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Blood Bonds Pt. 01

By: phoenixphair



Sarah pulled her new key out of her pocket as she lugged her suitcases off the elevator, shoving them down the hall to her suite. She smiled to herself when she saw the door already propped open, her suitemates apparently already having arrived.

"Hello!" she called as she pushed open the door and stepped inside, looking around. The apartment was pretty nice, considering it was a dorm, though most of the floor and counterspace in the central communal area and the open kitchen were completely covered with various suitcases, boxes and bags of new stuff.

"Hey!" two voices called in unison, two heads peeking out of the hallway to her left. Sarah knew from the floorplan housing had given her that the separate bedrooms were in twos on either side of the communal area. These two had apparently chosen to be hallmates already. She glanced to the right, wondering if her hallmate had arrived yet, but seeing no one, hoped it was because she wasn't there and not because she was antisocial. 

"Hi! You must be... Sarah-or Taylor?" said the taller of the two as they both came forward. She was partly Asian, maybe Japanese, pretty with pale skin and a bright smile. She was not as tall as Sarah at 6', though hardly anyone was, but probably around 5'7" with shoulder-length black hair. "I'm Ana."

"Sarah," the dark-skinned girl said, shaking her hand with her brightest smile.

"I'm Penelope," said the other, a tiny blonde with a short bob and a Midwest accent. "But just call me Nel. Not Nelly."

Sarah laughed and promised she wouldn't.

"Here, let us help you with your stuff. We got here early this morning and set up our rooms," Ana said, going out into the hall after Sarah, handing bags in to Nel, who ferried them into the living room. "We decided to be roomies, so I hope this Taylor isn't a bitch or anything. You can hang out with us if she is."

"I'm sure she'll be fine," Sarah said, poking her head into the hallway and looking between the two rooms on either end. 

"If you're a morning person, I'd take that one," Nel said, pointing to the left room. "The sun shines right in first thing in the morning. If not, I'd go for the other."

"Oh, I am definitely a morning person," Sarah said. "Hopefully, Taylor's not picky."

"Eh, she should have gotten here sooner then," Ana said with a playful smile, lugging in a suitcase behind Sarah and Nel.

"This isn't bad at all," Sarah commented, opening the closet, pulling out drawers, bouncing onto the bed once. "You hear all the horror stories about dorm rooms."

"This is, like, the most desirable dorm on campus," Nel said, hauling a bag onto the bed. "Want us to help you set up or leave you alone?"

"No, no you can help if you want, but you don't have to. Thanks," Sarah said, unzipping the big bag she'd been hauling, pulling out her laptop case and laying it on the desk. Nel and Ana dove into her other bags, pulling out her clothes and putting them into the drawers and closet, making her bed for her.

They quickly got Sarah's room in order and were touring the other girls' rooms when they heard a knock at the door. They all raced to open it just as it opened itself and a pretty girl with short red hair, wearing a smart pantsuit and holding a leather portfolio stepped inside, smiling distantly when she sw the three of them.

"Taylor?" Ana asked, stepping forward.

"Ah, no, sorry," the young woman said, pushing open the door fully to reveal a veritable troop of people behind her in the hallway, holding boxes, bags and suitcases. "My name is Marnie; I'm a-friend- of Taylor's. She's been delayed in Rome so she asked if I'd come ahead and prepare her room for her arrival."

"Oh, uh, ok," Sarah said, glancing at the other two. This chick must be loaded. "Well, uh, let me show you which room she'll be in."

"This will be suitable. A bit Spartan, but acceptable," Marnie said after inspecting the room thoroughly and coming back out into the living area where the three girls had retreated, watching with wide eyes. The woman snapped her fingers at the crowd outside in the hall and one by one, moving quickly, they moved in and out of the room, ferrying their loads. Sarah watched as a new, top of the line desktop computer zipped past. A very nice set of speakers, garment bags full of clothing, a brand new laptop still in the box and who knew what else in expensive suitcases all vanished into the room. In less than ten minutes, all but Marnie had disappeared back into the hallway and the leader faced the three girls, holding three black leather bags.

"She asked me to tell you that she knows this is a weird way to meet, and not to hold it against her. Her jet is in the air now, and she should be here in less than three hours. She asked me to give you these gifts. She also wanted me to tell you that you may inspect her room, because you are no doubt curious."

And with a nod to all of them as she handed a bag to each, she backed out of the apartment, bowing slightly to them.

"Wait! Wait!" Ana exclaimed, following her, the others on her heels. " Is she royalty or something? I've never seen a parade like that for a normal person."

A dark smile spread across the redhead's petite features and she paused before answering.

"I not at liberty to answer that question. I will however caution you to be extremely respectful. She is very important in many circles."

And with that, she spun gracefully and stepped onto the elevator.

"What the hell was that?" they all said at the same time, dumbfounded, then burst into laughter.

"Who knows. Must be rich as hell, did you see that equipment come through?" Sarah asked.

"What's in the bags?" Nel asked, moving to the counter and tipping out the contents. "Holy shit! Open yours up, guys!"

"Whoa!" Sarah said as she dumped hers out too, opening a large velvet jewelry box to reveal a large sapphire pendant necklace. There were also bottles and vials of expensive skin care products and shampoos. The others received the same thing, though Ana got a tanzanite necklace and Nel an emerald. Ana got a note in hers that she opened and read aloud after showing them the flowing, rather beautiful handwriting and linen stationery engraved with an intricate black and red crest.

"Hi, I know this must seem crazy. I don't think I come across like this in person, but you guys can be the judges of that. I'm so excited to meet all of you and hate that I'm going to be late. Please accept these gifts, I love giving presents, so I'm sure they won't be the first. The scents should be good for everyone, but feel free to trade necklaces because I didn't know which stones to get individually. You can go through my stuff if Marnie didn't tell you that. I know I'd be dying to see what the hell that silent army marched in there. See you soon, Taylor."

"Jesus!" Nel said, laying the box with the displayed necklace on the counter. Sarah and Ana lined theirs up as well.

"Anyone have a favorite stone? I don't really care which I get," Ana said, looking at the other two. "Think they're real?"

"You kidding?" Nel asked, turning a box over to show them the bottom. "These are Harry Winston. Must be worth a fortune! Look at the size of these things!"

"Can I have the tanzanite?" Sarah asked shyly. "I've always wanted one..."

"Sure!" Ana said, passing the box to her with a smile. 

Nel considered and kept her emerald, clipping the delicate platinum chain around her neck with an amazed smile. The other two did the same, fingering their new treasures.

"I think I like her already," Nel said, laughing. "Hopefully she's not trying to win us over because she's a bitch."

"Her letter sounded nice," Sarah commented, looking it over. "She seems kinda funny, and she knows how nuts this looks. She sure has nice handwriting."

"You wanna look in her room?" Ana asked, grinning. They all nodded and dashed into the room.

"Woah! Would you look at this stuff!" Sarah said, standing in front of the desk, on which sat a very large flatscreen monitor and wireless mouse and keyboard. An impossibly thin notebook sat off to one side, an Ipod on top of it nonchalantly. Under the desk and behind the monitor sat an impressive array of speakers along with the tower for the desktop. 

"These sheets have to be 600 thread-count," Ana said, running her hands over the turned-down covers of the bed. A plush down comforter in deepest navy blue, piles of down pillows, snow-white sheets and matching navy curtains and soft rug under their feet were really the only decorations in the room. 

"She's got great taste in clothes and the money to match," Nel said from her closet, standing on tiptoe to peer at labels. "Lots of Armani and Ralph Lauren. Definitely likes black and leather. I'd say her style is corporate Goth."

"She's got jeans here and t-shirts," Ana said, carefully rifling through the drawers of the bureau. "They're still designer though."

"She's got a great figure," Sarah said, pulling a pair of black leather pants out of the closet and holding them up. "These are custom-tailored. Looks like everything is." 

She held them up against her own figure, gauging her height. "She's not quite as tall as me, and jeez, must be built like a stripper. The waist is tiny but look at the hips and thighs here."

"She's got big boobs," Ana commented, holding up a delicate bra. "Hmm, 34 D. That's a very nice rack. Think they're real?"

"Get out of her underwear drawer!" Nel chided, swatting Ana's hands, who only grinned, putting the bra back. "I wish I could fit into any of this stuff, because I'd totally ask to borrow it."

They finished gaping at all her belongings, sniffing her perfumes and ogling her jewelry, then wandered back out into the living room. They took turns showering and talking until dusk when they heard a key in the door and all stood excitedly.

"Hello?" a husky, very sexy female voice called. A black leather duffel bag was tossed inside, landing just beyond the edge of the kitchen counter with a muffled thud. 

"Taylor?" Sarah asked, coming forward to pull open the door, the others right behind her. Out in the hall, their new roommate was saying good-bye to someone unseen, the elevator pinging softly a moment later.

"Oh, hi!" the newcomer exclaimed, stepping inside. "Oh, you're wearing them!"

She was, as expected, gorgeous in tight-fitting, low slung jeans and a black long-sleeved t-shirt, nice running shoes. Sarah was right about her dimensions. Tall, firmly muscled but with heart-stopping curves. She had incredibly long, shining graphite-colored hair that cascaded in sparkling waves nearly to her tiny waist and the most stunning emerald green eyes, flawless pale skin. A giant ruby in an intricate silver collar was clasped around her throat. Sarah noticed a modern-looking platinum wedding ring on her left hand. She was displaying perfect white teeth in a 1000 watt smile, beaming at all of them in turn.

"Hi, nice to finally meet you," she said, a very slight Southern drawl coloring that velvety voice. "I'm obviously Taylor."

They all introduced themselves, shaking her cool hands with metallic black nails.

"We met your entourage earlier," Ana said, raising one eyebrow.

"Yes, the troops," Taylor sighed, rolling her eyes. "Sorry, that had to be bizarre. I told Marnie not to bring half the staff, but I knew she would anyway. They're like a corporate army. I had an engagement in Rome that I had to attend last night, so I knew I was going to be late."

"It's cool," Nel said, smiling brightly, looking her over from head to toe. "Are you, like, royalty or something? Marnie said she was- and I quote- 'not at liberty to answer that question, but to treat you with extreme respect.'"

Taylor laughed once, shaking her head an enigmatic smile on her pale lips. "Not in this world. I'm surprised she didn't sit all of you down and have a lecture on proper etiquette. Anyway, did they set up my room?"

"Oh, yeah," Sarah said, motioning her to follow Ana. She moved with a fluid grace somewhere between an exotic dancer and a kung fu master, not making a sound. 

"Let me guess," Taylor said with a snicker. "Marnie took one look at it and said something like, 'well, it's a bit bare, but it will do?'"

"Something like that," Sarah laughed. "Is she your assistant or something? You said 'staff...'"

"No, well, technically she's my husband's assistant, but she handles my affairs as well. I don't think I need an assistant just yet."

"You're married?" Nel asked, shock on her small features. 

"Yeah, for awhile now. You'll meet him sometime," Taylor said, flashing her wedding ring in an off-hand way, plopping the bag on her bed and opening her closet, running her hands over her wardrobe appraisingly. "Well, she picked up a good assortment for me. I've been in Europe for a month so I didn't really have time to shop stateside. Marnie picked all this stuff up for me this week. Think she likes to see me in black?"

"Yeah, we looked over your stuff. It's nice," Sarah said, blushing a little. "Hope that was okay?"

"You kidding, I said it was fine. I know I'd be dying to look it over if all those people brought it in like a I was some fucking princess."

"To clarify, you are loaded, right?" Ana said with a grin.

