read – except me.”

“And a select few others.” Ant added from the back corner. He was there with Alex and I smiled at both of them.

“At our last meeting you spoke of neutral ground. I agree, we need a new central location for which the Cities supernatural communities can grow from. But it doesn’t exist. That’s where you come in. I don’t have the funds myself to build it, so the community will. It will be our building, not my building. I have a few tricks to make it work. It will need to be built by the supernatural. Humans can assist as necessary, but there will be too many questions.”

I stopped talking to eat the second sandwich I had grabbed and the murmur in the room rose to a crescendo. They leaders all spoke, trying to figure out what that meant for them. I let them talk amongst themselves. I wasn’t here to lead, just lay down what needed to happen.

I walked to the back of the room and grabbed a few more sandwiches and stopped in front of Alex with a bright grin. “Sleep better?”

He shrugged. I leaned in and pressed a kiss to his lips. “I’ll join you if you want after this.”

“You are eating again?” Alex asked.

“Actually I haven’t stopped.” The look on Alex’s face was the same as Alec’s when he had found out. “Alec has tried to stop me, but my stomach keeps rumbling. I’m eating slower, but I’m still eating. Ryan isn’t concerned.”

Ant shook his head, “He’s fine. After a death even a vampire has to feed more than usual. I suppose consuming human food is probably the same, and it can only make so much at a given time. Ryan would know best he understand the Chevalier link best.”

The room had turned again and was following me around. “Did you come to a consensus?” I asked.

“Actually, we did. We will donate funds and workers to the building. All of us.”

I looked at Alex, “Can I donate Alex?”

“It’s your money.”

I smiled, “I meant, is it plausible to do from a financial standpoint.”

He nodded, “Yeah. But I’m not the guy you should be putting in charge of your money.”

“So we’ll hire a guy to do that. Like we need to hire an architect, and a billion other things to get this done. All of which I have no clue about. So that brings me to the next matter.”

I heard Alex whisper to Ant, “He’s awful bossy now.” And the whole room laughed.

I smiled, “A room full of super hearing.”

“I know.” Alex said with a smirk. I forgot really, but hey…

“I know a little about a lot of things. I need to know more. Each of you needs to give me direct access to someone you trust to bring me the right information. It can’t be you. I want you to find someone who is willing to say Nox, that’s stupid. I don’t want yes men. I want someone who knows your community to advise me. The people, not you as a leader. I don’t care how you choose them, or how often you change them. It’s your responsibility to give me the best fucking advice you can give me. Because I’m not egotistical enough to think I know it all. Cause I know shit.”

“Talk with your people. I want a monthly meeting. We’ll start weekly, so Jin will set up times and get that to you.”

“I have one last order of business.” I stood up straighter. “We have a traitor among us. Someone told the Venatori where we were going to be. Nathaniel defected, and there is no telling who else among you has been swayed by the New World Order. So I say it now. Trying to kill me or my family is a death sentence. I will not ask questions. Police yourselves. Cause if I find the person who put a death order on my head, they will not survive it. We will find Valence and Brandon and we will deal with them accordingly. We will not reveal ourselves to the human world.”

I laughed, “I lied. Two more. I need information on their whereabouts, ears to the underground. I’ll talk with you all in the normal manner, those that don’t have a scheduled meeting already we’ll set one up. One on one, if it’s more I’ll let you know.”
“The last bit. I want human paths and the wiccan’s in on the council, here at these type meetings. They aren’t organized, maybe we need to do that – help them with that. I want to keep them safe. The world is changing, we need to be a united community with threats like the New World Order.”

“I need to eat and maybe sleep some more. Speak with Jin before you leave, set up a meeting. Thanks.”

The room erupted into noise and I took a plater of sandwiches with me as I left. Alex only laughed as he and Ant followed me out of the room.

Ryan piled on the food as the night poured on. I wasn’t tired. But Cari’s people were trickling out the door. Allison had left with Jin to make phone calls. I had another hour before they’d all be here and I was flipping through Hunter’s journal.

Alec and Ryan were the only ones in the kitchen with me.

The Dominion master vampire watched me flipping through childish drawings and hand written notes. “Do you understand any of that?” he asked.

“I have a general idea. I did the same as a kid.”

“You doodled your dreams?”

“I did. But my dream was the same so I got real good at the same thing.”

Alec smiled, “I’d like to see that. It’s not everyday you get to see the psyche of a man.”

“I can tell you all about that if you truly want to know. I’ll let you see my records if you want.”

“Knowing you from the inside out. Hmmm? I don’t think your beau would appreciate that.”

I shrugged, “I’m an open book, he gets to live the crazy with me.”

“What are you planning to do with them?” He pointed towards the room that we were going to use for the little impromptu meeting.

“Figure out what they want out of this, tell them what I want, and we’ll deal from there.”

I was still eating but Alec pulled my plate away from me, “You are eating way too much.”

“I’m starving.” I said.

Ryan laughed, “It’s alright, Alec, he’s just replenishing the energy from regeneration. He died remember?”

Alec shook his head. “No I didn’t forget. But he’s still got a human body, even you have a limit my dear Chevalier. He’s been eating since he got up.”

“I’m still starving.”

Alec pushed it back to me. “Do not perforate your stomach because you over eat.”

“I won’t.” I smiled at my newest charge. I ate slower. But I was hungry still so I kept eating.

Ryan kept cooking and I ate while Alec watched over me like a hawk as we flipped through Hunter’s book and then I started reading the book of origins. Alec was jsut as interested in that as I was if not more. He kept muttering to himself, “This could be useful.”

I was distracted by his comments and then Jin brought the first of my guests to the meeting room, and I sighed. And my stomach rumbled.

“How can you still be hungry?” Alec sighed.

Ryan laughed, “I’ve made some easy to eat and talk foods. I’ll bring them in.”

I nodded and rose from my seat and headed for the room. Alec followed me. Ryan called after me, “Alec, you aren’t going just as a body guard. You are also the representative of the Domination bloodline. As the master.”

“I know Ryan.” Alec laughed. “I’m not an idiot.”

Alec sat down next to Adrian. He offered his hand and Adrian took it and there was chatting between them as we all waited for everyone to show up. Ryan brought in plates of food and I took a few sandwiches and sat down at the front of the room eating slowly.

The room wasn’t like the conference room downstairs, it had been empty prior, as all rooms were on the floor until we moved in. Some did have beds, others were used for other things, but most of them were empty. Vampires had a thing about being this close to the sun so there hadn’t been a call to make it livable. So they brought in chairs from other places in the building and they sat around the room in a mishmash of a circle. I chose to sit on the floor with my back against the wall while Alec and Adrian had chosen comfortable office chairs that rolled.

I wasn’t listening to their conversation as I sat there and stared off into space slowly eating the two sandwiches I’d picked up. This wasn’t my thing, but my mind was rolling with things that needed to get done, and done now. Though I knew almost 100% of them were impossible. They looked to me for answers and right now I had some. Not all but some.

The book turned out to not be about prophecy, but about me, or what I could do. I drew one of the symbols in the air with fire and it morphed into a glowing ball of light. I could do it easily with the elements, but the symbol itself basically said contain fire and air. So that’s what it did – turned the air and the fire into a blob. It hung in the air where I’d drawn the rune and it didn’t require me to hold the power or do anything else.

Alec and Adrian stared at the glowing ball and at me sitting on the floor. Adrian was dazed, but Alec was proud and nodding, he’d read the same thing in the book. We’d read a few things, like how to use a rune to make things bigger on the inside. The same rune that was on every door inside the AU building. Of course they were attached to a rock and the rock was imbued with that magic and whatever it touched was bigger on the inside based on what the user of said rock wanted.

But the Venatori had long since lost the ability to manipulate the rocks. Whatever knowledge we’d possessed once was gone. Or maybe the second ascendant didn’t ever tell them how it worked.

But it gave me more ideas that I could possibly know. Combining the runes we could contain even the most powerful dragon in all the world without ever killing them. And we didn’t need anymore space than a fucking closet.

I ate and Doc talked. “We’ll start with the stuff I kinda sorta knew just cause I know you. You’ve dragon blood in you. Being Cesari that makes sense. But what doesn’t is that you look more like a nether-dragon than half human half Venatori that you are. The other oddity is the theranthropy mutations you carry.”

“My mother was a carrier. Both Rider and Laker carry too at the very least.” I added between bites.

Bryan nodded. “If they’ll give me permission I’d like to take samples.”

“Their call.” I said.

“But you are their legal guardian.”

“If they say it’s okay you can do it.” I said.

He nodded again and kept going. “There are genetic markers for primeval vampire in your DNA. The Venatori didn’t see it, but I’ve seen enough of them to know. How the fuck that got there I don’t know. But that would explain the immortality.”

“The what now?” I said with my fork halfway to my mouth.

“How do you think you came back to life?” Ryan laughed. “It wasn’t some fluke. You can’t die, bro!”

“I’m not doubting it’s primeval, but the Venatori came from the Aeternus. We lost the ability for immortality when they breed with humans to expand the mind.”

“And as with all things, they weren’t gone, but hidden. I’d love to get my hands on your father’s DNA.”

“The Venatori didn’t have that information? Asher Eriksen, is a lead genetic engineer and he routinely intervenes in pairs so that he can see what two specific bloodlines combine do. The ruling families specifically are almost always told who to fuck.” My tone was almost lecturing. It was just common knowledge in the Venatori.

But we weren’t with the Venatori now.

“I will have to ask The Wicked Truth if he has any other genetic material in his findings?”

“He didn’t give it all to you?”

“I don’t know what he gave Alex. They only gave me information relevant to you.”

I finished my plate and Ryan was shoving another one across the counter at me. He didn’t seem to be phased by the amount of food I was eating. But the look on everyone else’s face was ‘holy shit’.

I ate more and Doc talked more. He told me percentages, and said he could draw diagrams for me. But it was his conclusion that had me convinced, “I’ve never seen anything like it. I thought you were just some stupid kid who was playing with things he didn’t know about, and then all this happens. We’ve never been able to studdy any other Ascendant. And as far as we know no one has ever been able to read that book you got there.” He nodded to the origin of species lying on the counter next to me with Hunter’s dream log on top of it. “You aren’t something old, you are something completely brand new, your kids in that other room, no telling what they will be capable of. And any kids you have in the future no one is going to know. You are the fucking start of a new god damned race and I’m the one to find it!”

The whole thing made me laugh and shake my head. This man was happy I was a fucked up mess.

“So what did you want me to do?”

I sighed, “I think you pretty much just said it all. But the sample is yours, the kids too. Though if you draw blood from the little ones make sure they aren’t alone when you do.”

“I would never.” Bryan said. “I’ll make sure they have someone they trust with them.”

“Thanks.”

I finished off another plate and Ryan was shoving yet another one at me, “We getting close?”

I shrugged. “I dunno.” My stomach rumbled in response. It wasn’t painful, but I didn’t feel like I needed to stop either. so I didn’t. I ate the next plate of whatever Ryan was making me.

“He’s very trusting.” Cari said.

“I’m hungry I don’t care what it is right now.”

Ryan smiled, “Nothing he doesn’t like I promise.” Ryan said as he started making another batch.

“Terry, ” turning to the lawyer who was sitting on the opposite side of Cari almost asleep on the stool. He jerked awake and looked at me.

“Sorry, Doc’s speeches bore me. I’m awake I swear.”

“If you need a nap that’s alright.” I said.

He shook his head, “Nah, I’m good. What did you need?”

“I want to form a council, not of rulers, of advocates. I don’t care how the communities choose them but they can’t be the leaders. I don’t want Dom or Adrian.”