"Oh, does it show?" Taylor said with a faux-cringe that made them all laugh. "Yeah, I'm old money- very old money. I don't think I'm a bitch about it, but definitely tell me if I am. I'm honestly not trying to show off."

Sarah nodded, impressed with her overall. She had a disarming, magnetic quality about her that put them all at ease, though there was an undercurrent in her voice, her eyes, something darker, that made Sarah wonder. She was definitely accustomed to being an Alpha female, everything in her stance and demeanor, though to a degree calculatedly seductive, was a study in authority and careful training.

"There's this dance thing up in the main quad in an hour or so," Nel said. "We were planning on going. You in? We already showered so the bathroom's free."

"Sure, I'm ready to go. Showered on the jet- yes I have a jet, deal with it."

"Holy shit! I know who's sponsoring Spring Break this year!" Ana exclaimed.

"Absolutely!" Taylor said, her face brightening. "How's Fiji sound? We have a place not far from there."

"You're serious!" Nel squawked. 

"Completely," Taylor said with that enigmatic smile. "Anyway, we'll get to that later. What are you guys wearing?"

She leaned into her closet, stretching one leg out behind her as she reached up high to put away the stilettoes she'd pulled out of her bag. As her shirt rode up her defined back, Sarah caught a glimpse of a very large black and red tattoo that covered her lower back and disappeared beneath the shirt.

"I was planning on going as I am," Nel said, looking down at her jeans and belly-baring halter-top. "It's outside on the grass and they're supposed to be barbecuing so I don't want to ruin any good shoes."

"Oh good, I am so tired of dressing up. Just wanna be in jeans for once like a normal person. Y'all can sit if you want. You don't have to stand there."

"I would not be bitching if I had labels like that in my closet!" Sarah exclaimed, sitting on the bed. Ana sat next to her, reaching into the bag and pulling out stuff to hand to Taylor. Nel sat at her desk, poking at the notebook.

"Can I-" she asked, pointing to the flat computer.

"Knock yourself out," Taylor said with a wave of her hand. "I haven't even looked at it yet. Hopefully they copied stuff from my other one so I don't have to send for it."

"Oooh, momma!" Ana exclaimed, holding up a fantastically sexy piece of black lingerie. A gorgeously detailed satin bustier with long flowing pieces of silk attached to the bottom, Asian floral motifs embroidered into the silk in crystal beads. "What did you say you did?"

"I'm not a stripper," Taylor laughed, taking the piece and hanging it in the closet. "Though I've been told I look like one. I'm not sure how to take that. I'll choose compliment. I have a... unique life. It'll take a while to explain all that."

"I bet," Sarah said, examining the long black silk robe that Ana pulled out next, similar detailing running its length. "I'd totally wear this as a dress."

"You guys are free to borrow any of my shit without asking. It's altered to fit my shape, but it you can fit into it, by all means. Nel, you might be a little small, but you two might find some stuff that will be a tolerable fit. Though my ass is so much bigger than either of yours."

"Wow, thanks," Ana said, leaning to look around Sarah at the contents of her closet. Taylor smiled and moved out of the way so she could see better, indicating with a wave that Ana could take whatever she wanted, saying she was going to wash her face in the bathroom.

"Can you even imagine having this much money?" Ana whispered, looking like she was in heaven as she pulled out garments.

"I thought my family was well-off," Sarah said with a shake of her head. "She's so loaded she doesn't even care if you ruin that five thousand dollar jacket you're holding."

"I like her a lot," Nel whispered, smiling.

The others agreed, looking up as they heard the bathroom door squeak open, Taylor appearing a moment later, face scrubbed clean. She pulled a make-up case out of the top drawer of her bureau and sank gracefully to the floor, cross-legged, waving Sarah off as she started to stand.

"Oh, I could totally rock this over jeans," Ana whooped, whipping out a tailored, pinstriped navy vest that was obviously part of a pantsuit. "Are you guys squeamish about boobs?"

They all shook their heads, Taylor glancing up from her eyeshadow, Sarah watching her, entranced by her skill with the Chanel products. Nel raised her eyebrows but continued to scroll through the applications on Taylor's computer. 

"Want me to make you up?" Taylor asked Sarah, obviously aware she was being observed. "Isn't that what girls our age do?"

"Yeah," Sarah laughed. "Sorry, you're just really good at it."

"I've spent enough time with make-up artists to learn by now."

She finished her own smoky make-up, which made her green eyes look positively eerie, then rose fluidly, coming to sit next to Sarah on the bed. Her hair fell over her eyes as she dug in the bag for a different palette.

"What do you want?" Taylor asked. "Queen of the Night or girl-next-door?"

"How about somewhere in between. I really like your eyes."

Taylor nodded then set to work. 

"Oh, I don't have the tits for this," Ana sighed, inspecting her reflection in the full-length mirror on the back of the door.

Taylor laughed at her forlorn expression. Ana pushed at her cleavage, trying to force it to fill out the vest where it came to a V mid-chest.

"I bet this looks fantastic on you! Here, put it on!" she said, whipping it off and holding it out to Taylor. "And you are totally doing me next."

Taylor raised an eyebrow, smiling darkly, obviously holding back some comment that amused her. She finished Sarah's makeup, handing her a mirror, then took the garment from Ana, standing.

"This looks great!" Sarah said, not believing it was her in the mirror. "Oh, I feel like a pig suddenly. What kind of workout do you do?"

Taylor had pulled off her shirt, standing slightly in profile to Sarah. Her stomach was completely ripped, though still maintaining her smooth curves, arms toned, back sculpted. Her breasts held by the black, lacy and slightly transparent bra were obviously natural and very obviously pierced, large but proportional to her figure. Sarah could see a little of the giant tattoo from her view.

"Jiujitsu, mainly," Taylor said, glancing down at herself as if she'd never really paid any attention. "Some blade training, though not so much anymore."

The three girls looked at her for a moment, taken aback, wondering if she was kidding. The casual tone of her voice suggested she was not.


Blood Bonds Pt. 01



"Is that a tattoo?" Sarah asked, leaning back to get a better view. "Turn around."

Taylor flashed that same dark smile and pivoted smoothly, pulling her long hair over her shoulder so they could all see. 

"Something like that," she murmured. 

"That's not a tattoo; that's a real commitment," Ana whistled, bending to look at it.

"Hey, that's the same design as on your stationery," Nel noted, closing the notebook, though she ran a hand over it lovingly. The background was of a stylized black bird, a phoenix apparently, as it appeared to be rising from flames. Deep, blood red script in an unknown, beautiful language overlay the image of the phoenix.

"Does it mean something?" Sarah asked, moving closer as well.

"It's... my crest. Long story," Taylor said, turning again.

"What language is that?" Nel asked, tilting her head to the side thoughtfully as Taylor slid on the vest and buttoned it quickly. It was tailored to fit her, breasts pushing at the top of the silk in a sexy but dignified sort of way. A strip of flat white stomach was revealed alluringly between the bottom of the shirt and the top of her jeans.

"Oh, that's hot," Ana sighed. "Maybe if I wore a really really padded push-up bra? You should totally wear it tonight!"

"Well, I don't think I'm ready to bust out that much of this Mark just yet," Taylor said, smiling as she unbuttoned it again and handed it back to Ana, pulling her other shirt back on. "Some people will recognize it and then all hell will... Anyway, I stand out enough as it is. I'm trying to blend a bit here, at least at first."

"You planning on making a splash later?" Ana asked, raising her eyebrows.

"No, trouble just follows me, that's all."

"I can-" Sarah started to say but was interrupted by a knock on the main door. Ana whipped on her shirt as Sarah dashed past to get it. 

"Oh, I hope it's that hot guy from down the hall," Ana whispered. "Kevin, oh my god, he's big, strapping, blonde, talks like he has a sensitive side. His roommate's a dick, but ..." 

She and Nel stood at the door, listening to Sarah, picking up a deep male voice.

"Ladies," Sarah called in a sing-song tone. "Kevin's here to escort us to the ball, please hurry!"

They heard laughter from the next room before Nel lunged for the door, slamming it closed.

"It's him!" Nel exclaimed, jumping up and down excitedly. "Hurry, do my make-up fast. Make me look f-I-–e!"

"Me too, shit, there's gotta be something in here that will fit me. I don't want him to see me in this ratty old t-shirt."

"Look on the far left," Taylor instructed her as she quickly swiped color on Nel's eyes and cheeks, defining her bright blue eyes and applying dark brown mascara. 

"Oh, this? I like it!" Ana exclaimed, holding up a blood red top. She wriggled out of her shirt.

"Don't wear a bra with it," Taylor suggested, not looking up. "It'll look better, trust me."

Ana complied, stripping out of her bra and pulling the top on carefully. It was a constructed top that held her breasts firmly, though it was carefully designed to look careless. Spaghetti straps held the silk down to where it gathered at the breasts, sweeping down over her stomach to her hips, open from below the cleavage. She looked over herself approvingly, then launched herself onto the bed that Nel had just vacated. Nel stood looking forlornly at the closet, glancing down at her unspectacular shirt.

"Honey, look in the bottom drawer, there may just be something that will work for you," Taylor suggested. "Marnie usually picks up a few things for my gir- one of my friends in case she comes to visit. She's closer to your size."

Nel looked hopeful as she dropped to her knees and dug through the bottom drawer of the bureau. A moment later, she yelped in triumph as she pulled out a sparkling, gorgeously deconstructed turquoise top, holding to her body.

"That'll look just fine," Taylor confirmed. "Again, don't wear a bra. You can pull it off."

"You're not big on bras, are you?" Ana asked, looking up into Taylor's eyes as the girl applied the last touch of lipgloss.

"My People are not known for our modesty," Taylor said with a sexy smile, eyes darkening seductively. Ana just stared at her, licking her lips, then starting as Taylor held a mirror in front of her.

"What do you think?" Nel asked. "I feel naked!"

"Oh, honey, you look fantastic," Taylor said with a grin. "Now, go! Both of you. I'll be right there."

They nearly ran into each other as they both tried to get out the door at the same time, smoothing their hair.

"Hi, ladies," Kevin said, standing politely, setting down the drink Sarah had made for him. She'd found the stock of premium alcohol and various mixers Taylor's people had deposited in the fridge along with a copious amount of groceries and had taken the liberty of breaking into the vodka and juices. "Wow! You all look great! I feel underdressed now."

"Oh, you look just fine to me," Ana said breathlessly. She looked accusingly at Sarah. "Where did you get alcohol?"

"The army brought it in," Sarah said, cocking her head towards Taylor's room. "I didn't think she'd care."

Nel and Ana both made for the fridge, ooh-ing over the selection, previously having only been able to sneak from the parents' liquor cabinet and icky kegs at high school parties.

"Are you guys dead set on this school thing?" Taylor asked from her room.

Kevin's head jerked to the side so hard, he hurt himself, looking for the owner of that voice. If the person attached to it was half as good-looking as she sounded, he was going to need to sit down.

"Not really. Why?" Sarah replied, looking at the others, who shrugged. "Come out here and say hello."

"In a minute. I know a great club here in DC that's so much better. And since you all apparently like to drink, it's all free. I can have transportation here in ten minutes."

"What club?" Nel asked.

"Volition."

"Holy shit! I've heard that place is incredible."

"None of us are 21 and I don't have a fake," Ana called, sniffing her drink. "How do you propose we get in?"

"Is that a yes?"

"I guess so. Answer the question!"

"I know the owner."

"Who?" Nel asked.

"Me," Taylor said, voice deeper than ever as she leaned into the room. She was gone in a second and Kevin inwardly cursed that he didn't get a good look at her in the dark hallway.

"You're not kidding, are you?" Sarah called, trading amazed looks with the others, who all gulped down their drinks.

"Of course not," she responded. They heard her speaking in a very fast, melodic language for a moment, laughing, then she went silent.

"What are you doing? Get in here!" Sarah called again.

"I'm changing! Hang on," she called. "Don't worry, you all look hot like you are. There's no dress code tonight and it wouldn't matter for you guys anyway."

They all let out shocked laughter, looking at each other. Kevin thought he would burst with anticipation.

"She's completely loaded. I can't describe the amount of wealth," Ana whispered in his ear. "She flew in from Rome in her own jet today."

"So, we're leaving soon. I called for a car. Drink up."

Kevin spun at the voice, which was right behind him now. His mouth fell open at the sight before him, for surely this was a succubus. Her long, tousled dark silver hair flowed around her like a mane, entrancing green eyes peering out from her pale face. He knew he was obvious, but couldn't help running his eyes over her body. She wore a short-sleeved black shirt with a slight sheen to it, cut just above her belly-button to bare a generous slice of six-pack. Perfect breasts stretched the fabric, proportional to the wide hips and generous ass encased in tight black leather pants that flared around shapely calves. The ruby at her throat caught his eye, seeming familiar, though he couldn't place it. Devastatingly, calculatedly, carelessly sexy, and she knew it. And nothing remotely human about her.

"Hi, I'm Taylor," she said, holding out a hand, the smile on her face dark and more than a little mysterious. 

"Kevin," he managed, shaking her cool hand, feeling a rush of electricity race up his arm. She cocked an eyebrow at him, but didn't say anything, moving away and taking the drink Sarah held out for her.

"I've lived in Europe for a while now, so I'm a drinker," she said. "I probably should have asked first, but I guess you all are okay with underage drinking."

They all laughed.

"You don't have any beer, though," Kevin noted jokingly.

"I'll have some brought up for you, then," she said with that heart-melting smile. He swallowed hard, praying his body would remain under his control. He felt his heart stop suddenly. She held her drink with her left hand and on her ring finger was very obviously a wedding band. He felt like crying, but she followed his gaze to her hand, then smiled at him and winked. Hope, guilty, evil hope blossomed in his heart once more.

Something else caught his eye as she moved. Something unnatural about how the air moved around her, the way the light collected around her body. He squinted at the space around her, cocking his head to the side. Then he stepped back in surprise, catching an odd look Sarah gave him.

"We ready?" she asked, tossing back her drink and moving to the door, hips swaying above the tall heels. They followed her down the elevator, past the longing stares of the other students hanging out in the lobby. A long black stretch limo pulled smoothly up to the curb as they walked out into the sultry early evening.

A driver hopped out and came around to open the door for them. Kevin glanced back at the building, smiling at the envious stares on their classmates' faces, then climbed in behind the girls.

"Good evening, Lady Talera," the driver said, after they were all inside, lowering the partition between the front seat and their leather compartment. 

"Taylor, David!" she corrected him a little sharply, rolling her eyes. 

"Oh, I forgot. Sorry, My La- uhm, Taylor. I got your-"He didn't finish the sentence as she lunged forward and grabbed the pack of cigarettes and lighter out of his hand, eliciting a chuckle from him. "Why do you never bring any to Europe with you? Marnie has pondered sending a care package ahead of you from now on so she doesn't have to send me out at three in the morning so she can overnight them to you."

"I'm not thinking of that when I'm getting ready. I can see lighting up in a Council meeting going over well. Thanks, David."

"My pleasure, Taylor," he said, smiling at her in the rearview mirror, then rolling up the partition.

She let out an exaggerated sigh as she opened the pack and lit one with the engraved silver lighter, rolling open the moonroof to let out the smoke.

"'Lady Talera,' huh?" Ana said, deadpan. "Didn't we have this conversation about not being royalty or something?"

"And I didn't answer the question, if you'll recall. I'm not from any Court you'd recognize, love," Taylor said, taking a long drag and leaning over to open a compartment in the side panel, revealing a full bar in miniature. She pulled out a bottle of spiced rum and took a giant swig straight from the bottle, ignoring the glasses, and holding it out to the others, who gaped at her.

"Do not try to keep up with me," she said with a laugh, handing the bottle to Kevin. "I run on a very different operating system and I'm highly experienced."

"You're a little party animal, huh?" Sarah asked, eyebrows raised as Kevin passed her the bottle. She took a swallow, choking a little, unaccustomed to drinking straight alcohol, passing it to Nel.

"What Court are you from?" Ana asked, squinting her eyes suspiciously.

"Let me just have one night to be normal, okay?" Taylor asked, her expression almost pleading. "I promise you'll hear all about me sooner than I'd like. For now, just have a good time."

"That's cryptic," Sarah muttered, but couldn't help but smile. She was sure there was more than met the eye with the young woman and she loved a good mystery.

"You have no idea," she laughed darkly, exhaling a stream of blue smoke.

"I think I might," Kevin said under his breath, no one but Taylor hearing him, but she only smiled.

Sarah turned and whirled on the dance floor, enjoying seeing the flashing lights blur as she spun, laughing when she caught Ana's eye. Nel danced closer to them, waving at Taylor and Kevin standing on the private balcony high above.

Standing behind Taylor, Kevin looked intently at the part of the Mark showing between her shirt and low pants, recognizing the design there. A thrill ran through him. He knew he was drunk, that he should be more than cautious, but shrugging to himself, he quashed his inner voice.

"What are you?" he asked, coming up behind her, bending so he could whisper directly in her ear, catching a whiff of her perfume, her natural intoxicating scent. She didn't turn, just slowly rotated her hips against his, moving in half-time with the pounding beat. "Succubus? The Chosen part is a given. But there's something else. No way you're human."

He put his hands on her hips as she turned around in his grasp, running her lips over his collarbone, exhaling a cool stream of air. He felt his stomach lurch, his body starting to react to her body against his.

"Couldn't even give me one night?" she murmured in his ear, standing on tiptoe, eyes burning into him.

"Sorry, it's too much for me," he replied, restraining himself from kissing her. He could fall into her eyes, get lost in those green depths. 

"What are you?"

"Born Hunter."

She smiled, brushing his lips with hers ever so lightly.

"I wondered if you knew," she said.

"My parents are archaeologists. Study your People. They know a few Hunters, so I've known since I was ten. It's never mattered until tonight. So... am I right?"

"Yes and no. I'm Chosen Ascendant. I'm not human, but I'm not a succubus. I function as one, but I'm not. I'm something else."

"This isn't your true form is it? I can see the shadows move around you. You have...wings, it looks like. Maybe a tail."

"You are good," she exclaimed softly. "Very few from this realm can see that. This is my original form. I was human once. An Elemental."

"You're THAT Chosen? The Chosen Ascendant?" he said, alarm coursing through him as his mind caught up through the lag of alcohol. He took several steps back from her, eyes growing wide.

"Pan'ah, the Lady Talera. House of Arkon. Ruling Line," she said, bowing slightly as she ran through her full title.

"Holy- My Lady, forgive me," he stuttered, dropping to a knee before her, everything he'd learned about the Vampyr and their Ruling Line since birth rushing his mind at once.

Get up, honey. I'm just a happy college student tonight. I'd never hold you to ceremony anymore than I would those girls down there. 

Her voice echoed in his head. He felt himself pulled to his feet again, though he made no effort to stand.

"I- this is- whoa," he stuttered, feeling a little faint. He turned and moved back into the insulated room beyond the balcony, the throb of the party outside dying instantly as she followed him inside, closing the glass door after her.

"May I see your true form?" he asked, looking up at her. She looked down at him as he sank down into the soft couch, peering up at her. She quirked her mouth to the side, considering.

"I was gonna play this completely differently, you know," she sighed. Her eyes suddenly filled completely with black, blotting out the green and white. "I was not planning on telling anyone. I've been ordered to get back in touch with my mortal roots. Apparently, I'm losing that connection. You're fucking up the plan."

Her tone didn't match her words. 

"Sorry. I have a talent for that kind of thing," he chuckled, relaxing.

"I gathered that. But... I was thinking it was kind of unfair to them anyway. They should probably know if they're going to live with me. Or not if I tell them."

"Let me see," he almost pleaded, leaning forward.

She clicked her teeth together, baring a full set of fangs on both top and bottom for a second. Then she shrugged.

"Alright. I'll let you get a look at half-shift. If you lose it, I'm erasing it from your memory. Deal?"

"Deal."

She raised her arms to the sides, palms out, smiling darkly. Scrolling black ink lines began to fade into view around her temples, eyes, wrists, what little of her sides were exposed between her clothes. Her hair darkened to jet black, a silver sheen to it, with blood-red stripes running through it. 

"Holy..." was all he could muster. She tilted her head to the side, black eyes staring through him. He lunged to his feet, holding out his hands. "No, no! Don't erase it! I think it's fantastic!"

"Really?" she asked, folding her arms over her chest. She idly tapped one finger on her arm, displaying a wicked set of metallic black claws, nearly an inch long each.

"No wonder your nails are black," he laughed incredulously. 

"Yeah," she said, looking down at her hands. "Of all the things I can push back into another plane, I have a hard time, making the color normal. At least they're retractable, because nothing on this planet can trim these babies."

"You sure you're not a succubus?" he asked, quirking an eyebrow at her. "Because you sure... uh, I mean...I know you have wings and all, even if you won't let me see, and..."

She smiled slowly, running her tongue over crimson lips.

"Their wings are blue and feathered, if they choose to show them. Same with incubi. You can tell them from normal people by their eyes. Brilliant, gorgeous cobalt blue. My wings don't even remotely resemble theirs. And I'm certainly not blue. So, no. I'm not a succubus. I am bonded to an incubus, though, so I can fully function as one of them if I want to. To tell the truth, I can't turn it off, so never touch me unless you want a real rush."

"Okay," he breathed. He wanted to inspect every inch of her, but knowing what he did about her through his parent's friends, he gathered that she was giving him more liberties than she would normally. With a grunt of real pain, she closed her eyes and pushed her form back into another plane of existence, the long claws vanishing back into her fingertips.

"Does that really hurt that much?" he asked, puzzled.

"What do you think, Hunter?" she sneered her tone suddenly vicious, fangs bared threateningly for a split-second, then her face returned to its normal seductive smirk and she cleared her throat. "Sorry."

"Are you losing it like all the Hunters say?"

She laughed out loud. "I lost it a long time ago, honey. You can't get it back once it's gone. What? You don't read my fansites?"

He laughed and sat back down on the couch, shaking his head.

"What are you doing here?"

"At Winecroft?"

"Yeah, doesn't seem like you need higher education."

"Not my idea at all. I was actually vert strongly opposed to doing this. But..." she sank into a big leather chair across from him, curling her legs beneath her. A club staffer appeared from nowhere, depositing drinks before both of them before vanishing again. "I bowed to Council on this one. You know, if I'm, like, talking over your head, let me know. It seems like you have a pretty good hold on our community and how we work."

"Thanks. I've been immersed my entire life, so..."

"Anyway," she sighed, picking up her drink and draining it. "It's been a couple of years since I've been out in normal, mortal society and... with everything that I've already got going for me, Council is concerned that if I don't reconnect with my humanity, things are going to be... interesting when I'm Turned."

"Really. People are already saying you're the Antichrist."

"Oh, yeah. That one I'm well aware of. I have a particular distaste for Hunters since some moron took a shot at me last year because of that."




Blood Bonds Pt. 01



"I heard all about that. It didn't work out so well for him..."