“Adrian is no longer leader of the Lone Wolf Pack.” Ryan said.

I sighed. “We’ll deal with semantics later. I want people who will stand up to me, and stand up for their people. If I’m going to be leading anything, then I need to know what the little people want not just the big wigs.”

“I don’t think there is a single person in New York City that is going to stand up to you Nox. Not after they find out you rose from the ashes.”

“There has to be people who don’t care the fuck who I am or what I can do.” I said.

“But Terry, what I need you for is I want to do what the Night Life building does for vampires. I need permits and the whole city crap to build something. At the meeting they said they’d all chip in. So we need agreements knocked out, and legal. I don’t want anyone getting screwed over or thinking they are. We aren’t human but we live in a human world. We can make the things work in the legal system and be persecuted just the same.”

“Jail won’t hold most of them.”

I smiled. “Not yet anyway.”

“Allison, you and Jin get the leaders back here anyway possible. If nothing else works tell them if they don’t Il Cane will find them. It’s that important.”

“Are you willing to kill a leader who won’t come?” Cari asked.

“No. But you can’t threaten them with me, so you are the next scariest thing. I might make you drag them here though.”

Cari smiled, “That would be a fun hunt.”

I added, “Allison, make the threat but not that we’ll kill them, that Cari will hunt them down. Don’t mention the dragging part.”

Allison nodded, “I think I’ll enjoy that.” I think I had a bunch of crazy friends.

Clothes were coming off and my stomach growled painfully in my belly. Alex snickered beneath me but it wasn’t long before it was growling again.

Alex sighed, “You’ve been asleep for two days. I think you should…” A yawn interrupted his words and he frowned, “eat. And I should probably catch some Zs”

“I’m not leaving you.” I said softly.

“Pretty boy, I haven’t really slept in two days. All you did was sleep and you need to eat. You can join me after you get something to eat.”

I sighed. “Fine.” I pressed a kiss to Alex’s lips and grabbed his t-shirt and pulled it on over my head.

Alex licked his lips and sighed, “I’d rather have left you naked, but I don’t suppose I want all those fucking vampires out there getting a good look at the tasty morsel you are.”

I laughed, “They don’t care about looks when it comes to food.”

Alex nodded, “I don’t like Alec, but I know he’ll do anything for you. Like Ant, Vin too. But the rest, I don’t know. I think you need to let your supernatural council people get you a new neutral place to live.”

I nodded. “I’ll see what they have to say when they all join me later.”

Alex sat up. “What?”

“I’m alive. You know they are all coming to see for themselves.”

Alex laid back down. “In the morning…” He really was tired. As soon as he hit the pillow and closed his eyes, he was out. I felt horrible as I headed out of our room to the kitchen down the hall. My mind was a mess, full of things we’d talked about, about how much I’d fucked things up by not listening to Alex or Hunter, or even the fucking book full of prophecy.

I hadn’t told Alex about the dream. I turned back and Vin was following me, “You can stay and guard Alex. Ryan is in the kitchen I hear him. And Alec can follow me around as necessary. I need him anyway.”

Vin frowned and I made it sound more harsh than I meant to, “Look you can see me all the way to the kitchen. Alex needs a guard.”

Vin nodded and I turned back to walk into the kitchen down the hall. I could hear Ryan cooking away. He enjoyed it as much as I did. But when I got there he was the only one there cooking mountains of food. “Dude, hungry much?”

He grinned at me in a way only Ryan could. “It’s for you.”

“How did you know I was hungry?”

Ryan laughed, “The first time I came back to life the only thing I wanted to do was eat for like three days. I figured you had to be the same – and then some.”

I nodded as if I understood. But Ryan was Chevalier he did understand so I sat down and let him cook. “Where’s Jin?”

“We’ve sent word out that everyone should come back to work. Not why they should, we want to keep your survival under wraps still, right?”

I nodded, “Yeah. I need all the supernatural leaders to come or send someone they trust. I need the book, I need Hunter’s dream book.”

Ryan laughed, “Slow down.”

I shook my head. “I can’t. I fucked up. I need Doc, and Terry. If we can get Trix that would be great, but I’d trust Jack or Sage better.”

“It sounds like you need a herd of your own?” Cari said from the hall entrance.

“What I need is a staff, to do all the things I can’t.”

Cari smiled and sat down next to me. “My people will gladly help, they are on their way up, Allison is bringing the book as you requested and will call whoever you need until Jin gets back. But what do you need a doctor and lawyer for.”

“I need financials too, but Alex is doing the money things so I’ll wait till he’s awake to tackle that issue.”

“Why are you so motivated?”

“I died.” I turned to Cari, “I fucking died. And I came back to life. Second chances don’t come along too often.”

“It’s not a second chance.” She declared coldly.

“What do you mean?”

“Nox, you are Ascendant.” Cari said.

“And unique from a medical point of view.” Doctor Bryan May added from the hall followed by the other five of Cari’s herd – her family – her staff: A doctor, a lawyer, a banker, a hacker and her personal assistant.

“Tell him in words he’ll understand, Cari, he’s supernatural but he doesn’t want to hear prophecy.”

I sighed, “I’ll hear it. I have to. I not only promised Alex but he was right, I need to know so I can be warned.”

Cari smiled, her fangs glinting in her mouth before it faded as quickly as it came. She was happy I’d said it, but I wasn’t so sure. It was going to be work to not freak the fuck out over it.

“But how do you mean, Doc. I was going to tell you to do whatever work you needed on me so we could figure this out.”

He smiled, “I would like another blood sample.”

“When Alec is here. Alex won’t like it but Alec can maintain my sanity.” I said.

Doc nodded, “Your hacker friend, gave Alex information about you from the Venatori databases. Which Alex gave to me when you were here on your death bed the first time. I’ve found some interesting tidbits, none of it makes sense.”

Ryan laughed, “It does make sense all of it, you just don’t see it yet. Just tell him already.” Ryan shoved a plate of food in my direction and I started eating. I wasn’t exactly sure what it was, but at this point I didn’t care, I was starving and even though the conversation was keeping my attention my stomach hadn’t stopped rumbling since I entered the kitchen.

Everyone was asleep quickly, though I wasn’t sure Alex was but since he was spooning me I couldn’t really tell. But Alex pulled me closer and I knew he was still awake listening to my rambling thoughts. Let’s go to our room. There was no hesitation as Alex unwrapped himself from me. It was more of a tangles mess for me as I disengaged from the puppy pile. The kids all shifted effortlessly and Ant was lying awake. He gave me a smile but he didn’t get up to move. It was good to see Ant content with the kids.

I feel bad. Alex said in my head as we stealthed out the door with Vin in tow.

“How so?” I asked Alex.

“Ant has a soul mate. He’s been chasing for centuries.” I nodded, I’d known that. “But did you know he thought you were his soul mate?” Alex asked as he read my thought.

I shook my head. “No. I’m not…”

“We both are. He says. He says he feels the same draw to us as he did her.”

“But I don’t feel for him like I feel for you.”

Alex shrugged. “Me either, and he says it’s not the same. But I just feel bad. He’s alone and he’s got to watch us.”

“Next life?”

“I dunno. He’s happy to be your friend, our friend. I think he’s had it happen a time or two before.”

“That has to suck.”

Alex nodded, “Yeah. You know what else sucks?” He said as he pushed open our bedroom door and I stepped inside first. I waited for Alex to tell me because I knew the moment we were alone he was going to do one of two things, and sucking his dick was probably not the top of his list from the look on his face.

But he was always in my head, so his face changed to a smirk and he was shaking his head. “We need to talk. I’m sorry to disappoint you.”

“It’s okay.” I said sitting down on the bed and smiling. “I’m used to the let’s talk moments. I’m ready for you to yell at me. Tell me I’m an idiot, that I should have listened to you and Hunter.”

“I’m not going to yell, Nox.” Alex said sitting down next to me. “I’ve been giving everything a lot of thought, and yes I’m pissed you died. But that’s water under the bridge. I can’t do this again. Think you are dead then you come back. My heart won’t last, and neither will the kids. There was a few days that I was ready to leave but Ryan kept pulling me back. Telling me it was going to be alright.”

“He was right, but so was Hunter. He said you’d die in a ball of fire. If you’d known you might have prevented it, Nox.”

Alex sighed. “You have to use all your tools to your advantage. Don’t think of prophecy and the dreams as your life written in stone. Think of it as an early warning system. Something to use to make sure you don’t leave us all.”

“Okay.” I said.

“Okay?” Alex looked at me and frowned. “No argument?”

“You are right. But you know knowing wouldn’t have stopped me from going? You know I suspected what Hunter told you, right?”

Alex nodded. “I know. I get it. But you could have done things differently.”

“I will talk with Hunter in a few days.” I said. I looked down at my knees and took a deep breath, “While we are being all adult and stuff.” Alex was in front of me standing between my knees, lifting my chin with his fingers so I’d lookup at him. One of my absolute favorite views.

Alex chuckled, “You were saying?”

I licked my lips and took a slow even breath before continuing, “What do you plan on doing about Quinn?”

Alex cocked his head at me, “I don’t know. But I don’t plan on letting her go back to them.”

I nodded but my mind was racing with all the things I would to save her. Alex plucked a thought from my head. “You’d kill her?”

“I would fake her death. Sorta like witness protection on TV you know. Except this would be fool proof.”

“And Sage would help you?” Alex asked.

“He has in the past.”

“You’ve done this before?”

I smiled. “Not with a human girl, but yes. I’ve hidden people from the Venatori, faked their deaths, Ant sets them up a new life someplace else, Sage hacks the system to make it all official and we give them a body.”

“So you kill someone else?” Alex growled at me. He went to move away and I grabbed his hands before he did still looking up at him.

“No. We give them a body. The same way I can make a piece of paper I can make a body. It’s not living – never did live never will live. It’s not perfect, and for the Venatori all they want is a likeness. Sage’s faked autopsy reports save time in having to do it, and we usually burn the body or disfigure it enough no one looks too close. But for the human authorities it might not work. But if all we are doing is trying to convince her other life she’s dead and the paper work is there to cover it. I don’t think anyone will notice. It’s simple work.”

“Simple?” Alex says. “Simple is just telling them she’s dead and making them believe it. This is an elaborate plan to trick not one person but the whole fucking world.” Alex sat down next to me, “You really do these things?”

“I have. I know you think that I’m going to get all up in your face about what you do for a living. But I’m not much better, Alex. I lie for a living. I lie to the people around me, I lie to the Venatori, I can’t do lies in my personal life. I can’t.”

Alex flopped back on to the bed and I laid down and propped my head up on my hand. I smiled down at him. “Being a con man doesn’t bother me. As long as you aren’t conning me or the people I love, then you can do it.”

Alex sighed, “I can’t do what I did. One of the main tools I used is off the plate.”

“Sex?” I grinned down at the love of my life, “You being monogamous for me?”

Alex smirked and grabbed my shirt and pulled me down on top of him pressing his lips to mine hungrily. I missed you. Alex thought at me.

I grabbed Alex’s hand and headed towards the door. Alex wiggled his hand free and wrapped his arm around my waist. I was sure it was for my benefit, but I’d like to think that Alex was in a very touchy feely mood now that I was alive.

Though had I really been dead.

Alex groaned, “Yes, you were dead. No pulse, no breathing. Nothing – dead as a fucking door nail.”

I grinned, “Door nails aren’t exactly ever a live so I have no idea how that saying came to be.”

Alex rolled his eyes but he pulled me closer to his side. “I missed your need to fill the void.”

“It’s not a need. I can’t help it.” I whined.