"Asshole should have known better."

"Did you really drive him completely out of his mind?"

She shrugged. "I just dragged his consciousness to another plane for a moment so we could talk. It didn't sit well with him when I brought him back."

"Just a little psychotic, huh?" he slurred, then immediately blushed, regretting the statement.

She just snickered. "I'm a complete psychopath on so many levels. Makes me good at what I do."

"You're pretty nice, actually. You're made out to be a total demon."

"I could be, but I retain some warped sense of moral decency. I'll kill someone who has it coming without a second thought, but I would never want to be mean to an innocent."

"That's a big thing among your kind, isn't it? The concept of the Innocent."

"Oh, yeah. We don't have much of a code, really, but the Ruling Line tends to have a protective streak."

"There are only two in it right now, though right? The House is not large by Vampyr standards, though big enough, but your specific line is super-exclusive..."

"Well, yeah. Because Arkon is an Elemental. Elementals can only change Elementals. Too much... energy is involved to pour into a normal person or even a witch. It'll drive them completely out of their minds if not kill them. My Sire has had to wait many millennia to find someone strong enough to Turn."

"Have you met Arkon? Is he really the Originator?"

"You know I can't answer that," she said, giving him a look. "But I have met him. He's a nice guy. Intense. You wouldn't know how old he is, just talking to him, he's that good at hiding what he is."

"What did he think of you?"

"Uh, I think he liked me. He told Ash, my Sire that he approved. Ash thinks he may be a little concerned about the whole demon thing I have going on, but he honestly seemed amused by the whole situation to me."

"I can't even fathom- what?" he stopped, watching her eyes flick to the door.

"Can we continue this later?" she asked just as the three panting girls burst through the door, shrieking in excitement, apparently having the time of their lives. Kevin watched her as she rose to greet the girls, smiling broadly, seeming genuinely happy they were having such a great time.

***

They were just walking out of the restaurant when a black Chevy Avalanche pulled into a parking spot a few yards down the street.

"Nice truck," Kev commented with an envious look as a gorgeous man with very long straight black hair got out and came down the sidewalk towards them.

"He'll let you look it over if you want," Taylor said with a smile.

"You know him?" Sarah asked, face incredulous. "Woah, is that your husband?"

Taylor grinned and nodded, then rushed forward to meet him. The guy caught her in a big hug, lifting her off the ground and swinging her in a circle before setting her down again with a brief but deep kiss. Sarah looked him over as Taylor led him forward by the hand.

"Guys, meet August," she said. "August, my beloved, this is Sarah and Kevin. The other two will meet us at the concert."

They exchanged handshakes and pleasantries, both students studying the man intently. Sarah's insides were jelly. Taylor's husband was in maybe his mid-twenties. He was tall, over 6'3," solidly built with washboard abs just visible beneath his shirt and chiseled arm muscles. She couldn't determine his racial heritage. His skin was a light golden brown, like a faded tan that had once been dark. He had large almond eyes that were a stunning cobalt blue set above high cheekbones a proportional nose and a sensual mouth that revealed perfect white teeth in a heart-melting smile. His hair was so black it was blue and hung straight halfway down his back. It was impossibly shiny and thick and moved about him in the evening breeze as if it were living. He was dressed in well-worn jeans, a tight fitting faded orange graphic t-shirt and dark brown boots. He wore wide leather cuffs on his wrists. His voice was deep, clear, soothing somehow.

Sarah glanced at Kevin, who kept looking at August strangely, as if trying to reconcile something to himself but unable to get a grip on it.

"Kev likes the Avalanche," Taylor said, leaning back against his broad chest when he wrapped his arms around her waist, kissing the top of her head.

"You do?" he asked, looking at Kevin. "It's actually hers. I prefer big fancy cars, but you can't take the Georgia out of the girl. You wanna see it?"

"Yeah, cool, man," Kevin said, wiping the confused expression off his face and grinning excitedly. The blue-haired man kissed the side of Taylor's neck before releasing her and leading Kevin out to inspect the big truck.

"Oh my God!" Sarah exclaimed, giving Taylor a scandalized look. "You never told us that he was absolutely gorgeous!"

Taylor grinned and shrugged, glancing over at the two men.

"How old is he?" Sarah asked.

"Uh, he's older than he looks," Taylor said evasively. "He looks so much younger when he's dressed like that and not in a suit like he usually is. I can't believe he actually drove the truck. He hates that thing."

"What does he do? It has to be something good to put a piece of jewelry like that on your finger. Is that made of what I think it's made of?"

"You like my ring? It's platinum with inset rubies and diamonds. He's in real estate mostly. Runs a... very successful firm that buys and develops land all over the world."

"Is that why he's never with you?"

"Yeah, he just got back from Japan. I see him more than you'd think, but we don't have to be together constantly."

"So you're from Georgia?" Sarah asked, cocking her head sideways to look at the other girl. "I thought I detected a bit of an accent sometimes."

"Yeah," Taylor said. "From outside Atlanta."

"And your family lives there?"

"Not anymore."

Sarah saw her jaw tighten, something stronger than rage flare in her green eyes for a split second. Then her face softened again, and she smiled. 

"Uh, so, you two are going to have the most beautiful kids," Sarah said, saying the first thing that came to mind just to change the subject.

Taylor laughed out loud, then shook her head.

"What? Did I say something funny?" Sarah asked, her stomach sinking. Everything coming out of her mouth was wrong tonight.

"No, it's not you, honey," Taylor said as if reading her mind, reaching out as if to touch her arm, but reconsidering and folding her arms across her chest. "There's so much you don't know... neither of us can... reproduce."

"You know that at 18?"

"Yeah, it's part of my... overall condition. And August can't have children. Not that we would ever want them anyway."

"Oh, uh, I'm sorry."

"Don't ... uh... it's okay. Listen, I'm not the best at sharing, I know. So... don't feel bad here, okay? I just, I don't relate to people very well sometimes," Taylor said, turning to face her. Something dark, sadness, deeply secret lay heavy in her over-bright eyes.

"There you guys are!" Nel's voice dispelled the tension. "Are you ready? Is our man here?"

Sarah turned to face the new arrivals, pointing over at the two men looking at the engine of the truck.

"That's our husband?" Ana nearly shrieked, gaping. 

"I claim him right now," Nel exclaimed. "If you break up or die or something, I have dibs. Sorry. It may be insensitive, but that's just the way it is."

The other girls laughed and Taylor led them all over, passing around introductions.

***

Kevin glanced over at the two of them, August leaning against the tree, Taylor nestled between his knees, holding his hands around her waist as he nuzzled her hair, whispering in her ear.

"Stop it!" Sarah hissed at him over the band, jabbing him in the ribs.

"What?" he growled back, rubbing his bruised skin.

"You've been staring a hole through them all night long. What's your problem? You knew she was married."

"No, no. It's not that. There's just something about them..." he tapered off, then shook his head. "Nevermind."

"You're jealous," she taunted.

He just rolled his eyes and pretended to pay attention to the stage. He couldn't help looking at them once more, though. This time he was surprised to find them both looking back at him, eyes glittering oddly in the flickering light. Taylor smiled and said something to August, who nodded, then they both looked away.

A few songs later, Sarah tapped his arm and cocked her head in their direction. August was still watching the show, eyes idly following the singer on stage as he tenderly stroked Taylor's cheek, his arms around her. She'd turned more towards him, curling up slightly, snuggled against his chest, eyes closed, breathing steady. Sarah felt a pang inside. Feeling their eyes on him, he glanced over at them.



"Is she asleep?" Sarah mouthed, surprised.

He nodded, a gentle smile on his handsome features as he looked down at her sleep-softened features for a moment.

Sarah smiled and made a zippering motion across her lips to the others.

"It's okay. You can talk," August said quietly. "She's completely out."

Sarah and Kevin scooted closer to them, Ana and Nel just smiling and turning their attention back to the show.

"I was beginning to wonder if she ever slept," Sarah said to him, resisting the urge to reach out and touch the girl's dark silver hair. "In a month I've never seen her so much as take a nap."

"She doesn't sleep much," August murmured, holding her a little tighter.

"Insomnia?" Kevin asked, raising an eyebrow.

"No," August said with a single laugh. "Just the way she is."

"She trusts you," Sarah said quietly after a moment. "I don't think she trusts anyone else. Not like that."

August just smiled, kissing the top of her head gently. Then with a sigh, he gathered her legs over one arm and her neck over the other and in a feat of strength and coordination, stood smoothly, lifting her with no sign of effort.

"I'm gonna take her back to the dorm," he said to all of them. "It was nice meeting you all. Enjoy the rest of the concert."

"Come back sometime, ok?" Nel called after him.

He smiled and nodded over his shoulder, then vanished into the darkness beyond the trees.

***

"What are you up to?" Sarah asked, leaning over Ana's shoulder to peer at the computer screen.

"I thought you were studying," the Asian girl muttered, shooing her back.

"Oh, my god," she laughed. "You're Google-ing her! Stalker!"

"Shuttup! I'm just curious!" she squawked, blushing furiously, but typing Taylor's full name nonetheless. "I just want to know more about her. We don't know anything about her. High school, where she's from, parents, old friends, hobbies, nothing. Isn't that odd to you?"

"Never really thought about it until earlier tonight. I thought she just wanted to seem mysterious, but she's got some issues I don't understand."

"Holy shit!" they both said as the results scrolled onto the screen.

"That's a lot of sites," Sarah breathed, pulling up a chair next to him. "They might not all be her, though. Maybe none of them."

"Let's see," Ana said slowly, clicking on the first link. It cycled for a moment, then Taylor's picture appeared front and center in the center of the page.

"Oh, god, that is her!" Sarah said, leaning in closer. "Jesus what kind of website is this?" the smaller girl asked.

Her picture was bordered with writhing black figures on a blood red background. The image was obviously her, she didn't appear to know she was being photographed. She was almost in profile in what at first appeared to be a black and white image, but upon closer inspection was actually a color shot. Her pale face glowed against a dark backdrop, dark gray hair blending back into the backdrop of sparkling lights and darkness, swirling all around her face as if the camera had caught her in motion. Scrolling lines had been added around the side of her face, running down her neck and into her hairline, curling around her temples and eyes, which were an eerie solid black between her dark, thick lashes. Her blood red lips were curled in a seductive, somehow sadistic, smile. Below her name in calligraphic script were the words 'Pan'ah, The Lady Talera, House of Arkon, Chosen Ascendant, Third in the Ruling Line.'

Sarah glanced back up at the web address, 'immortalwanderers.com,' then looked back at Ana.

"I take back what I said earlier- 'issues' is an understatement. Is this for real?" the Asian asked, laughing incredulously. 

"Jesus," Sarah whispered, then took out her phone and dialed frantically.

"Who are you calling?" she asked, not glancing up as she scrolled over the information before him.

"Kevin. I know for a fact I have heard him call her Talera casually. Will you get Nel? She should see this too."

***

"Yeah, I knew," Kevin said, shrugging his shoulders.

"When? How do you know?"

"I asked her. The first night we met."

"And she just told you?"

"Yeah."

"What? What the hell does all that shit mean? She has some crazy stalkers."

"No, it makes perfect sense," he continued to Sarah as the others continued to read, wide-eyed.

"What does?" Sarah asked.

"Listen, may parents are archeologists, right? Well, they study the Vampyr-"

"-Vampires?"

"Yes. Anyway, I understand exactly what all this means."

"You do," Sarah and Ana said at the same time, deadpan.

"Yes, look, the Vampyr are divided into Houses, family lines basically that vary in power and age. Arkon, as far as we know, is, like, the original vampire. Talera is similar to her given name, so I'm pretty sure that's how her name translates in their language. 'Chosen Ascendant' means that she's the most powerful and esteemed person they have lined up to become Immortal. The Chosen are their vampires-to-be. 'Pan'ah' I"m not exactly sure about. It's most likely a title, like Queen or something. 'Third in the Ruling Line' means she'll be only one separated from Arkon. Realistically, we should be addressing her as 'My Lady.'"

"Holy shit!" Nel breathed, staring at the screen as Ana clicked through more links, all of them showing similar images and wording. She linked through several sites until she found one with a brief history, as specific information was apparently limited and the consensus was that it wasn't wise to do much digging about her. 

"Parents and brother brutally murdered two years ago..." Sarah read aloud in a whisper. "...Elemental Witch...succubus...demon-possessed...deemed the Antichrist by fringe Christian groups... oh my God! No wonder she hasn't told us anything about herself. SHIT! That means August-!"

"Isn't human." Kevin finished. "He's the second most powerful vampire in the world."

"See if there are links to him on any of these sites," Nel breathed, fluttering her hands in the direction of the keyboard. 

Ana nodded and scrolled down, sucking in her breath as she pulled up a page with August's picture front and center. Only it was a painting. Renaissance, by the look of it, but it was clearly him. Gothic letters above it read 'Pan'Soeh, Lord Ash'tine, House of Arkon, Second in Ruling Line."

"Exact age unknown..." Sarah read, eyes wide. "... over six millennia estimated... Elemental Witch...killed his own Sire...aka Augustinian in Roman era...Four Horsemen of the Apocalpyse..."

Sarah took a deep breath and leaned back in her chair, releasing it slowly. Nel sank slowly to her knees on the floor, eyes distant. Ana sat stood stock still, eyes not moving from the computer screen.

"I know that name, Ash'Tine. I'll ask my parents about it," Kevin said, reaching around Ana and clicking on a few more sites. "You guys okay?"

"I don't know... I've never seen anything like this before..." Sarah murmured, shaking her head. The other two mirrored her, Ana shrugging her shoulders, a small smile on her Asian features. 

"It's cool isn't it?"

"Cool? Yeah, I guess. That site said people call her the Antichrist. I'm not religious, but that's not really a good thing is it?"

"Well, Christian groups aren't the most reliable sources generally."

"Still, oh my- I live with a demon."

"Are you scared of her?"

"I don't know. I like her, but... I need to talk with her about this. And you're grinning like you just won the lottery!"

"I just feel vindicated! I'm not nuts! And neither is the rest of my family. There is something about her. I watched all that shit on CSPAN when they had the hearings about the Vampyr Registration Bill and everything. My friends back home told me I was full of it- where are you going?"

She stood and strode to the door.

"To talk to her."

"Is she even here? I thought she'd be gone with, ah, August."

"She's in her room alone. I said hi on my way down here. She said she's going home tomorrow night for a couple of days. Well, you coming or not?"

He nodded and followed her down the hallway, the other girls following on his heels.

Taylor opened the door on the second knock, her long silver hair free in a mane around her face, green eyes widening at their expressions.

"You Google-d me," she said with a knowing smile, closing her eyes and shaking her head. She leaned back in her room and flipped off the light, returning with that almost sad smile. "Let's talk somewhere else, if that's okay with y'all- I promise you'll be back unharmed."

They followed her in tense silence out to the parking deck. She walked up to a sleek, jet black Cadillac STS-V. As she approached, the alarm chirped, lights flicking on, and the big V8 engine roared to life.

"Holy- is this your car?" Ana asked despite herself, straining to look into the blacked-out windows. "I said I'd sleep with the first guy I met who had one of these..."

"I do girls too," Taylor said with a smirk. "Get in."

"Uh, there're no door handles..." Kevin said, striding around to ride shotgun. 

Taylor blinked and their doors popped open. "There's no visible ignition either. So it'll be hard for you to borrow it."

They climbed inside, settling into the custom black leather seats, inlaid at the head rests with an intricate silver and red design. Kevin ran his hands over the dashboard and over the sigil on his seat, feeling the engine rumble silently as she pulled out of the garage and headed into town. He squinted down at the speakers hidden in the door panels in the flashes of streetlights, noting their quality and size.

"That's my... sigil in Vampyr. If this was a movie, my 'glyph,' I guess you'd call it. It's my name superimposed on the House Symbol, which is the phoenix," she explained, glancing at Kevin.

"I'd like to learn more about it sometime," he said with a nod, settling back. "The custom work on this car must have cost you a fortune. I've never seen anything like the entry and ignition systems you have. Probably make this baby hard to steal. How do they work?"

"There is an actual lock and ignition on this car, they're just hidden. I just mentally flip the switches. All my vehicles are like that, except the truck, but that's because I just got it. Most of my House have similar setups. It's easier for us. We're not the kind to remember our keys generally. If I let someone use it or take it in the shop or whatever, there is a remote control that they can use to operate it. I think I left the one for this car in New York. I don't even know..."

She tapered off, face quirked as if searching her memories, then she shrugged and turned onto the highway.

"Where are we going?" Sarah asked, leaning forward.

"I have a place in Georgetown," she said as they powered smoothly past the light late-night traffic into the middle of the city. She pushed a button on the steering wheel and Kevin heard a phone dial. A soft feminine voice answered in an unknown language. Taylor responded in the same and they had a brief conversation.

"Just having someone prepare for our arrival. I haven't been there in a few weeks. Get a few things to eat in the fridge, put on a teapot, that kind of thing."




Blood Bonds Pt. 02



Author's Note: Sorry this took so long. Thanks to everyone who wrote in with such positive and insightful emails and comments! A few of you noted that the timeline was a bit confusing, and I agree that I was overly subtle, so I'll be putting in time markers as chapter headings. All dates are based from the first day in Part One (i.e. the main characters' first interaction would be "Day one" and the first chapter in this installment would be "Eight months.") I'll try to have the next part out soon.

******* ******* ******* *******

*** Eight Months ***

"Hey, I'll catch up to you guys later, ok?" Kevin said, waving the girls on, giving Sarah a thumbs-up. He waited until they were out of sight before walking over to the shadows at the side of one of the buildings.

He shook his head slightly as he cut through the early evening crowds of students heading back from labs and late classes, catching the increasingly obvious stares, the not so discreet pointing at him and the girls. Someone on campus had discovered Talera's open secret and rumors were beginning to reach a fever pitch. She had pointed out that humans had such short attention spans, when she showed no signs of being anything supernatural, most would lose interest in her quickly. While he understood her stance on the whole issue, he was having a hard time believing it wasn't getting to her at all. When someone had decided to baptize the front door of the girls' suite with blood (pig's blood, she assured them) she had seemed only mildly concerned, and even then only for the well-being of her roommates. As far as he knew, she'd done nothing in retaliation, but then again, no one had dared pull a similar stunt since. Some part of him was enjoying the notoriety, but it was distracting and more than a little disconcerting. He had been walking with her across the lower quad one afternoon when a small band of ornately dressed Goths had approached them, bowed before her and asked to be made into Chosen. She had explained in a surprisingly polite tone that she wasn't accepting applications at the time, but would keep them in mind, carefully removing the hand of one particularly brave girl from her forearm. The incident had amused her highly, but Kevin found it disquieting that the general public was so willing to believe what they read about her on the internet. He shook his head, smiling grimly to himself. 

"Jobias," he said, stopping next to the Hunter who waited patiently for him in the swath of darkness. 

"Can we talk, kid?" the older man said, cocking his salt and pepper head to the side, indicating the little wooded park behind the dorms.

"Yeah, sure," Kevin said, leading the way.

"Listen," the Hunter said, kneeling in front of Kevin after he sat on a bench, his lean frame, though aged, still like an overwound music box, his movements graceful but overly sharp and a little too fast. "It's come to our attention that you have a new friend. A unique friend at that. Do I need to tell you that every Hunter in Creation has his sights set on her?"

"I don't think that's really a problem."

"It IS a problem, and it's not going to get any better. She's dangerous. You know that."

"She hasn't done ANYthing. Hasn't even shown an interest in upsetting any balances."

"You can't control her."

"You don't know that. She listens to me."

"You've only known her for eight months. How much do you really know about her? Do you know where she was last week? "

"I didn't ask," Kevin said with a shrug, a flutter of dread quivering in his stomach. He had seen her briefly earlier in the night after she'd vanished for nearly a week. Her eyes had dark circles under them, her expression wild, eyes not completely focused on the physical. She'd waved a little coldly at him, then disappeared into her room, closing the door after her.

"She found them."

"Who?"

"The men who offed her family. They were in California. Up to their old tricks. As far as we know, she broke a promise she made to Council that she'd leave them be, even if they were found, until she was Turned, when they could handle the situation better. She killed them."

"So?" he said, crossing his arms and leaning back against the seat, feigning nonchalance. "They created her. It was on their heads."

"No, not like that, it wasn't. She... I've never seen anything like it, kid. She...shredded them. Alive....That thing inside her is pure evil."

"Jobias, she IS the thing inside her. Talk to her for five minutes, you'll see she's not evil."

"I can't, you know that. I shouldn't even be talking to you."

"What does that mean? Why did you really come here tonight? I know it's not out of the goodness of your heart. Your concern for my well-being."

"Son, you know I love you like my own," the Hunter sighed, sinking down onto the bench next to the larger young man. "You're a Born Hunter. I wanted you to think about joining my crew one day."

"But..."

"You're no longer an Innocent."

Kev raised his eyebrows. "Is that official?"

"Yeah. There was a meeting of the big organizations yesterday about her and her acquaintances. I tried to turn the vote, but there was nothing I could do. You're in too deep now."

"If you're not with us, you're against us, huh?"

"Yeah. In this business, it's the only way it can be."

"I understand."

"Kevin, this is serious. Do you get that? We see you as Theirs now. I can't protect you if something goes down. It's out of my hands."

"It was never in your hands, Job," the boy said with a smile. "Alright, since we're down to, uh, brass tacks here, let me say this: Those girls are Innocents. If anything threatens them, nothing I or Ash can do will stop her from eliminating that threat. Nor would I even try. Leave them out of it. For your own sakes'."

"Is that a threat?" the old Hunter said, surprise on his face.

Kevin bowed his head, eyes closed, and whispered her name into the night breeze before answering.

"Just a warning. I don't want this turning into a war, but if anything happens to those girls, even a thought of it, she's going to know. And she's not holding back. Clear?"

"Clear," the man said, standing again. "You're in love with her."

Kevin stood, shaking his head. "That's no secret."

"Kid, seriously. Please be careful. I don't want to see you hurt. Or worse."

"That won't happen," the boy said, his voice conveying a confidence that he himself was beginning to doubt.

Jobias looked down at his feet, shaking his head with a sigh. He started when he looked back up, hand going to the holster hidden under his coat.

Talera stood beside Kevin, green eyes peering steadily at him, expression unreadable. The Hunter moved his hand away slowly, but stayed on high alert. Never having seen her face to face, he took the opportunity to study her intently, knowing she did the same to him, though she made no sign of it.

"Job," Kevin said, taking her hand and squeezing it, making it clear where his loyalties lay. "You really don't need all four of them watching us. You know where we'll be."

Jobias cleared his throat, giving the boy a grudging smile, then made a motion with his hand. Four men slipped silently onto the path all around them, looking a bit sheepish.

"Hey, Tolbert," Kevin said as one very large blonde man.

"You're real good, kid," he said in a voice like sandpaper. "Just wish you were on the right side."