The others laughed, which made me turn around and glare at Ant and Ryan who were happily following us. Ant looked bad, Alex wasn’t much better. And they weren’t exactly looking at each other either. I was going to have to fix that.

“No you aren’t.” They said at the same time, and then growled which made Ryan laugh.

“They’ve been like this for the last two days.” Ryan added with humor in his voice. It was good someone was enjoying themselves.

We took the elevator, though Ant could have shadow walked. “Actually.” Alex interrupted, “Ant can’t. Well he could walk up to a safe level but there is no shadow walking in or out of the compound anymore. Not unless you want to have a fricasseed vampire on your hands.”

“I’d prefer to keep my vampires alive, they smell bad when you fry them.” I grinned at Alex.

I pressed myself against Alex as we went up. Ryan and Ant stood in front of us and chatted, I heard the murmur of their voices but no one else entered the lift until after we’d exited. It was like someone said you can’t press the button. Alex whispered, “It’s express when they want it to be.” I guess that makes sense.

The doors pulled open on the top floor and as soon as it did I heard a squeal and heard the pattern of small feet heading out direction. Ant, Ryan and Alex had the foresight to step out of the way before I had three kids piling on top of me inside the elevator.

Ryan was clutching the back of two of their shirts, Drake and Cass dangled from his hands like trophy fish and Alex pulled Hunter from me so I could scramble off the elevator before the panic set in. That was the last thing I needed. Being shot at and burned alive didn’t scare me more than a fucking elevator how fucking epic was that.

As soon as I had crawled over the threshold the three kids were back on top of me and I held them tight to me. I heard my brothers walking across the floor and I looked up to see the three boys staring down at our small pile. I waved the best I could with a smile. Rider kicked my shoulder. “You’re a bastard.”

“I know. I’m sorry. Please forgive me.” I begged but it wasn’t real.

Rider smirked and nodded, “You owe me dinner. And a movie. Just me and you.”

I nodded, “You’ll have to wait till Alex will let me out of his sight though.”

Rider looked at Alex and smiled, “I think I can wait. But you owe me. Can we move this someplace more comfortable?”

I stood up with the three little ones hanging off of me. “I think we can manage that.” I didn’t carry the kids to our room, but to another large room with a king size bed. The kids all noticed but no one said anything. Alex followed us into the room with a smirk on his face. I want alone time too. I thought and Alex just nodded with that smirk.

I had no idea what time it was other than it was dark. Ant stood inside the room while the rest of curled up together on the bed. Alex sighed, “Ant, you’re family too. You can join us if you want.”

I raised my eyebrows in shock. I hadn’t expected that. Alex gave me a mental nudge told me to leave it – he’d tell me later. So that’s what I did I just curled up with Alex and let Ant do what Ant did. But he stood there standing guard. “Seriously, Ant.”

“I know, man. But until Vin gets here I’m standing guard.”

“What difference does it make if you are sitting or laying on the bed in terms of reacting? Anything that’s gotten this far is going to be formidable what makes you think you standing in the door is going to stop it.”

Ant growled at Alex’s assessment. “I’m fine. Thank you.” His voice softened, “I will join you when Vin gets here. He was running errands for us while we let you have your family reunion.”

Cass giggled, “Yay!” She snuggled up against my back and I froze out of habit. She jerked away expecting something different. She lifted the t-shirt and there was a gasp all around.

“Holy fuck!” Rider said. “I mean…. No, I mean holy fuck! Sorry. How?”

I shrugged. “Magic?” I said with a hint of sarcasm as well as truth. I had no idea how the scars healed the way they had, how I didn’t look like Deadpool was beyond me. If everything Ryan told me was true then I had no idea how I came out of the fire unscathed.

Ant sighed, “And the fourth, he shall rise from the ash Ascended.”

“What?” I asked.

“A line from the prophecy of the Ascendant. Ryan could repeat it to you. He believes.” Ant let out a long breath, “I believe now.”

Alex agreed, “I think we all do. We just need to make him see it. Talk some sense into him. Make him see that all this destiny bullshit isn’t about what’s written it’s a warning so he can affect it.”

Ant nodded his agreement. “That’s a talk I’ll let you have with him. I don’t know if I could be convincing enough. Or sit him down with Ryan.”

“Or both.” Alex said. “But right now, ” the door opened and Vin stepped inside, “we all need to just be a family.”

Alex wrapped one arm around Quinn and the other around me. Ant joined us on the other side with the older boys and Cass breaking up their little uncomfortable looks. She hugged Ant and Rider curled around her and everyone was happy – everyone touching someone that mattered but most of all just a family.

Ryan closed the door as he left leaving me and Alex alone in the glass room meant for dead people. I’d have felt more comfortable leaving myself, but the warmth of Alex’s body pressed to mine made me stay, and stay quiet.

The hug at first was stiff when I pulled the blue eyed boy I loved with all my heart to me, but he relaxed into me, and then his arms were tight around me. Like he was never going to let me go. I won’t ever let you go. Alex thought in my head.

“I’m sorry.” I whispered again. I really hadn’t planned on being flambed by the vampires. I had a lot of questions but I pushed them aside, and I just focused on Alex.

I don’t know how long we stood there, not talking, not moving, just holding each other. I don’t think I’d ever seen Alex cry and he wasn’t crying now, I knew I’d be devastated and Alex was, he’d drank with the kids around. He was lost and all because of me. There was nothing I could do to make it better. I’d told Alex I’d be alright. I ended up not okay, he thought I was dead. But Ryan believed.

“I saw Quinn in a dream.” I whispered. “Alex, she can’t go back to them. I saw Fee and my Mom too. Though she wasn’t my mom, she was the person who wrote the book.”

“You were dead.” Alex mumbled against my neck.

“I was healing. How long?”

Alex growled, “Two fucking days I thought you were dead! Two days!”

The fire was in his voice but his eyes were sad. “I’m sorry Alex. You were right, but it doesn’t change the fact that I would go still knowing that I died.”

The rumble from Alex’s throat told me he knew I was right. “Why do you have to be the fucking hero? Why can’t you just let it go? Why can’t we just be happy?”

“You know the answer to that.”

Alex started pacing. “Never again, Nox. Never fucking again.”

“Never again, what?” I growled. I was not going to be kept like a puppy to be looked after. My anger grew every second he paced.

Until he stopped and looked at me with wide eyes. “No.” He growled, “Fuck. No, that’s not what I meant. I’m … ”

Alex sighed and walked over to me. “I won’t do this again. I won’t sit here and wonder if you are dead. I’m going to know, without a shadow of a doubt, how you feel, if you are alive. Nox, I’m never again going to not know if you are alive or dead.”

“How?” I wondered, “You can’t stay with me everyday all day for the rest of our lives.”

Alex smirked, “No, but the spell thing Ryan was talking about. We do it as soon as we find a wicca to preform it. I don’t care if anyone’s there, Nox. I won’t do it. If you die I’ll die. Straight up fact. If that’s what that bond does I’m okay with it.”

“I don’t think it links our lives.”

Alex shook his head, “Doesn’t matter anymore. I can’t do this again.”

“Okay. We’ll talk to someone as soon as we can let the supernatural world know I’m alive.” I took Alex’s hands and pulled him close to kiss him. It was slow and helpless. Both of us lost in the feel of one another. It could have been so much more except the door burst open and large arms were wrapped around us. Ant pressed a kiss to my head. “I didn’t believe Ry. Holy fuck I didn’t believe him.”

“I’m okay now.” I reassured them all.

“Vampires don’t recover from fire, Nox. Not ever.”

I laughed, “I keep telling you I’m not a vampire.”

Ryan laughed, “He’s more dragon than vampire I think.”

“Hey Ant, mind letting us go.” I said.

Ant let go quickly as he backed away. “Yeah sorry. Sorry man, I let you down.”

“Ant you didn’t let me down.”

“You fucking died!”

“I’m standing here.” I said. “I’m not dead. And even if I was, did everyone get to safety, is Alex dead? You did exactly as I wanted.”

Alex and Ant both growled and Ryan laughed. “Careful Nox, that’s a touchy subject.”

“Look you two, Ant did as I instructed he got everyone away safely. Alex, if you were there I’d not have survived as long over worry for you. The vampires had a null with them, my energy was sapped from me and I lost control. If you had been there you would have died. There is no fucking way I’d be okay with that. Ever.”

Ant looked at me in disbelief. “Null’s are rare. Matt’s the only one the Venatori know exists.”

I nodded, “And who says all nulls are Venatori?”

“Nox it’s a Venatori skill, it’s one they used to eradicate the Aeternus, and then all the nulls. Just like the dreamwalkers.”

“But the skills weren’t eradicated they were hidden into recessive traits and they are coming out.” I said.

“But Nox, null is only Venatori.”

“Exuli aren’t always magic free and it’s possible to show up in their lines randomly.” I sighed. “It doesn’t matter. We have a traitor? Or traitors? We have to deal with this, but first I think I have some kids that need to be reassured I’m alive and well?”

Ant nodded, “Of course. I’ll have Jin set up a meeting of the council.”

I shook my head, “No. Just those bound to me. Only them. That includes Adrian, and I need a dragon from the Last Phoenix representative who’s not me.”

Ant nodded, “Whatever you say.”

“I’m serious, we have a traitor. Someone told the Venatori, and I don’t think it was Nathaniel.”

I felt like I was falling and I landed on a cold metal table. My back was warm even though the metal felt cold when I moved and it hurt a little to move.

“‘Bout fucking time you woke up,” Ryan laughed. “Everyone is driving everyone crazy. Alex is in a bottle. Ant’s destroying himself. The two of them won’t even look at each other. The kids are a mess, thank god for your brother.”

I groaned as I sat up and a white sheet fell from my chest. I kicked my feet over the edge. Ryan was looking at me, “Well fucking look at that.”

“What I asked?”

Ryan pulled over a silver tray that used to have medical supplies on it, but they were dumped to the floor in a quick motion. He handed the shiny surface to me and I saw my marred reflection. The scars from the werebear attack were gone, and so was the one on my cheek from my very first hunt. I reached behind me and felt new skin – unmarred by my dreams. The tattoo at my temple was gone, and I reached behind my head and rubbed my neck, but I expected the stylized dragon was gone too.

“Tell me what happened,” I demanded.

Ryan chuckled. “I’d rather you get dressed first.” He handed me a pile of clothes. “I asked Alex to give me clothes for you, I think he assumed for a funeral so it’s all I’ve got.”

I sighed as I pulled on a pair of boxers and then pants all the while Ryan watched me. “So I have clothes on,” I said as I pulled my white t-shirt over my head, the dress shirt was going to have to wait. “Tell me what happened.”

“The Venatori were alerted to your presence, Kai confirmed it with Bernstein two days ago. He wasn’t part of the mission, but he knew it was going down and they had him under lock and key – same with Dorian and Dae’lin. Anyone with potential loyalty to you. And Nathaniel was coming in to take you out. We don’t know why, but we assume it had to do with the New World Order. They got to Nate, they probably got to a few others too, so, we have to be careful who we trust.”

“So they all came for me?”

“That’s the rumor,” Ryan confirmed.

“What do they think happened?”

“You’re dead. We have put word out there will be a funeral for you in a few days and with everyone grieving they believe it.”

I sighed, “What happened to me?”

“You blocked the fireball that was aimed at us, you took the brunt of the flames and it engulfed you like dry tinder. Ant screamed and you fell. He was there in an instant and walked us out then he collapsed. I’m told Alex was a mess. Likely still is.”

“Why are you down here? I’m in the morgue right?”

“To keep the illusion, and so no one cremates or buries you.”

“You expected me to wake up?”

“Cari calls me a true believer. But she’s the one who gave me all the info.”

“Is that why you always help?” I asked.

“I’m a true believer, what can I say.”

“Why are you the only one here?”

“True believer. Everyone else is morning you.”

“Well maybe we should go upstairs and let them know I’m not dead.”

Ryan shook his head. “Nope. I already sent the appropriate messages. You’ll have visitors in a little while.”

I saw movement from the glass windows of the room we were in. The first thing I heard was Alex’s voice, “Ryan, why the fuck did you bring me down here. Rubbing.. it.. in.” His words trailed off as he saw me standing there. “Is this some kind of sick joke?” He turned to Ryan.

The blond Chevalier shook his head. “I told you he wasn’t dead. He bound one of the most fucking powerful vampires in the whole fucking world to him by accident. Cari’s bond keeps me alive, there is no reason why Ant’s wouldn’t keep him alive.”

But more than half way through Ryan’s little speech Alex had stopped listening to him and was looking at me. The ice in his eyes became fire, that he directed at me, “Who the fuck do you think you are? You don’t get to fucking tell me it’s going to be okay and then fucking die.” His words were clipped and furiously spewed at me. He’d had a little too much to drink and he was pissed.

Alex walked towards me, it wasn’t a run, nor a rush but it was much more than a simple walk. “You fucking died,” he shouted as he pressed his hands to my chest and pushed me. I took a step back and gave Alex the room he needed again. I dropped my gaze and let him yell. It would likely get me in trouble but I wasn’t going to say anything until he was ready to listen.

“You had us all upstairs fucking mourning you.” He shoved me again. It wasn’t as hard, I barely moved back.

“The kids…” Alex shoved me again and this time I didn’t move I wrapped my arms around him and pulled him close to me. His words trailed off into my neck as he pressed his whole body against mine.

I whispered, “I’m sorry.”

I heard the gun shots before the fireball came soaring at us from the tree line. I threw up a wall of air around us so it encompassed the whole gazebo and the bullets stopped rattling through us. A few of the dragons had taken a hit, but they weren’t dragon perceiving bullets so not a lot of damage was done. The fireball splattered against the dome leaving sparks to float towards the trees.

“Get everyone out of here.” I looked to Ant who was already taking Alex by the arm.

“I’m not leaving!” Alex shouted.

“Alex I can’t do this if I have to worry about you.”

Ant frowned. “He needs you safe. I will bring him back to you, I promise.” And they left, I was sure going to hear about it when we got back. Alex wasn’t happy about this meeting, and whatever Hunter had told him was about to go down, for good or ill, and I didn’t like knowing that my son had already seen the results – or the possible results.

Fuck!

The bullets came faster, and there was another fireball sent our way, but Tony, Francesco, and Ant were ferrying everyone away as fast as they could. Only Ryan stayed by my side the whole time. No one else was good at close range, and Ryan trusted me to keep him safe, as I was trusting him to watch my back.

As the crowd got smaller, I let the bubble collapse on us, it was easier to hold, but the bullets were shredding it and I was continually having to enforce it. It was chaos. I saw the army advance from the tree line and I recognized the gear from the outlines. The same teams that had joined the warehouse assault were now firing on all of us. The fucking Venatori were trying to take out the heads of the supernatural community.

Ryan whispered from behind me, “There are vampires behind us. Mostly elemental. Nathanial is with them.”

“Venatori are in front of us,” I told Ryan.

“Well fuck. We need to get out of here.”

I could feel the power draining from me. The whole world felt like it was draining away from me. “I think they have a null.” My magic failed me. The bubble failed just as a fireball flew at us. I don’t know what possessed me but I wrapped Ryan up underneath me in a violent series of movements, I heard bones pop as the fire sprayed across my back. There was a deafening scream and I wasn’t sure if it was mine, Ryan’s or someone else’s, I didn’t get a chance to figure it out before everything was searing pain and then complete silence.

---

Death should be emptiness – a return to the void from whence we came, but this didn’t feel like a void. We were all energy, but I still felt like me and when I held out my hand, I saw my hand – free of nail polish, but like a dream at the thought I was sporting black painted nails like I would in reality – so this must be a dream? But I died?

A thought echoed in my head, “Or did you.”

I turned to look and saw a woman standing in fog. “Silly boy.”

“Breanne?”

“You remembered me?”

“I saw your picture in Oma’s scrap book,” I said.

But there was nothing there when I turned to look at the ghost that was my cat. Instead there were a billion little bubbles floating in nothing. I touched one and it shimmered and then I was someplace else. There was a little girl and it wasn’t pleasant. She was hiding in a closet. A monster was lurking outside her bedroom door. It pounded on the door, growling, ‘let me in.’ With each hit on the door the wood splintered.

And when the monster stepped through it was just a man with his fists and a belt and his pants opened ready to go. He threw open the closet door and yanked the girl out. I didn’t hesitate anymore there was no doubt what was going to happen. I grabbed his arm, and threw him across the room. The girl stared at me with a frightened look and backed up into the closet but I was too busy worrying about the man.

He tried to throw a punch at me and then all of a sudden he was melting into a goo which had me walking backwards trying not to freak out.

“How can you be here?” Quinn asked me. “You’re dead. This is a dream. My dream. Why are you here?”

“Was that your step dad?” I asked.

She nodded. “Did he do this to you?” She looked at me in fear and nodded again. “Is this a memory?” She nodded again and I vowed, “You will never go back to him. Never.”

Quinn started to cry and I was expelled from the dream.

---

“Always protecting people.” A familiar voice rang out from behind me. I spun in a circle to see my mother standing behind me with a smile.

“That’s my job,” I snapped.

“You have such bigger things to do with your life. Don’t you feel it?”

“What do you care?” I asked without really caring if I hurt her feelings.

“Maybe this visage wasn’t a good one to take,” the voice said as it morphed into human shaped nothingness.

“Who are you?”

“I have no name. But you are my champion of Order.”

“The book is yours?”

“No it’s yours. I wrote it for you. To help you, guide you. Your dreams were foreign to you, you couldn’t access them. So it fell into the right hands.”

“I thought the book was old?”

“It is. You are the third to use it.” It waved a hand. “But you need to wake up now. They need you.” It pushed me, “Now!”

Cari and Ant both helped set up wards around the compound and that’s what Cari was calling it since it wasn’t the whole building we were fortifying, just the living spaces. We had a lot to fortify after all. If the Council was on the run, then Valence and his New World Order would be at their door eventually.

It was all very mundane really. We’d know if anyone attacked and they would be protected if it did, hopefully give us enough time to get back here.

Alex met me downstairs with Ant; Cari and Ryan were waiting in the tunnels already with several of the other vampires.

The vampires save Ant were all going to Central park though the tunnels below the city. It was dark but some of them didn’t want to walk the streets of New York without a full entourage of people to guard them. I entwined my fingers with Alex’s and we walked with Ant leading the way.

The kids had all been tucked in bed before we left, they knew we were leaving but they didn’t need to worry. Hunter was sleeping with Matt and Laker despite the fact that Matt had told me it was my turn. Their date had to be cancelled too but I’d make it up to them. They’d gone to dinner but I’d requested them back early. They had agreed without too much issue, they usually did, but I owed my brothers everything. I’d have to do something special for them.

Alex squeezed my hand. “Stop thinking so hard. You are going to give me a complex.”

I bit my bottom lip. “Sorry.” I grinned at Alex. “I could think other thoughts.”

Alex smirked. “Like you need a hard on walking into meet with a much of supernatural leaders.”

“We could be late,” I teased.

“We need to walk faster Ant.”

Ant chuckled but we were already in the park and it wasn’t long before we were at the gazebo area we’d designated at the meeting place. It was nice, and we were the first ones there. I just hoped everyone showed up.

We weren’t waiting for long before Cari and Ryan were there with Tony, Bernstein and Armand. The vampires short of Desmond were here as one group. There was a gaggle of Dragons with Reginald when he came. I didn’t know any of them, but they were the clan leaders or at the very least representatives. I saw several different brands visible among them.

The werewolves came out together too, Dom and Adrian seemed like fast friends even though they weren’t really. The only people missing were the CCB. And Desmond should know and so should Marshall, but I didn’t see either of them or their representatives.

I wasn’t sure how long to wait to see if they showed up but I guess it didn’t matter, they weren’t really concerned with my allegiances. I sat down and everyone else followed suit. Alex sat next to me and I wrapped my hand around his, he was the strength I needed even in all this. He squeezed knowing how I didn’t want to do this. I wasn’t a leader, but here I was running a fucking dragon clan, a werewolf pack and an entire bloodline.

“I’m told the community has a problem with my living arrangements?”

But no one said anything there was quiet nervousness coming from the group. I illuminated the gazebo with a ball of light. “Either talk now, or I stay in the Night Life building.”

Reginald spoke first. “When the Venatori claimed you, you were neutral. Now the vampire house and guard you. The rest of us must go through them.”

“So give me guards. Ant is complaining that we don’t have enough daylighters to watch my family. Give him men and women you trust that Ant and Jin can vet.”

“Your staff is all vampire,” another dragon claimed.

“Okay. My staff is working for me for free. And as an added note, I just hired a demi-demon as…”

“Wait! You did what?” Alex asked, “After P.. whatever his name was you hired a demon.”

I smiled at Alex. “I hired a demi-demon, his father or mother was possessed by a demon. He is gifted with illusion and charm magics that will help the kids out. Particularly Drake and possibly Hunter.”

“He? Ricky? Ms. Wadsworth. Wait I hired him.”

I laughed. “You and Jin hired him and I confirmed it this morning. Anyway, I don’t know what I need, or when I need it. I use Trix when I can’t get Sage, or when I need extra help. Alex handles the money so you have to deal with him.” That was a fun conversation after I gave Alex access to my bank account so he could at least buy stuff with my money. Something about investing it, so I just told him to deal with it. “What else is bothering you?”

“We don’t want to have to go through the heart of Il Cane’s domain. She is between you and us,” Adrian said.

Reginald said, “I propose that all factions provide the financing of a new community center. Neutral territory, no one above the others. We all chip in for Nox to use as he sees fit.”

“Why me?”

Dom laughed. “You rule the city in all but name, chico. Adrian ceded to you. I hear a European vampire calls you prince, and you killed The Dragon in a fair fight. By all accounts, you keep the peace. I will second the motion.”

“I didn’t know this was a committee,” Francesco said.

“You honestly think that Nox is just going to rule with a strict hand?” Tony asked his father.

“He could dictate he’s not leaving and they’d have to live with it.”

“Clearly you don’t know Nox.” Bernstein stood “I will stand with the motion.”

“Stand if you agree,” Tony inclined and everyone but myself and Alex were standing. But that had been a poor choice on our parts as the next thing I knew we had a fireball and a hail of bullets flying at us from all directions.

Random spontaneous moments like that never happened anymore. At least not without interruptions, so to find ourselves naked in bed an hour later was unprecedented. Alex was leaning against the headboard with his hands behind his head while I laid my heard across his stomach pressing tender kisses to the soft skin.

“What Ryan said earlier, it’s not true is it? We don’t want to suffer together do we?” Alex asked as a hand fell across my shoulder and rubbed soft circles against the rough skin there.

I shrugged. “I don’t think so. But he had a good point.”

Alex chuckled. “The binding ritual?”

I nodded and pressed a kiss to his stomach again. “Instead of a wedding. It’s like a wedding, he whole gathering with witnesses…” I rolled on to my back to look up at Alex, “But there is sex involved. Like public sex.” The look on Alex’s face told me he hadn’t known. “Ryan didn’t mention that part.”