"I'll take my chances."

Jobias kept his eyes on Talera as his men filed past him off campus. She was impossible to read, but her overall manner was calm, though she looked exhausted, distant.

"Take care, son," the Hunter said eyeing Talera one last time, then nodding to the boy before turning and following his men out of the park.

"Did you get anything from her?" Jobias asked Tolbert once they were out of earshot, though she could probably still hear them. 

The big man shrugged. "Her thought process is so chaotic I don't know how she functions, so reading her surface thoughts is out of the question. I don't dare do more than scratch the surface, because right under all that chaos is...a minefield. Doors to different planes, her Elemental powers. Underneath it all just... a black hole. I can't even look on it without it, uh, feeling things."

He shuddered, pausing a moment before continuing.

"But as far as emotions, she knew I was reading her, but did nothing to stop me. And she could have easily. I didn't sense any aggression. No outstanding anger except for a few lingering echoes from the other night. No fear. No lapses in consciousness. She is unstable, but she knows it. Guards against it. Knows what her triggers are. Overall she was pretty cool. Watches that boy like a hawk. Nothing was going to get to him. Considering what she did last week, I think her emotions ran away with her. I think once she saw those three and they were right in front of her, she had what to anyone else would have been a normal reaction. Simple rage. But in her... rage is deadly. I don't think she feels remorse for her actions, but she does regret losing control like she did."

"Could she be masking herself."

"She could be, but I don't think so. What I did get seemed genuine."

Jobias sighed, shaking his head.

"Something is going to happen. I don't know how or when, but someone is going to get tired of waiting, terrified that she's going to snap, and take preventative measures. I hate to see that kid get caught in the crossfire..."

*

"Did you hear all that?" Kevin asked her, taking a step away from her, releasing her hand. His face was stony, eyes avoiding hers. 

She sighed raggedly, shaking her head.

"No. Why did you call me?"

"He was telling me about your... adventures last week."

"What about them?" she asked, crossing her arms over her chest, cocking her head to the side, soft lips set in an uncharacteristically hard line.

"Said you, uh, 'shredded' those guys. He was genuinely spooked, and you can't imagine the shit he's seen over the years."

"I'm sorry," she sneered, lips curling, fangs flashing. "Did I need to get your approval first? It was my revenge to take."

"But-"

"Listen, Kevin," she said, cutting him off, shaking her head once. "I know fully well that part of what makes me so appealing to you and the girls is that everyone says I'm so dangerous. It's cool. Kind of a rush. Who ever thought you'd meet a creature like me? But I seem so nice. Sure, I'm aloof sometimes, and I have some serious quirks, but I don't seem deadly. Don't seem all that bad. How could I be all that stuff they say I am?"

"Okay," he conceded, shrugging, though his face remained unchanged. "I'll give you that."

"I have tried my damnedest to be as honest as I can with all of you. Especially you more than any other. It's not easy for me, and I know it's not easy for any of you. There are things about me that are private, and I try to keep them that way for a reason. I don't expect you to understand or even accept the darkness in me. I do, however, expect you to realize that it is there. And I don't just mean as an academic conceit. I need you to understand it. I don't apologize for what I am. I hate that it scares you, but it's who and what I am and there's nothing I can do about it. The only assurance I can give you is that I do love you, and I'd never hurt you."

He sank down onto the bench, leaning forward, dropping his head into his hands heavily.

"I grew up around Hunters, so it's not like I'm not used to killers. People who have a psychotic bent. It's just one thing to know it and another to KNOW it."

"We have a word for that. It translates to 'fatal truth,'" she said quietly, looking down at him, arms still crossed, but face softening slightly.

"Why 'fatal?'"

"Because one way or another something dies when you realize for the first time the real... terror of what we are. Whether it's you, or one of us, or our relationship or your innocence, something is always lost."

He lifted his head, peering up at her, lips pursed, eyes still narrowed. 

"I think what bothers me the most is that I found out from a Hunter. Not from you- Wait! Let me finish," he stopped her, holding up a hand when she opened her mouth to respond. "I understand why you haven't told me. I even appreciate the thought, trying to preserve my innocence. But that's a moot point now. Whether you like it or not, what you do affects me. Maybe you shouldn't have let me get so close... I don't know. Doesn't matter. I'm glad you did..."

She sighed again, uncrossing her arms, expression sad, still hurt. 

"I'm tired. I'm going to Georgetown. If you want to talk, I'll be there. Not that your mind will be anywhere else, but just think on... everything, okay? It's not too late for me to let all of you be. You're not in that deep yet."

Before he could respond, she vanished in a blur of darkness and a rush of wind. Letting out a staccato growl, he rubbed his eyes with his palms. He sat there for a minute, trying vainly to collect his thoughts, then stood abruptly and stalked back off to the dorms

*** One year ***

Sarah snickered at Taylor's expression as Nel put on the CD and the tiny girl's highly enthusiastic dance music began to blast into the apartment. She downed her drink in one gulp, pouring another, which Sarah noted was nearly all vodka. She went back to chopping vegetables, expertly using the sharp knife, though she glanced skeptically at the cookbook on the table between them.

"You'd think you'd be used to her shitty taste in music after a year," Sarah muttered to her friend under her breath. 

Taylor flashed a smile, but said nothing.

"How much more of this do you need?" she asked, pulling another head of bok choy out of the fridge, downing another drink. Sarah marveled at her constitution. Four glasses like that so far, god only knew how much alcohol, and her cheeks were barely rosy, speech perfectly fine.

"Keep drinking like that, Ginsu Girl and you'll be missing a finger," the dark-skinned girl said pointedly. "That should be enough, throw it in the wok there and give it a good toss."

"Uh, you should know I can't make toast," the other said, grinning sheepishly. "The only thing I can mix is drinks."

"You wield a knife like one of those Benihana guys, but you can't cook?"

"Never have been able to cook for shit. Besides, my training with knives wasn't really geared towards chopping vegetables."

"Psycho."

Taylor just shrugged, smiling, and pushed the shreds of cabbage into the wok, picking up a spatula and holding it as if she'd never seen one before. 

"Oh, give me that!" Sarah exclaimed, snatching it out of her hand and laughing. 

Taylor snickered and vaulted over the counter from a standing position, clearing it effortlessly to land gracefully on the other side, next to Ana, who caught her around the waist, spinning her around. The two ground together for a moment to the music, Taylor's hips moving smoothly in syncopated circles before she spun away, tossing her long hair in its ponytail around her body, hips still moving in that entrancing rhythm.

Ana was looking down at the hand that had glanced her friend's bare skin, rubbing her fingers together as if she'd been shocked. Sarah lowered her head, smiling down into their dinner at the memory of her own encounter with Taylor's bare skin.

"How do you do that?" Ana asked, trying with comic effect to imitate the movement. Talera grinned and started to come forward, hand out towards Ana's hips, then seemed to reconsider.

"What's the matter?" Ana aksed, confused. "You ca n mack all over Kevin but you can't touch any of us?"

"I can't- the part of me that- I don't have the control to turn it off- I- dammit-" she stuttered, for the first time looking embarrassed about her condition, muttering something in a melodic language.

"That was eloquent," Ana teased. "Speak English."

Taylor let out an explosive sigh. 

"I talk about this stuff and I can just hear how bizarre it sounds coming out of my mouth."

"Whatever, say it anyway. We all think you're bizarre. So what? So is Sarah. I mean look at her shirt. What normal human would wear that color?"

Sarah gave her a dirty look.

"You saw me the night we went to Volition-"

"No we saw a blur," Nel cut in.

"Okay, yes. But that's a good thing. At least I had the sense to move quickly. Anyway, I mean overall. I'm a succubus. Any touch from almost anyone and it... does things. Your hand is still tingling, right, imagine if I touched your... face."

"Oh, I can attest!" Sarah piped up, grinning from ear to ear. 

"What?" Ana asked, scandalized.

"I already got a dance lesson. And the earth-shattering orgasm that comes with it."

"What?" Now Nel and Ana exclaimed in unison. Taylor just clapped her hands over her face, shaking her head, though they heard muffled laughter.

"Jesus, Sarah," she groaned. "Someone change the subject, please."

"No-no-no-no-no," Ana said, waving a finger at her. "I want to hear all about this little ability."

"Honey, now is not the time."

"Oh, really? When will be the time?" the Asian persisted, tossing her long black hair over her shoulder.

"Okay!" Nel interrupted both of them, ignoring Ana, and turning to Taylor. "Speaking of Kevin. What's up with you and him? For the past few months, you two have barely spoken. I know the honeymoon has to end sometime, but what happened?"

"It's complicated-" Taylor began, looking towards the door suddenly. "Speak of the devil."

Kevin stood in the doorway, arms crossed, eyebrow cocked at Nel, though he had a smile on his face.

"I mean, yeah, she's already married but, uh, she-" Nel stuttered, cheeks coloring. She cleared her throat, and ducking her head moved past him to help Sarah at the stove, watching him through her hair.

He came towards Taylor, holding out his hand, which she took gently, eyes meeting his.

"He can touch her!" Ana whined, looking offended. "How come he can touch her without getting zapped?"

Kevin just gave her a look, and Taylor shook her head.

"I'll get you fixed one day," the demon said, though she kept her eyes locked on Kevin's.

"What's that mean?" the other responded, eyes wide.

"Ana! Shut up already!" Sarah hissed at her, giving her the evil eye.

Finally realizing she was interrupting a significant moment, the Asian girl blushed and muttering something incoherent, sat down on the couch, feigning interest in the muted television.

Kevin quirked an eyebrow at Talera, to which she nodded, and he pulled her towards the door, telling the girls they'd return soon.

*

Once outside, she held him tightly, resting her head against his chest for a moment, then in a roar of wind and silky darkness, she swept them off the ground. When he cracked his eyes open again, he found himself on the roof of one of the downtown skyscrapers, the city spread out far below them, traffic on the highways twinkling like strands of red and white Christmas lights.

He stepped over to the edge of the building and looked out at the city lights for a long moment before turning to face her again, leaning back against the low wall behind him. She returned his gaze serenely, her face unreadable, though he knew her well enough by now to know she was putting on a mask to hide her tension.

"I've been thinking about what you said," he stated, waving her over to him. 

"And?" she prompted, coming over to his side, footsteps crunching on the gravelled rooftop. She stopped just out of his reach, cocking her head slightly to the side.

"We're both right and we're both wrong."

"Ok. I assume you're going to explain."

"I am. Come here, please."

He settled back, sitting on the cold stones behind him. Behind her, against the muted backdrop of city lights he could see the phantom shadows of her wings rustle as she stepped into his embrace, looking down into his eyes solemnly.




Blood Bonds Pt. 02



"I understand where I fucked up. The whole moral issue of killing aside, I was willing to accept that one day you'd become a hunter. A true predator, whatever, and that you'd have something of a different moral standard than the human world. But I wasn't seeing you for what you are now. Not seeing that you already are outside the bounds of the human realm because, in the end you're not human. You were trying to tell me that all along but I wasn't ready to accept it yet."

"And now? "

"I think I am ready now."

"Good. So now you gonna tell me how I fucked up?"

"If you don't mind."

"Not from you, I don't." 

He grinned up at her, shaking his head once.

"Since you were 16 you've been living with immortals, and you've been treated like a goddess- which you are. I'm not denying that. Now, you realize this, which is a testament to your character, but having that kind of upbringing during your formative years, if you will, has had an impact on your attitude towards mortals. Towards people like me. On one hand, you're overly

protective of the few of us you care for. You seem to be under the impression that we won't be able to or will be, uhm, unwilling to cope with you as you really are. You don't give us nearly enough credit for our ability to love unconditionally. Those three girls are fascinated by you, not terrified of you. They honestly trust you. I don't know if you really appreciate how rare a friendship like that is among normal people, much less in a situation like yours."