“He said he was in his early twenties when it happened so a long time ago,” Alex said. “What do you know about it?” he asked though I was pretty sure he was more interested in knowing where I heard my information from.

“I just know that it is how Ant was conceived. Cari can’t bear children she died – a real human death, that’s how she became a vampire. But something about the magic allowed the conception to take place. The binding ceremony cements the bond in the traditional consummation of what is now a wedding – the honeymoon so to speak. Except it’s a part of the ceremony.”

“So how does that work with us?”

I shrugged. “No idea. I can’t get pregnant.” I grinned at him. “And I’m pretty sure you can’t. Unless you are hiding something from me.”

Alex laughed. “Yeah I’m hiding a twat you haven’t found yet. I mean you are sort of obsessed with my cock.”

I grinned. “I’m obsessed with all of you.”

Alex smiled. “And I love that. I just wish you’d let me worship you like you do me. I’m so worked up by the time I’m coherent again there is so little time.”

“You need to learn to wait, babe,” I poked fun at Alex. “But I love that I make you crazy.”

“I do too. So you’d want to do this?”

I nodded. “If you do,” I said. “I told you forever and always, Alex. A bond, stronger than the one we share would be awesome. To know you were safe, and not in pain would be good.”

“You’d think that would happen?”

“Yeah. The bond is a mystical connection. We’d share parts of each other, and I assume that means our powers, our emotions, along with our lives.”

“So I’d be able to do what you do?”

I shook my head. “Not exactly, but maybe. More like see what I see, heal a little better. You don’t have the latent talent to bend the elements, but maybe I don’t know.”

Alex grinned. “So how do we do this?”

“I’ll talk with Ant. I need to get a wicca here anyway to work with me on that rune for Hunter. He can’t have all his sight gone, just the bad stuff.”

“You think that’s possible.”

I nodded. “I do. I think the book will help if I ever get a chance to take a look at it.”

“Could it help you? Ya know keep you contained without losing control. I know that scares the shit out of you.” Alex was running his fingers over my chest and I was getting distracted by the touch.

The door opened and Jin dropped her gaze. Alex didn’t even bother covering me up like he usually did, there was no point in it, Jin had seen us in more compromising positions before. “I ordered pizza for dinner, so the two of you could spend more time together. But the prince of darkness and his mother are waiting for you.”

I sighed. “I’ll be there soon,” I said.

Jin closed the door and Alex leaned down to press a kiss to my lips. “Duty calls.”

“As always.” I got up and started getting dressed. “What are you going to do about Quinn? I mean other than keeping her here. You are keeping her here aren’t you?”

Alex slid to the edge of the bed. “I don’t know. I haven’t thought about it. All I want to do is kill them.”

“I know,” I said. “Did you at least call her mom to tell her she’s safe?”

Alex looked up at me and frowned. “No. I can’t talk to her. I’ll just yell and that won’t get us anywhere.”

“So send her a text, or an email. Or have Sage do it,” I said. “Wouldn’t you want to know your daughter is safe?”

“They will say I kidnapped her.” Alex frowned.

“I’d call New York CPS and tell them what happened. Get them to assess the situation and then they could contact her parents and the other state’s CPS could do their thing,” I suggested.

“You’ve done this before?” Alex asked.

“Most wolves that get caught in New York are pack less – runaways who don’t know they are wolves and when they change they make a mess of things and that’s what we do with the minors.”

“How many teenagers have you see turn, I thought they didn’t until their mid twenties.” Alex asked.

“Yeah, there are some gangs that attack kids for sport. They try to induct them immediately, but some of them run away before they can. It’s not common, but sometimes it happens. And there are accidents all the time.”

“That’s horrible,” Alex said.

“It is. But the human government can’t do anything, and the Venatori don’t care, it’s pack business, even though they are targeting kids and humans the Venatori don’t care about that crime, only the one when they make themselves known to the world.”

“A bunch of hypocrites.”

“Yeah,” I agreed. “We don’t get many in New York, we try to work with the locals as best as we can. Be easier if we could speak openly, but Adrian and I can’t really do that. But I have a CPS contact if you want her name. She can help keep things discrete.”

Alex pulled on his t-shirt, during our conversation we’d both gotten dressed. How boring of us, there was no fun looks shared. Oh I saw everything earlier pretty boy, and I will again soon. I promise.

I smiled at the lust filled thoughts in my head that weren’t mine. He sighed, “Why are you helping me after the way I treated you?”

“Because you are my fiance, and everything we do we should do together.” I shrugged. “And I said I wouldn’t fix it, I didn’t say I wouldn’t help you.”

“Same thing.” Alex frowned. “I’m sorry I’m an ass. I just want to protect her myself. Everyone’s always running to you like you are some magic pill.”

I grinned. “Alex, baby, I run to you when I need help. You are my rock, my light house, the strength and light in the darkest night. I need you.”

Alex pushed me away. “You are so cheesy.” He grabbed my hand and pulled me back against him and kissed me hard. “I’ll see you before midnight, I’m going to make those calls.”

I nodded. “Good luck.” I didn’t need to ask if he needed the numbers, he just fished them from my head.

Hunter started whispering to Alex and I heard my name. “Hunter, babe, I can hear you.” He looked at me and frowned. “Go tell Alex in the other room. I know you need to talk about it, it’s okay.”

“Why does it matter?” Alex asked.

“I told Hunter, I didn’t want to hear his dreams about me. Told him if he dreamt about me, or saw things about me he needed to tell you, or Dorian, or my Dad, Rider, Laker, anyone but me. I don’t want to know what he sees in my future.”

Alex nodded. “I guess that makes sense, but you’d think you’d want to know if you’d die or something.” Hunter pressed his face into Alex’s neck and I knew that’s what he’d seen. I dropped my gaze and tried not to think about it.

“I don’t like prophecy or foresight or knowing something’s going to happen.”

“But you could stop it,” Alex almost shouted.

“No, if it’s meant to be it’ll happen regardless if try to not make it happen. Alex I’m going to die one day. And it’s not going to be of old age in our bed as much as I’d love that to be the case. What I do is dangerous. But I don’t know how to do anything else.”

Alex sighed. “I just don’t understand. Agree to disagree?”

I smiled at Alex. “Yeah. Go listen to Hunter’s story and help him get through whatever it was he saw.”

Alex carried Hunter away and I could tell the little man was crying.

Quinn asked, “What’s wrong with him?”

“Hunter sees things no one else can. He glimpses the past – things he’s never actually seen before, and he sees the future possibilities. When the water broke all over the floor I think he saw something in it – or remembered a dream. Most of the time he doesn’t understand it. And it’s all scary,” I said.

“And Dad can help him?”

“Any of us can help him. Hunter just needs to tell someone. We’ve found that helps him. Even with the rune his ability still gets through apparently.”

Cass interrupted, “It’s better though. He smiles more. He plays more. I missed my Hunter.”

“I know you do babe, we’ll get things fixed so he’s always smiling.”

Jin came in with Ricky following and the kids all waved. “Living arrangements suitable?” I asked

“Sure, more than adequate.”

“Alex and I will be out late tonight, might spend the night at his place, you can hold down the fort?” I asked.

Ricky looked at the kids and Rider grinned. “We got this Nox. We won’t give him too much trouble.”

“Don’t stay up too late,” I told the trouble makers. Ricky was about to be baptized in fire. “Quinn, you think you’ll be okay with the rest of the kids. Jin will show you to your room, and we can do some decorating. I think we are all going to have to move, but for now this is home.”

“You aren’t going to sent me home?” she asked.

“Why would I send you back to an abusive parent?” I asked.

I said it too loud, and all of the kids looked at Quinn. Rider was there first to wrap his arms around her. “I’ll show you to your room. And I’ll beat down anyone who touches you. Got it?”

He took her like he had every other kid I’d brought home to my little brother. He winked at me as he led Quinn to the bedroom hall and Cass was right there with him. “I’ll come too. I can share some of my pretty things to brighten your room.” She leaned in and whispered loudly, “And we can make more.”

“Rider, watch Cass and the magic – no fire please.”

“Right. I remember what happened last time.”

Alex came in with fire in his eyes, he was carrying Hunter still. “You are not going to that meeting tonight.”

“I am and you are coming with me.”

He shook his head. “No.” He set Hunter down and he went to eat his melted ice-cream. Which was only melted for a little while before he chilled it solid again. They learned quickly. I was proud.

“Nox.”

I looked at Alex and he was still fuming. “We are going, Alex. You, me and Ant. I called the meeting.”

“Nox you can’t go.” I headed for our room and grabbed Alex’s hand as I walked past him. He didn’t hesitate but he dragged his feet.

“This wasn’t about you saving me, Alex. It was about helping Hunter,” I said.

“Nox.”

“Alex,” I interrupted and stopped in front of our door, Vin was standing down at the other end of the hall trying to ignore us. “I’m going. I will not be frightened by a dream.”

“But you saw how real they can be.” Alex growled. “Look at your back!”

“And look at me Alex. I’m standing here. Stronger, with my family – here. I’m not broken by the beatings I took every night. I’m not broken because I don’t let my dreams dictate who I am or who I’ll be.”

“Even if you die?”

I sighed. “That’s why I’ll have you and Ant with me. But no one at this meeting is going to hurt me, they are friends.”

“Nox, please don’t go.”

“Alex, I have to. I have to settle this matter. If you don’t want to come I understand. But I really want you there with me.”

“I can’t make you stay home?”

I shook my head. “No.”

“Will you take extra fire power with you? Ryan, Cari, Wheoever else will come. And who will we leave here if we take all the fighters? Make it impossible to get in through normal means you can do that can’t you?”

I nodded. “Yeah I guess we could.”

“Please,” Alex begged.

“Okay.” I looked down the hall at Vin. “Can you get Ant to arrange that? I need Cari’s help.”

“I will send word immediately. It’ll be a few hours till dusk.”

I nodded. “That’s fine. I can set my own wards and protections.”

“That okay?” I looked at Alex.

“No.” He growled, “But better.”

“We okay?” I asked cautiously.

Alex took my hand and pulled me close. “We’re great.” Alex pressed a kiss to my lips and I let a moan loose that Alex growled over as he fumbled for the bedroom door.

The little ones were playing in the hallway chasing each other through the open areas. As soon as they saw me they started walking really fast instead of running. Rider was laying on the ground staring up at the ceiling while the kids piled on top of him.

“Where are Lake and Matt?” I asked.

Drake giggled. “Is go get ’em,” he said and squiggled off to find his brother.

Alex slipped into our room and was waking Quinn up.

“Come on. Ice-cream time,” I said. The kids were all happy and screaming ice-cream when we reached the kitchen. Rider was in the fridge pulling out the ice cream, all the flavors, he balanced them effortlessly in his arms as he set them on the counter. I pulled enough bowls out for everyone and then some, and Cass was getting the spoons.

Alex had his arm around Quinn protecting her and guiding her towards us. “Hey guys, I’d like to introduce you to Quinn. She’s Alex’s daughter and your new sister.” I handed Quinn a bowl. “Help yourself Quinn while the rest introduce themselves.”

Cass rushed around the corner of the bar and wrapped herself around Quinn’s legs. “You were right Hunter, you were right.” Cass let her go and held out her hand. “I’m Cassidy.”

Hunter raised his hand. “I’m her twin, Hunter.” A fact they were both proud of.

Drake sat down on the stool. “Is Drake.”

Matt was holding Laker’s hand as they walked into the kitchen. “I’m Matt, and this is Laker.”

Rider chimed in, “And I’m Rider, Lake is my twin.”