He paused, looking up at her, trying to gauge her reaction. Her face betrayed only patient understanding, head cocked to the side in concentration.

"Now, with what happened to the fuckers that killed your family, that was your right to handle as you pleased. I concede that. I can understand why it's not something you'd want to tell them about. I agree that they are not ready to see you in that light yet. I guess it's the same thing as with me. With our society's infatuation with the vampire and the romance of it, it just comes with the territory that you're going to kill at some point, but not yet. However, what pissed me off is that you treated me like I was just a normal person, and I'm not. I've been bred my whole life, was born to it really, to live in your world, so don't shut me out. I know that what you and August have is like nothing I'll probably ever have, but I think we have a bond too. Maybe not as... soulmate deep, but something tangible. It hurt me that you didn't trust me enough to share something that important with me. Do you understand where I'm coming from here?"

" Yes, I do. You're right, obviously."

She sighed and leaned against him, arms around his neck tightly, kissing his forehead. Pulling back slightly, she looked down at him, mouth quirking in a dark smile. He closed his eyes and let her power envelop him, at once hearing his pulse pound in his ears, his cock hardening so fast it was painful. He bowed his head, nipping her hard nipples through her thin shirt. A sharp cry escaped through her teeth, and she let her head drop back. Pushing his hands underneath the fabric of her shirt, he pushed it above her breasts, taking the lacy cups of her bra and pulling them down so that her ample white flesh poured over the top, hanging right in front of his face.

He took on nipple in his mouth, her scent invading his head as he did so, biting down on the rigid flesh, making her cry out. She grabbed his head and held him tightly as he sucked hard, his hands cupping her ass tightly, pulling her hips against his throbbing erection. They remained that way for a long moment, Kevin moving from one nipple to the other and back as she continued to grind against his groin. He released her finally and she pulled him to his feet effortlessly. He spun them both around, pushing her against the wall, bending quickly, hands coming up to unzip her jeans, shoving them down along with her black lace panties. She spread her legs, bracing herself against the row of bricks, head falling forward as he sank to his knees, ignoring the uneven gravel cutting into his skin as he buried his face in her scented folds. She gasped as he delved with his tongue into the hot, wet treasure between her legs. He licked up her entire slit, loving the taste of her, spicy, tingling, so unlike any other female. 

Kevin toyed with her for a while, making her squirm, cry out when his tongue grazed her sensitive clit. The purely male pride of having a succubus wailing at his touch was not lost to him, but he contained himself, pushing two fingers deep inside her, massaging the rough patch inside her tight sheath. She stiffened above him, breath catching in her throat, eyes going black. Her long claws extended, hands clutching the bricks, making deep gouges in them. Keeping up his ministrations, he didn't move until she arched her back and her knees gave out. 

Catching her, though he staggered slightly under her unexpected weight, he let her recover for a moment, grinning at her. She got her feet back under her, stepping out of her pants and moving backwards, hopping up to sit on the wall, beckoning him forward with one curled finger, claws retracting. He complied, stopping when her outstretched hand caught the zipper on his jeans. She ran one finger over the bulge behind the metal seam, making him twitch and groan before she carefully undid his pants. With a truly wicked smile, she slid one hot hand inside his pants, curling her strong fingers around his shaft and bringing him out roughly. She pulled him forward by his cock until it rested just within the hot folds at her entrance.

Giving no thought to the hundreds of feet of open air only inches behind them, he pushed fully into her, lifting her slightly off the wall for a second before he pulled back again. He could feel every inch of his cock surrounded by her incredible fluid heat and tight embrace. Meeting her lips in a deep kiss, he started a steady rhythm, his lips trailing over her face, planting gentle kisses over her cheekbones, her hair, her closed eyelids. She writhed against him, thrusting her hips to meet him, their dance becoming increasingly erratic as they neared climax. With a short cry, she came hard, gripping him hard inside her, legs wrapping around his waist.

"I missed you," he whispered as he spilled inside her, hearing her echo his words, though conscious thought left him for several seconds.

They remained locked together for several minutes, caressing each other, as his cock softened inside her. With a shaky breath, he finally pulled out.

Taking a deep, ragged breath, he looked down at her as she carefully put him back in his boxers, and zipped him up. Meeting his gaze, she sighed, sliding to her feet and quickly slipping back into her clothing, which had appeared in her hands, fixing her bra, smoothing her tousled hair. 

"So I guess this means we're okay now," she deadpanned, cocking a crooked smile. He nodded, bending to kiss her again briefly. "Good. Let's get back then. Sarah will have dinner almost finished."

Holding him tightly, she launched them into the night sky once more.



Blood Bonds Pt. 03



Author's Note: Sorry this took so long. I know there are some people out there waiting so patiently ("Canadian Fan," I hear you), and I know how frustrating it is to be left halfway through a plotline with all this momentum and then hit a wall. There simply are not enough hours in the day. I decided halfway through to make some major changes to my intended storyline, so it's been a work in progress. I'm still pondering what direction the "novel" will take after this chapter, so I'm open for suggestions, though unless I decide to change it again, I have a good chunk written. As always, thanks for reading.

******* ******* ******* *******

*** Three years ***

Sarah yawned, stretching languidly in "her" big leather chair in the corner of Taylor's Georgetown brownstone. Her Kahlúa-colored eyes never left the book in her lap though, as she settled in another position, twisting until her long legs hung over one arm of the chair and her head propped against the other, lolling comfortably to one side as she rested the book on her cleavage. The stupidly cheerful ditty of her ringtone in the soundproofed silence of the empty house made her start.

"Hey, Kev," she answered, carefully dog-earing her place in the book before closing it and laying it on her stomach. "How's Rome? Ana and Nel say they miss you."

"I bet they do. Rome is boring. My parents are making me fill out all their grant paperwork. They keep trying to get information about Tay out of me," he answered. "Are you still reading that book? Put the thing down for an hour for chrissakes!"

"I'm almost done!" she protested, balking at his mocking tone. "You gave me the damned thing!"

"I didn't think you'd read the whole thing in one day. You have all of break; pace yourself a little. What are you going to do with the rest of the week? Taylor's not there is she?"

"Not at the moment. She's in and out. I was planning on sleeping, but now, I don't think that's gonna happen. This is some crazy shit."

"What is?"

She'd lived with a demon with a penchant for melting out of the shadows for long enough that she constrained her surprise to a mild jump, the book falling to the floor as she scowled upside down at Taylor's dark form in the shadows behind her. 

"Call me back later," she muttered over the laughter on the other end of the line, flipping the phone closed decisively. Spinning to a sitting position, she bent to retrieve the text only to have it zip across the room to Taylor's outstretched hand. 

"What do we have here?" the demon asked, smirking as she left the shadows, looking beguilingly normal in a pair of tight jeans and deep brown corduroy belted jacket. She lifted both arched eyebrows, green eyes flashing with humor as she looked over both covers of the thick book. "Darkness in our Realm: Profiles of the Dark Creatures that walk among us. Fifth edition, no less. Wow, am I in here?"

"Give me that," Sarah scowled, holding out her hand. The book floated across the room to land with a heavy thud in her arms, after which she promptly pushed it behind her against the back of the chair, sliding forward a bit when a corner of the cover stabbed her in the lower back.

"Bits and pieces, but how would I know since you don't think it's important that I really understand you?" Sarah shot at her, eyes blazing indignantly. 

Taylor simply regarded her, face impassive for a long moment, then she lowered her gaze and took a deep breath.

"Okay," she said simply, voice deep and throaty; the one she used when she wasn't pretending to be human. 

"Okay, what?" Sarah asked, caught off-guard by her sudden shift in manner. 

"What do you want to know?" the demon asked, green eyes glazing over until they were solid obsidian. She leaned against the doorjamb behind her, lowering the shopping bags that Sarah hadn't noticed in her hands to the floor, crossing her arms over her ample chest. 

"Well, uhm, fine," the dark-skinned girl stuttered. The last thing she had expected was candor. Even though she considered Taylor to be her best friend, the creature was notoriously vague about herself beyond the acknowledgment that she was anything but human.

"Okay," Sarah repeated, nodding to herself, stomach flipping in unexpected excitement. She retrieved the tome, flipping it open to the first page she'd marked with the little sticky note. "First, you've said you're not exactly a succubus, but you sure seem like one to me. What's different about you?"

"Assuming that book is correct in its description anyway, I guess you could say I'm some kind of Dark succubus," she said with a sigh. Craning her neck to look at the drawing on the page in front of the mortal girl, she smiled marginally. "Ash looks like that. Blue wings, skin, hair. I'm obviously not blue."

Sarah was quiet for a moment, picturing Taylor's husband, whom she'd met once. He was indeed the very description of the Incubus in the book, except for the whole vampire part. The Immortal was drop-dead gorgeous, manly in a fantastically sexy way and his eyes were stunning cobalt blue, black hair definitely having a distinct azure sheen. She could easily picture him with the giant purple-blue angel wings described in the book. With a start, she realized she was in the middle of a conversation, blushing as she returned Talera's even gaze.

"No, you're definitely not blue, but you do have wings..."

"Yep, big ones. But they're very different from his. No feathers, no pretty colors, just big and black. And no, you can't see them right now."

"Fine," Sarah grunted, scanning the page in front of her. "As for powers, can you do what they can do? I know you don't have control over everything, but can you do the same things?"

"Like what?"

"You're making this hard for me on purpose, aren't you?"

The other just smiled darkly. 

"I know you have the whole touch thing down. I mean, that I know personally," she said, mumbling to a halt, cheeks coloring furiously as she remembered the night Taylor had given her the brief dance lesson. "But the other stuff, you know, living on that kind of energy alone, coming into people's dreams, immortality. Can you make other succubi or incubi like a regular...uh, whatever you are?"

"I've never done it, but I can make Others. As for the rest, yes to, I guess, everything. Look, on the surface, I'm the same thing as Ash, except for appearance. Whatever demon is part of me, it's related to the spirit that's inside the Incubi."

"Do you really not know that much about it, or do you just act like that because you think it'll freak me out?"

The demon laughed, flashing sharp fangs for an instant. "I don't know if I like it that you can read me so well. You're right."

"Thought so. Are any of the other creatures in this thing real? Dark Fae, or Light ones for that matter? Werewolves? Elves?"

"Funny you should ask that. Some of them, yes. Fairies? Elves? No idea. Probably. Not all us magical creature types travel in the same circles."

"Why is it funny that I should ask that? What about werewolves?"

"They prefer to be called Lycans and uh...you know what? How about instead of us sitting here all spring break playing twenty thousand questions, let me show you instead."

Her cellphone beeped quietly in her pocket suddenly, and with one hand up for patience, she answered in a language that Sarah could only describe as an elegant growl. Her eyes never left Sarah as she spoke, pouting lips curling in a devious smile.

"We'll be leaving soon," she said after a moment, dropping into English. "Bye, Persh."

"Could you be more rude?" Sarah scoffed, curling her lip. "We were in the middle of a deep and emotional conversation and-"

"You wanna go ride motorcycles with a Lycan pack?" the other cut her off.

"What?"

"That was a friend from back home, the Alpha of the oldest Pack in the world. He's in town with his strongest for, well, it doesn't matter why. He's invited us to come hang out with them tonight, you in?"

"I don't, uh- I'm not- what are we doing?"