Quinn laughed, “There are lots of twins here.”

“Daddy’s a twin, and Grammy was a twin.”

“Grammy?” I asked.

Laker laughed, “That’s what they decided to call Mom.”

“Okay then.” I smiled at Quinn. “Twins run in my family.”

Quinn looked at me. “Can I have a little of all of them?”

Rider was there, “Absolutely.” He dished Quinn up a little bit of ice-cream from each container and offered her whip cream and sprinkles.

“Ice-cream?” Alex asked.

“I figured it was big step in welcoming her. Who doesn’t love ice-cream?” I pulled Alex aside. “I have to meet the supernatural leaders, I need you there with me.”

“When?”

“Midnight, central park.”

“So the vampires can be there?” Alex asked.

I nodded. “Yeah. That okay?”

“I’ll be there. Do you want to share the other news?”

“Do you?” I asked.

And really I didn’t have much warning before Alex put two fingers to his mouth and blew. I couldn’t whistle like that, no one had ever taught me and I never really cared to learn to cat call either.

All the kids turned to look at us. Alex grabbed my hand and held it up. Laker was the first to notice and he was wrapping his arms around us. The rest of them all joined in, Rider asking, “Is it official now?”

I shrugged. “He asked so yeah, I guess it is.”

Quinn was off by the bar still watching so I held out my hand to her. “Join the hug.”

She shook her head. I was going to go get her myself but it was Cass who wiggled out from between Matt and the rest of the pack and took her hand. “Come on, sis. It’s a family hug, everyone has to be in it to be a family hug.”

I apologized. “It’ll probably take a bit of getting used to Quinn, but most of us here kinda like the big group hugs and sleeping together. It’s the pack blood in us.”

Quinn followed Cass and she wrapped her arm around her sister and Rider tugged her in against him. It wouldn’t always be a ‘forced’ hug, but they wanted to include her, she was family.

“Go eat your ice-cream, before it melts,” I said quickly and just like that the hug broke and there was chatter in the kitchen. Rider was whispering to Quinn when she asked, “What do you mean pack blood.”

“That’s a long story. Can get a bit intense,” Rider said. “I don’t even know if I believe it.”

“It makes sense,” I said. “I’ve always liked touch, it made people stay away from me as a kid.”

“Dad and Mom were overjoyed we liked to cuddle even now, Dad would be surprised Lake and I would curl up next to him to watch tv,” Rider said with a smile. “I think this would freak him out a little though.”

“I’m sure it scares Quinn a little to,” I said.

Alex chuckled, “Well tell us the story.”

“So my, our, Mom was little when it happened. They were camping in the mountains and a wolf pack attacked them. They killed everyone but Mom, she’d been bitten but the Venatori that killed the wolves took her in. He stayed with her until the next full moon but Mom didn’t change. So they thought that was the end of it. But turns out there is a rare condition that lets a human carry the theranthropy mutations and pass them on to their offspring. And since I’m half Venatori I don’t change. Cass and Hunter should be good. But Laker and Rider they might. But we really didn’t know they had it until Matt came into Lake’s life. And they sort of bonded for life like werewolves to. Since none of us are pack, none of us really understand the laws governing packs. We will be remedying that.”

“Wait,” Quinn said, “You’re talking about werewolves? What’s Venatori? Dad, are they crazy?”

Alex shook his head with a wide smirk. “Crazy yes, but it’s all true. Just like you can walk dreams and listen to people’s thoughts.” Alex looked at me. “Well do your thing.”

I rolled my eyes and started juggling four colored balls, fire, air, earth and water, round and round, but I never touched them, they just spun in front of me. Quinn’s eyes were wide “Magic is real too.”

Cass held a bubble of water in her hands. “I can do it too. Hunter’s not so good.”

Drake had a simple flame dancing above his hand. “I can too. See!”

Quinn looked around. “Can all of you do magic?”

Matt laughed. “No.” He touched Drake’s flame and the patterns vanished. He moved to Cass’ bubble and he jerked it out of his hands and it popped on the edge of the counter splashing water everywhere. “Opps.”

“I got it,” I said and in an instant it was gone, everything was as dry as it had been before.

Quinn blinked at us with awe. Hunter held his arms up to me and I lifted the boy. He curled around me. “Bad dream?”

He shook his head. “Yes.”

“Do you want to talk about it?” I asked.

Hunter shook his head. “No, be careful tonight.”

Rider patted Hunter on the back. “You need to tell someone, kiddo, you can tell me okay? If you can’t tell Dad.”

Hunter pulled away to look at his uncle, tapped me on the shoulder. “This is Daddy.” He pointed at Alex, “That’s Dad.” He looked to Alex with a smile, “If that’s okay?”

“Do you want to call me Dad?” Alex asked. “You don’t have to.”

“But you are aren’t you. You are gonna marry Daddy and you can’t be a Mommy. And two Daddy’s would get confusing. Quinn calls you Dad too.”

“Quinn calls me a lot of things. But you can call me whatever you want.”

Hunter giggled and held his arms out to Alex and Alex too him. Hunter wrapped himself around Alex like he had me. “I like Dad,” he said. “I love you.” I think I saw a tear in Alex’s eye fall to his cheek. And I loved seeing him with Hunter. Cass was always with Alex, but there was something about him caring for Hunter. Maybe it was because Hunter reminded me of me.

In my room I was going to grab Alex’s pillow and actually hide in the closet until I was needed again, but when I got there a particular blond girl was sleeping curled around the same pillow. Ant stood by the window staring out. “He told her to wait here while he dealt with whatever he was dealing with.”

“Ryan go with him?”

Ant nodded. “Yeah, she fell asleep. She’s exhausted.”

“Okay.”

I sat down on the edge of the bed and I moved a strand of her pink hair from her face and she blinked ice blue eyes at me in fear. “Shhh. It’s okay. You are fine. Sleep, but I need you to take your shoes off, and climb in bed proper.”

She looked at me confused. But she let me help her take her sneakers off and I set them on the floor by the rug that we kept there. I pulled the blankets from underneath her and let her shimmy down into the warmth. “Sleep okay. No one’s going to hurt you.”

“Ant I need you tonight,” I said as I got up and decided I didn’t need the pillow. “Actually I need you now.”

He gave me a wry smile and nodded. But it was Vin who answered. “I’ll stay here. I can’t hide like he does though.”

“Stand outside then so you don’t scare her.” I smiled. “And so the other kids don’t scare her trying to get in bed with us. I’m not sure when that will happen.”

Vin nodded. “Right-e-o Nox. I’ll getter dun.”

I rolled my eyes. Vin laughed. “I didn’t think you’d like it but I’d give it shot anyway.”

“Just be you,” I said.

“Good advice.” Vin shoulder checked me. “Ain’t it boss.” He grinned at Ant.

“Yeah it is. Come on. Let’s go,” Ant said as he lead the way down to the next floor and into the dojo. We both kicked off our shoes and sat down to pull off our socks. The dojo floor was slick if you didn’t take your socks off just like it was meant to be.

And after a quick stretch Ant and I were circling each other. It was slow at first, while we both got our feed under us. Ant tried to chat me up, “You want to talk about it.”

I shook my head. “No, not really.”

He nodded and threw the first punch and I dodged just in time. He tried a few more times but before long we were trading blows in succession so that there was no time to talk only breathe. Though I suspected that was just me, Ant didn’t need to breathe as a vampire.

We moved and punched and kicked. There were no rules – at least nothing that pertained to what was fair and what was not. The only rule was we didn’t kill each other – drawing blood was frowned upon but we could do it. It was a whirlwind of hands and feet and magic. At one point Ant drew a fiery sword from nothing and I joined him in a simple sword fight until I squashed his with air and water in a valiant attempt to end the fight.

It only resulted in me on my back and kicking my way back to my feet as we continued. Time was irrelevant and by the time we stopped I was drenched in sweat and breathing heavily through my mouth trying to catch my breath. There was applause from the shadows and not only was Alex watching, but so were several of the Master vampires from earlier. But with a look from Ant everyone except Alex hurried out of the room including Ant.

I gave him a half smile and pulled my wet t-shirt from my body. I used all the elements to wash and dry the offending article of clothing before pulling it back on. All the while Alex leaned against the same wall watching me. I turned and looked at him and frowned. He wasn’t going to talk to me I didn’t know what to say to him. I’d already apologized to him over the text. I sat down on the far edge of the dojo and pulled my socks and shoes back on. But I didn’t get up just looked over my knees at the man I loved.

“Do we have room for Quinn?”

“Absolutely no question in my mind. She can have her own room. It’s not like we are worried about space.”

Alex shook his head. “Do we have room for another kid?”

“Are you telling me you can’t love your own daughter? That my family is too much to love? That there might be in some way no room for another kid in my heart?” I was being a sarcastic asshole and I knew it.

“We barely survive with what we have.”

“And we’ll make it work with one or a hundred more, Alex. Quinn is your flesh and blood, she’s part of you, she needs her father, specially because she’s like you, but all kids need their father. You know this as well as I do.”

“She’s a handful. She’s always running away. She back talks, she’s….” Alex growled.

“You love her. And Alex, that’s all that matters. Family is all that matters, otherwise what is the rest worth fighting for.”

“Do you feel better?” Alex asked.

I smiled. “Yes. Pent up aggression and energy was taken out on Ant.”

“Quinn said you’d told Ant you needed him now. I think she thought you meant in another way, like you were cheating right in front of her.”

“What did you think?”

Alex sighed as he pushed away from the wall. “Honestly?” I nodded. “I was a little worried until I listened to the focus in your head. And then I knew how you were coping with what happened.”

“It’s better than hiding in the closet and bursting with energy.”

Alex smiled. “I hate when you and Hunter lock yourself up in a closet where no one else can help you.”

“Being alone is sometimes the only help we need,” I said.

Alex nodded. “I know, but i still hate it.”

Alex was standing in front of me and he offered me a hand which I took. He pulled me up and against him. The pressure of his body against mine made me weak and not just for sexual reasons. I sank into his arms and wrapped my arms around his neck. He was my everything I hated fighting, I whispered, “I love you. I’m sorry.”

I didn’t say for what, but Alex didn’t ask either he just held me tight. “I spoke with Ryan about that binding thing. We need to talk about that.”

I nodded against him. “Can it wait? Or is this something we want to do soon?”

Alex chuckled. “It can wait pretty boy. But I will say I want you to be all mine sooner rather than later.”

“I’m all yours now and always.”

“I know, but this just proves to me I can’t trust myself.”

“What do you mean?” I asked pulling away from him.

Alex blushed – actually blushed which I knew meant he was embarrassed by whatever he’d done. So I waited for him to say something. “I was packing a bag – not to come here – and not really to confront Shelly and her husband. When the golden boy back there walked into my room and asked if I needed help booking tickets for four.”

Alex took my hand in his and pulled gently towards the door. “I hadn’t planned on telling you, and I’d forgotten Ryan was still there, but Quinn had opened the door and was going to bolt so he had dragged her back in. He was still holding her by the shirt when I looked up at him. Quinn was kicking, hitting, scratching him. I think I saw teeth marks too but none of it phased him.”

Alex sighed as he opened the door and we left the dojo for the stairs back up to our rooms. “And that’s when I realized I couldn’t sneak away. So I packed a bag, and I grabbed Quinn’s and we came here via Ant since I didn’t want to have to chase her through the streets. But we got here and she threw up and laid down. Totally forgot to tell her what to do, but she laid down.”

The stairs were empty and Alex stopped on the platform and pushed me against the wall and pressed his head to my chest. It was a loving and vulnerable gesture and I just wrapped my arms around him. Talking wasn’t easy for him. “She told me you woke her up, made her get in the bed. Like it was no big deal. When I told her it wasn’t she was confused. I told her I needed to find you, and we’d introduce her to the family.”

Alex looked up at me with his bright blue eyes, there were tears in them from his emotional overload. I just wanted to kiss them away, but they hadn’t fallen and he was smirking already. “I won’t run away. And you need to stop too. No more hiding, no more running, I want forever Nox. And I’m not going to wait until we figure it out. I want you happy, and I make you happy. If you are happy I’m happy, it’s so fucking redundant. I know we fight. Fuck!” Alex frowned but he got down on one knee. “I didn’t plan on doing this, but Nox, Marry me?”

I nodded and pulled him up. “Yeah, I think I can do that.” I pressed a hard kiss to Alex’s lips before he could object to my answer. “That’s a resounding yes, by the way,” I mumbled against his lips biting at his bottom one. “No way in hell I’d say no.”

“I don’t have a ring yet, but I’ll get one.”

I tapped Alex on the shoulder, I’d made one soon as he’d asked it wasn’t hard, simple and easy. It was identical to Alex’s except my size. He looked back at me and frowned. “I’m supposed to do that.”

“How about you pick out the wedding bands – real ones. I know we aren’t doing a wedding, but there’s no reason we can’t have the bling.”

Alex laughed. “Oh fine.” He took the ring from my hand and slid it on my left ring finger. “Perfect fit. Not that I doubted you.” He smiled at me. “But you know I’d prefer if you make them. Neither of us do the jewellery thing, so we pick a rock and colors and all that and you make them. It’s free then too – just like you like it.”

I laughed. “Are you calling me cheap?”

“Not at all. But you make 80% of what you use except food and clothes – makeup the little things. Pencils, paper, piece of cake. This is just a trivial thing isn’t it?”

I nodded. “Yeah. I figured you’d want to spend the money though.”

“I’m good for now, do you have any idea what your watch cost?” He laughed at the look on my face. “We’ll figure it out,” Alex said. “Come on pretty boy, lets introduce Quinn to the rest of our family.”

I got downstairs and Francesco was chatting with Joe. I had a plate of food for the doorman and the vampire looked at me with a smile. “You look like shit,” he said eloquently.

I laughed. “You have no idea. Can you just shadow walk me home please?”

He nodded. “My grandson could have done that.”

“If he’d known I didn’t feel up to dealing with more he would have,” I said. “Please?”

“Not a problem,” he said and we found a shadow and he took my elbow and we stepped into my apartment in the Night Life building.

“Thank you,” I said. “Tell Jin I’ll be there in a moment I need to freshen up.”

He nodded and I heard a hustle on the other side of the door even as I headed into my bathroom to reapply the eye liner and clean up any messes I’d made. But before I did any of that I sent Alex a text.

N: I’m sorry. If I didn’t schedule you they wouldn’t leave me alone. And we’d never get any time together.

N: I’ll send the kids over to visit after they get back from Rosie’s.

N: And I’m home safe. Francesco shadow walked. In case you care.

I tucked my phone into my back pocket and cleaned up before I headed into the small apartment that Jin set up as a meeting area. She was with an elderly lady who was not supernatural at all. I sat down. “Thank you Jin. Sorry for keeping you. I had a personal matter to deal with.”

Jin looked at me concerned and I waved her away after she handed me the paperwork. I glanced at the name. “Ms. Wadsworth, what kind of job do you think you are applying for?”

“As you can see from my references I’m an excellent Nanny.”

“I don’t need a Nanny, ma’am. I need someone to oversee their schooling.”

“Ms. Li was telling me about that you wanted to put them in public school, so it would be a matter of making sure they got there on time and the likes.”

“Again, I don’t need help with that.” I sighed. “One moment while I discuss something with Jin.”

I stepped outside and Jin was smirking at me. “Did Alex tell you to hire a nanny?” I asked.

She smiled. “Not exactly. He wanted to spend more time with you. So he asked me instead of looking for tutors to find help.”

“I can’t have human’s around my partially human family,” I said. “Drake cannot hide all the time I refuse to make him.”

Jin nodded. “I’m aware. Finish talking to her.”

I sighed. “Fine.”

I turned and went back inside. “I’m sorry about that.”

“I overheard you. What does the young Drake need to hide?” she asked.

“He’s half dragon. He has to hide his eyes in public because they are orange and lizard like and he’s too young to have contacts,” I said.

She smiled. “I can provide you with a charm that will do that for him.”

“Wicca?” I asked.

She gave me a bright smile. “Illusions are my strong point, But making charms is a secondary speciality – particularly for illusions.”

“The children don’t need a Nanny in a traditional sense.” I started tearing down her personal illusion now that I knew she was hiding something.

“Mr. Sétanta. Read my file.”

“No ma’am I’m not. Paper isn’t going to tell me what I want to know.”

“What do you want to know?” she asked.

I finished the last knot to her carefully crafted illusion and it fell around her. “First I want to know why you are hiding.” Or I should say him. He was very much unlike his prior self, tanned skin, clearly not from a white bread American as he claimed and certainly not an older woman who had years of experience under her.

“And not even wiccan,” I said out loud. “Real name.”

“Ricardo Perez. You can call me Ricky. And despite the teenage appearance I’m much older than I seem,” he said with a Spanish accent.

“Why did you try to hide what you were?” I asked.

“Most people when they find out I’m a demi-demon they look the other way.”

“Okay. So lying to me is bad first impression.”

He laughed. “Yeah. I know, but you wouldn’t look at my qualifications any other way.”

I called out, “Jin.” She stepped inside the door with a bright smile. “Why did you bring in Ms. Wadsworth?”

“Because her talents were useful in helping the young dragon. And all her references said she was an excellent cook, kept house well and never ever slept with their husbands.”

I smirked. “Was that one of Alex’s qualifiers?”

“He said no hot ones.” Jin smiled.

“So provided he’s not lying on the rest of it, if he those qualifications came about, would you still have asked him here?”

Jin nodded. “I do not believe Alex thought of hot men as a criteria when he was asking for Nannies, so yes.”

“Even though I like men and so does he?”

“Most men do not become Nannies,” Jin said.

“And that is the next question, Ricky, why did you want to become a Nanny.”

“Children believe in magic and are usually open to my gifts. I’m not evil I don’t corrupt them,” Ricky said out of automatic defence.

“I never said you did. I can understand your reasoning. And you have no problems working for a Venatori?”

“Any other Venatori wouldn’t be looking for a Nanny. And you are not any Venatori, I’ve lived in this City long enough to know exactly who I am aligning myself with.”

“And that doesn’t bother you?” I asked.

“No, sir.”

“We’ll give it a week. I live and die by my schedule Jin can give it you. Everything has a home, it needs to go back in it’s place don’t move things. I will know.” Jin was laughing. “What’s so funny?”

“Nothing, Nox. I will tell him the same rules we all live by here. Your staff will function as well as can be expected as long as you can get by with the start up issues we will have as we all get to know one another,” Jin said softly.

“Okay. What’s next on my plate? Do I need to talk to any others?”

Jin shook her head. “No. I sent everyone home after I met Mr. Perez as Ms. Wadsworth. I will take him to meet Ant and Vin and then we will get him situated. The rest of the afternoon is yours as the council is settled in for the night. You might find that there are more late night things than you and Alex like.”

“I’m sure we’ll deal,” I said. I didn’t tell her that I was pretty sure he wasn’t going to be around for a while. And that broke my heart as I left Ricky and Jin alone and headed for my room. Vin was soon following me just like the good shadow he was.

Quinn had stopped screaming and Ryan was standing near the door. Alex was in my arms and she stared at us. I held out my hand to her. “You can join us,” I said softly.

Alex started to move but it was just to readjust. “Come sit.” He smirked. “Unlike us, Nox likes to touch, and so does his whole family. His brothers, his twins and the rest of us just kinda get sucked in.”

Quinn came closer and Ryan stood by the door ignoring us, but he was there if we needed him. She looked at him with angst. “Why’s he here?”

Alex and I chuckled softly, I answered, “He’s a bodyguard?”

“What did you do that you need a bodyguard, Dad?”

“Me?” Alex asked.

“He acquired a book he shouldn’t have,” I noted. “And he kidnapped me.”

Quinn was about to sit down with Alex, but she turned to look back at me. “You’re lying.”

“Afraid not kiddo,” Alex said. “Me, and Ant, and his brother’s boyfriend all colluded together to take him from the hospital he was being locked up in because the evil doctors were trying to kill him.”

Ryan snickered.

“You’re all lying,” she said.

Ryan couldn’t help it. “You can read all of us, little one. You know we aren’t.”

She thought hard, but she frowned and sat down with her father and he wrapped his arm around her. I whispered softly to them, “We’ll get through this – together. Like always.”

Alex laughed. “See you always want to fix things.”

I knew he was making light of it but I tensed up at the reminder and Alex froze too. I growled but relaxed my body. “Fine.” I pulled him tight against me. “I’m here. I won’t do anything unless I’m asked to.”

Alex pulled away to look at me and I was fighting back the tears and the anger and he sighed. “Nox, stop, baby.”

“No.” Was all I could say so I grabbed his shoulder and pulled him back against me. I’d be there to support him, but I wouldn’t do anything else.

The three of us sat there, Ryan standing guard watching over us like a hawk. We sat until my phone buzzed its alarm. “That’s my call to walk home.”

Ryan said, “Francesco is down stairs waiting for you. Ant doesn’t want you walking home alone, and we don’t have any free day lighters at the moment.”

Alex sighed. “We can walk home with you,” he said.

“You don’t have to Alex. I know you need a break,” I said. “And your daughter is here, you should spend time with her.”

He smiled at me. “No, I think Quinn needs to meet the rest of the kids.” It felt like a blow he didn’t say family. Like he wasn’t part of it.

“Fuck pretty boy,” he groaned. “Come on stop. This is over.”

I shook my head. “No Alex it’s not. We made up. We are okay, but I’m not okay. Everything is going to brush at raw nerves until I can heal again. You’re in my head, I can’t help feeling the way I do. I love that you know what I think, how I feel. But Alex I can’t stop being me.”

Alex growled, “Maybe you’re the one who needs a break.” And then he stopped talking and stared at me. “You do. Don’t you? But you can’t take one. This is your break.”

“You think?” I stepped away from them and picked up my things. “Why do you think I schedule 3 uninterruptible hours with you.”

“Wait! You schedule me in? Fuck you. I’m more than an obligation.” Alex stormed to his room and left Quinn and Ryan staring after him.

I smiled at Quinn. “I’m sorry you had to see all this. If Alex doesn’t come home tonight, I’ll send the boys down here so you can meet the rest of the family. I’m sure Cass can’t wait to meet a new sister.” I looked at Ryan and he nodded. “Thanks, man. You might want to wait outside.”

He nodded. “I’ll give them some privacy. No one will even know I’m here.”

And he was right, soon as we stepped outside he vanished in plain sight, Vampire shadow magic thick around him. I saw him wave and I laughed, “You know I can see that right?”

“Sure do, that’s why I did it,” he said like a ghost on the wind. Francesco was downstairs, and that’s where I went.

I took the stairs and at the bottom I remembered I hadn’t brought food for Joe down. My storming out would get ruined but I went back up stairs. I could have just walked in and taken a plate and left but every piece of me was breaking inside. A little girl was hurting and in pain, her dad too and I’d left. All because Alex wanted to be the hero for once. Yet he was my hero every day. But I guess that didn’t matter.

I knocked on the door. Alex knew it was me, but he didn’t answer it. I knocked again. I heard, “You know he won’t come in unless you answer the door right?” Ryan knew me better than Alex sometimes.

I sighed and knocked again. Alex threw open the door. “What?”

I closed my eyes and took a deep breathe.

“What the fuck do you want Nox?” Alex growled at me. He was seething with anger, at me? At the bastard step father? His ex-wife? I didn’t know but it wasn’t helping. And then like a magic bullet, it hit me; Alex was picking this fight to deal with. I was near to crying again, the slow deep breathes weren’t working with Alex’s anger piercing through my body. “Fuck you Nox,” he growled and slammed the door shut. Or at least he tried to, I stuck my foot in the door jam and it slammed hard on my foot. I winced in pain.

“What the fuck do you want?” Alex growled and threw the door open.

I still didn’t say anything, if I said anything I’d break down. Instead I pushed Alex backwards and he stumbled inside. I closed the door and set my things down in the time it took Alex those few moments to catch himself. I taunted, “Hit me, I know you want to.”

Alex growled, but he didn’t move. “You think you know what I want. Other than maybe you not fucking walking away every single time we fight, how’s this.” And in the next moment I was hit with another mental blast. This time it was guilt, and anger, and confusion. It was all Alex. His emotions and on top of mine I cracked. There were no words, or sounds as I collapsed to my knees. I didn’t press my hands to my head, it wasn’t that kind of pain. I gasped for breath, my heart raced. It was hard to breathe. I couldn’t get enough air into my lungs. It was a forced panic attack like no other. I curled up on the floor. I couldn’t even rock or make it to a wall.

I heard Ryan yell “Shit!” and then he was sitting next to me trying to pull me from my position.

Quinn was screaming in the background. There was a knock on the door, frantic. Ryan was the only one moving. I heard him answer the door. The murmured conversation was not coherent as I tried to calm my self. Five things I can see. I didn’t want to look around. I didn’t want to move. I gasped for air. Fuck! Fuck! Fuck! I kept muttering in my head. I had wanted Alex to hit me, I hadn’t expected he’d do that. I hadn’t known he could do that.

And just as suddenly as all those feelings overwhelmed me they were gone and Alex was at my side. “Jesus, Nox. I’m sorry.” But the damage was done, I had to regain control, but at least I wasn’t fighting his emotions too. I tried to breathe. I tried to calm down. I tried not to need Alex. I tried to find my calm inside myself.

Alex wrapped his arms around me, I’m so sorry. He kept muttering it in my head.

“Alex, let me get him into bed, where he’s safe.” Ryan was yanking Alex away from me and all I kept thinking was I didn’t want to go to Alex’s bed. I didn’t want to need him to feel better. He was going to leave me and I was so broken already he was going to leave and.

Ryan lifted me and I reacted out of instinct and made it impossible for the Chevalier to lift me. The moment of defiance broke the panic enough to think straight and I pulled myself away from everyone like a frightened dog and curled up in the corner.

Alex whispered softly, “He doesn’t want me to help him.”

Ryan looked back at him and I watched through a hazed filled fog of anxiety. “He does. Even if he’s thinking he doesn’t Alex. You just hurt him. He’s rebelling against his instincts because he’s afraid. You two are pair of fucking idiots. I swear the sooner the two of you bind your fucking souls together the better off we’ll be.”

I croaked out, “What do you mean?”

Ryan looked at me as I sat there against the wall my knees pulled up to my chest and my head against the wall looking at them. I looked like I was drunk, and maybe it was sorta. I just let it go. I stopped fighting I stopped fighting with myself when Ryan knew what was wrong. I wanted to be free for Alex to leave. But I couldn’t do it. I didn’t want him to leave. I needed him. I needed him like I needed air.

“He’s scared you’ll leave. You’re scared he’ll leave. And from where I stand you two threaten to leave each other or push each other away all the fucking time. But you aren’t going to leave, you are drawn together as soul mates are. No matter where you go, no matter how far away you get you two are meant to be. So just do it already. Bind your souls together so you can’t ever leave. You can fight, hate each other all you want but being apart for too long would hurt you. That’s what you guys want isn’t it. To feel each other’s pain. To know the one is hurting as much the other being apart. Tony and Cari did it as a reminder of their love and they had to part ways. And they’ve lived centuries like this. I feel her pain everyday, so I know how it feels.”

Alex crawled over to me and kept himself low. “I’m so sorry Nox.”

“I know,” I said. “I’m sorry too.” I pulled him into my lap and I wrapped my arms around for him. “I’m here Alex however you need me to be.” Alex didn’t relax in my arms right away, but he did eventually.

The way the look on Alex’s face got darker and redder I knew the reason she was here wasn’t good. Their conversation was taking a turn and I saw it before Alex growled and got up and started for the door. I rushed in front of him and he blinked at me in surprise.

“Whatever it is Alex we can deal with it.”

Quinn started yelling, “Leave my Daddy alone!” But it was the mental blast that had me on my knees covering my ears and my instincts took over. The room filled with my power, the book on the counter glowed. The piercing pain stopped as Quinn had felt the power around her grow and it took all my effort to rein it in before it unleashed upon the world. It was harder than usual and I glanced down at the remnants of the mark on my hands. That had to go.

Ryan was on top of Quinn, his back to me and Alex stood between us but he wasn’t glaring at me he was concerned. “I’m sorry,” I said.

Alex shook his head. “There is nothing to apologize about, Nox. She attacked you, and I’m thinking had it been anyone other than our family that they wouldn’t have been alive.”

Quinn had broken down in tears. “Please don’t go. Please don’t go,” she kept muttering from the curled up ball on the floor in front of Ryan. The Chevalier knew exactly who to protect, there was no doubt in his mind that we’d be pissed off if something happened to her.

Ryan grinned at me. “I really am going to start to hate this job if I have to protect people from you.”

“I try not to attack my own.” I grinned back at him.

“But your power and that book go on autopilot.”

I nodded. “I know. I’ll figure it out.”

Alex was sitting next to his girl and they were talking in their heads. It was not fun being left out of the loop. “What’s going on Alex?”

Alex stayed bent with his daughter and held up a hand to tell me to wait and I let a growl go before I headed back into the kitchen to finish lunch. We were going to have to make some rules with three fucking telepaths around.

Ryan sat at the bar and watched me like he always did when I cooked, and I always did when he baked. He could cook too, but he hadn’t really done any of that since I’d moved in upstairs, Cari’s herd having found that I made enough for an army because of three growing teenage boys, they slipped up stairs to eat too. So I had six extra mouths to feed, and sometimes seven if Nick decided he wanted to join the land of the living. The empath was a strange man, but he was a reminder that Quinn could be a lot worse with all those voices in her head.

“I’m not bad!” she growled at me now sitting at the bar next to Alex.

“You’ve had a good teacher. I imagine the first time you ran away because your power kicked in and your mother didn’t believe you or ignored you.” She stared at me in disbelief. “I can’t imagine hearing everyone’s thoughts.”

“Then why do you leak so fucking much.” Quinn shouted.

Alex warned, “Quinn, language.”

I rolled my eyes. “Please, Alex, she’s your daughter.”

“What’s that supposed to mean”, he growled at me.

“Really Alex, like father, like daughter. Whatever. I’m going to lock down now, just a petty warning before I do,” I spoke the last so saccharine sweetly that I almost made myself sick but I pulled my shields around me and watched as Alex understood and his eyes went wide when I was gone from his head.

“Nox….” Alex begged.

I shook my head. “You want to take out your anger on me then go for it.”

Alex was feeling bad and I was pushing his buttons on purpose. I was being petty, and childish and I was pissed. So, I had no excuse for any of it.

I made three plates and then I went into Alex’s bedroom and shut the door behind me. I warded the room, including the bathroom and then let my shields go. Nothing in, Nothing out. My powers were contained inside of Alex’s safe space and while a little dusty I could envelop myself in him even though I was pissed.

I went into the bathroom and found the make up remover, an odd thing to keep, but there it was with the rest of Alex’s supply of make up. He wasn’t that kinda guy, made me wonder why he had it all and it was used. Probably for whatever con he was running. Which made me growl as I scrubbed at the mark that was left on my hand.

The bedroom door opened and closed and I heard footsteps come to the bathroom door. Alex was breathing slowly. I had let it all down so I could relax and Alex had no warning as he stepped past the barrier into it. “I still can’t believe you lock all of this away all the time. Look…”

I shook my head. “No, Alex. I get you and your daughter have this special connection, the same rules need to apply to you as they do to Cass. If you want a private conversation then you ask nicely and we’ll all leave or you can go into another room.”

“I’m sorry.” Alex stared at me his eyes still burning with anger. “You’re right, and I’ll teach Quinn manners – a lot of them, but can’t you cut us some slack here.”

“Why?” I looked at Alex. “You tell me I don’t ask enough questions. So Alex, why do you get to break the rules with your daughter.”

“She was telling me about her step-father. The things he did to her. All the things her mother knows about him doing to her. She wouldn’t say it out loud. She’s afraid to tell anyone. And then you tried to stop me when I felt like going to kill them. Which I’m grateful for, thank you. But Quinn was an emotional wreck and she reacted without thinking.”

“I’m not mad at her, or you for that.”

“I know. You’re mad because I shouted at you over something stupid.”

I washed my hand of the last of the make up remover and shook my hands as I walked past Alex and flopped down on his bed face first and buried face in his pillow. “Go deal with your daughter, Alex I’m fine.”

“You aren’t fine. You’re seeking sanctuary and I’m the one who’s making you seek it.”

“No you aren’t. It’s just everything piles on top of me and I just need a break.” I laughed into the pillow. “You want a break and I don’t blame you.” I stood up and smiled then pressed a kiss to Alex’s lips and pulled my shields around me but I didn’t block everything or try to keep Alex out. “Deal with your daughter. I’ll go lock myself in a closet someplace I won’t hurt anyone.”

I walked away but Alex caught my arm. “Your kids our our kids, but my kid is my kid?”

“That’s the way you want it isn’t it? Your space, your life, your friends, your job, your new place of business. I ask you about your day you say it was good. No more details. You don’t want to let me into your life and that’s fine Alex. But whatever is mine is yours – forever and always. I just want you with me Alex.” I stood there waiting for him to let me go and Alex nodded. I added, “If you don’t want to be anything more than Alex to my kids, then that’s fine. I won’t ask anything more from you than to accept that they are important to me.”

I pulled my arm from his grip. “Nox…” Alex said with sadness.

I sighed and I took Alex’s face between my hands and I pressed a kiss lightly to his lips. “I love you Alex. And I will take you anyway I can. Don’t worry about it. Take care of your daughter, just don’t go killing any one. I get you are pissed, I am too that someone would do that to a kid, and maybe if you tell me about it I could help. But you don’t want to so I should go so you can deal with it.”

“I didn’t want to bring up bad memories,” Alex said as I reached the door.

“Of what Alex? Garrett? My nightmares. Just because they are gone doesn’t mean I don’t still see them in the dark places. I’m a lot stronger than you give me credit for.”

“It’s not that Nox. She was abused – physically and sexually and…” Alex growled but he couldn’t finish his sentence. “And if I tell you, you’ll fix it like you fix everything else.”

My gut instinct was to stay and to help. “You fix it then,” I said and opened the door dropped the ward around the room and I left. Ryan got up and I shook my head. “Stay with Alex, Brandon and/or Valence might come for him since he had the book last.” I wove a net of air and pulled the book from the counter to me. “I’ll put it back in the vault.” I slipped my shoes back on and I left all before Alex left his room.