"Ever been on a motorcycle?"

"My uncle had one when I was little. I used to ride behind him to the grocery store. What does that have to do with anything?"

"Good, you'll be fine, then."

"Taylor! You know I'm up for whatever, but answer the damned question!"

"They're coming through town on their way up to New York. We're going to ride with them to the City, have dinner, then decide where to go from there. Sound good?"

"You have a motorcycle?"

Taylor pushed away from the wall, picking up the shopping bags.

"Of course. Come on."

She led the way upstairs to the giant master bedroom, tossing the heavy bags on the bed as she passed, lights coming on of their own accord. 

Sarah sank down on the edge of the bed, mind racing, trying to imagine what the night had in store for her.

"If you over-analyze it, it takes all the fun out of the surprise," Taylor called as she stepped into her cavernous closet, the sound of wooden hangers sliding on their rods following a moment later. 

"I thought you never read our minds," Sarah shot back, reaching over to take one of the shopping bags and dumping the contents out onto the bed. Her stomach twisted in anticipation, the feeling of finally starting to unravel the mystery that was Taylor starting to make her slightly giddy. 

"You think so damned loudly," was the muffled reply. 

Sarah's eyebrows rose as she emptied the rest of the bags, uncovering a pair of supple black leather pants, high-heeled boots and various other articles of clothing that would have made a dominatrix proud.

"Well, get dressed already, we're gonna be late," Taylor chided, coming back into the room, arms full of black leather as well. 

"WHAT? This stuff is for me?"

"Damn straight. Had to wait half the day for the shop to custom-make that vest, so you're definitely wearing it."

Sarah gaped at her, then with a sigh, stood and spread the contents out on the bed to really look at them. Perhaps the most telling sign that Taylor was not human was the fact that, unlike any other mortal female, body consciousness was absolutely alien to her. She understood it as an intellectual conceit, but other than that, trying to explain insecurities about a less than stellar midsection or heavy thighs was pointless.

"There's nothing wrong with your body. Any of it," Taylor said, folding her arms again, shaking her head.

"Really? You think so?" Sarah asked, blushing. She'd never found herself particularly attracted to another female, but the compliment, especially coming from a being who was a master in all things sexy, hit home.

Talera quirked her mouth to the side, regarding her friend silently for a moment, then a predatory glaze sliding over her pale features, she took a step forward. Sarah's breath caught in her throat as Taylor laid a hand on the side of her face, white skin contrasting with Sarah's café au lait flesh. The rush of lustful electricity rampaged from the gentle touch over the girl's entire body. Blackness shading her green eyes, her expression one of intent concentration and complete seriousness, the demon leaned forward, tenderly pressing her lips to the other's. 

With a shudder, Sarah opened her mouth to the kiss, feeling the press of those long fangs behind Talera's full lips, tasting spices, danger, absolute passion on the other's breath. Sarah closed her eyes, lost in the intense tingling that began to scratch at her core, demanding release. She felt a sudden shift in the power coming from her friend, a distinct surge in intensity that made the mortal girl gasp.

Eyes flying open, Sarah took a step back, breaking the physical contact, though her body still throbbed, mouth falling open. Talera had shifted fully into her natural form, and now stood, a faint smirk on her pale features. Lifting the giant wings, she beat them once very slowly, filling the entire room with the most seductive scent, cloves, cinnamon, ginger, rain. Sarah felt her blood, already at a high simmer, flash to steam. With a cry, she came, sagging to the bed, gasping for breath. In some far corner of her mind, she wondered if she'd be frightened were she not so turned on.

A low, echoing laugh brought her back to her senses, and swallowing hard, chest still heaving, she struggled to push herself upright. Talera stood as before, arms now crossed, smiling impishly. As if time had slowed by half, Sarah watched as the Dark Succubus slid the corduroy coat off her shoulders, wings flickering out of sight briefly as the heavy material slid down her back to puddle on the hardwood floor. She repeated the process with her shirt and the rest of her outer garments, eyes never wavering, black pools holding Sarah's breathless attention until she stood only in a gorgeous black lace lingerie set.

The mortal girl's heart leapt when Taylor reached up to unclasp the nearly transparent bra, releasing those perfect white breasts, scrolled suggestively with black ink lines, little titanium barbells glinting against her deep rose nipples. A smile tugged at the corners of Sarah's mouth despite her focus as Talera slid the panties down her long legs. The demon's nether-hair matched the hair on her head. Neatly trimmed into a perfect triangle, it was jet black with a crimson stripe running directly down the center and disappearing between her thighs, glittering already with fragrant wetness. 

Fighting to breathe normally, Sarah's hands slid over her own thighs involuntarily, knowing only that she had to release the pressure building inside or she would explode. Talera's invisible touch startled her back to her senses momentarily, gentle caresses sliding silkily over her bare arms, cheeks. 

Wings rustling, the succubus, any pretense of humanity long since forgotten, stepped right up to the girl on the bed, knee coming up to press into the cleft of Sarah's thighs, tearing a moan from the girl's throat. Cool hands, real ones now, slid beneath Sarah's shirt, pulling it over her head in one swift motion, mussing her dark curls. Deft fingers made their ways around her trembling body, unclasping her bra and sliding it off, making sure to leave burning trails on the girl's flesh as they freed her heavy breasts.

Talera pushed Sarah onto her back, force behind her hands, though her touch remained gentle. Following her onto the bed, Talera straddled her friend, silken hair forming a dark curtain around their faces as the demon bent to smother her with another heart-melting kiss. 

The pouting lips released her mouth and slowly made their way down the mortal's neck, tracing a burning path over Sarah's pounding pulse. Another, louder moan escaped the girl's mouth as those lips closed over one throbbing nipple, teasing the aching flesh, teeth lightly scraping the dark brown areola. An invisible mouth, virtually indistinguishable from the real one, captured the other breast, making the girl heave and writhe beneath the demon. More unseen hands invaded Sarah's jeans, pulling them off her body with her panties, making the girl hiss when cool air flowed over her soaking folds. Her hands tangled in Talera's inhumanly soft hair, catching it tightly when sharp teeth grazed her nipple.

Her breath now coming in short, shallow gasps, Sarah wrapped Talera's mane around her hands, holding the demon tightly to her breasts. Without releasing her victim, Taylor used her power to slide them both farther onto the big bed so she had more room to work.

Slacking off slightly so that Sarah released her iron grip on her friend's hair, the demon took the chance to free herself, continuing her odyssey south, running her long tongue over Sarah's stomach, teasing her belly button. Sarah squirmed as the invisible hands and mouths took up where Talera left off on her breasts as the real demon settled between the girl's legs. Simply the feel of the being's hair on her inner thighs and the rush of warm breath on her sex made Sarah whimper in anticipation. Hot fingers gently explored the girl's burning folds, caressing her slit tantalizingly before running back down to the juncture of Sarah's thighs. 

The electric touch of the tongue on her clit make Sarah's hips buck violently, shoving her sex into the succubus' face hard, begging for more, a wish Talera was only too happy to grant. Holding the girl's hips to steady her trembling body, Talera pushed her long tongue up into her friend, getting a sharp cry for her efforts.

Sarah's legs threatened to snap closed as the deluge of sensations flooded her mind, but the long, supple tail snaked around her ankles, holding her tightly, almost to the point of pain as its master continued her ministrations. Talera licked her way back up to Sarah's aching clit, two fingers immediately filling the pulsing void left behind. 

"Please, Talera," Sarah panted, hands on the back of her friend's head.

-Please what?-

Sarah arched her back at the silent voice in her head.

"Stop toying with me! Let me come!" she hissed, twisting her hips to try and force Talera's fingers deeper, her tongue harder.

With a rumbling, feral laugh, the demon pushed a third digit into the girl, the invisible mouths doubling the efforts on her breasts, unseen hands sliding all over her sweat-slicked skin. Talera bit down very lightly on Sarah's engorged clit, and with a shriek, the mortal's body leapt over the cliff of orgasm, pulling the demon with her as she plummeted into waves of pure crimson pleasure.

* 

When Sarah awoke, she found herself still laying spread-eagle on Talera's bed, only she was now freshly showered and dressed in the pliant leather. Body thobbing with a satisfied ache, she sat up, stretching languidly.

Talera emerged from the bathroom, long curls freshly dried so her hair hung straight down past her shapely ass, which was, at the moment, still bare. The wings and tail were gone, but the scrolls on her pale skin, red and black hair and long talons remained, the latter retracting when Sarah's eyes rested on them. The demon's skin seemed to glow, no doubt enlivened by the rush of energy from Sarah's climax.

Heaving a ragged breath and letting it out slowly, Sarah let out a low chuckle, a sated smile lighting her caramel features.

"You finally awake?" the demon asked, tossing a teasing smile in her friend's direction as she vanished into the closet for a moment, returning a moment later wearing a black g-string. Sarah idly wondered what she wore under the tight, but oddly comfortable leather pants, but decided she'd leave it a mystery.

"I've never felt anything like that." the girl breathed, licking her lips as Talera slid into her own black leather pants, bending to smooth the supple hide over her dancer's legs. Before she could slip into the black leather corset she picked up off the bed, Sarah beckoned her over. Raising an eyebrow, the demon complied, standing directly in front of the girl, peering down at her through black eyes. The succubus took in a sharp breath of her own as Sarah leaned forward and caught a nipple in her mouth, tugging on the cool metal of the barbell with her teeth, tongue grazing the tip, tasting the spicy, hot saltiness of Talera's skin. 

One upper fang sinking into her bottom lip, Talera reluctantly bent out of her friend's embrace, taking her by the chin in and catching her lips in a brief kiss, before she stepped back again. 

"Later," she breathed. "I've pulled enough energy from you for the moment, and we're going to be late."

"You promise?" Sarah asked, pouting, giving Taylor her best puppy-dog eyes. 

The other let out a genuine laugh, winking at her. With supernatural speed, Talera was into the corset, using her power to lace it tightly in the back, leather cording sliding into the silver eyelets smoothly. She slid on a long black leather duster, which Sarah noted would have looked fabulous with her wings flaring from the back.




Blood Bonds Pt. 03



The girl followed her downstairs, taking a moment to relearn how to walk in the tall boots, sliding on her own short leather jacket over the skimpy vest which pushed her breasts impossibly high and close.

"All I need is a whip and a choke chain and we'll look we're headed to a dominatrix convention," Sarah noted as Taylor popped open the door to her Caddy mentally and slid inside.

"Trust me, we'll fit right in," the succubus noted dryly as she backed the car out into the early evening traffic, weaving smoothly through the maze of streets until she reached the highway, where she let the engine of the big car surge. Over the past three years, Sarah had grown accustomed to hurtling smoothly through heavy Washington D.C. traffic jams, cars moving out of their way as the landscape blurred, Talera pushing the supercharged Northstar V8 to its full potential. 

"Where are we going?" Sarah asked as the lights of the city dimmed to the North. 

"August and I have a place in Virginia. We're meeting the pack there," Taylor said, black eyes on the road.

"You're not, uh, changing back?" Sarah asked, reaching up to trace one of the scrolls down the side of Talera's neck. She snapped her hand back as the thrill of lust shot down her arm, blushing. Talera rolled her eyes.

"No, they know what I look like. It's a sign of respect that I appear as I am, mostly anyway."

"Uh... you wanna tell me anymore about these people?"

"You read the book..." the demon mocked, eyebrows rising innocently.

"Smartass."

"They're good people," Taylor said with a laugh. "They live in packs. Basically big, very tightly knit, family units that vary in size from one Pack to another. Pershing is one of the smaller ones, but the oldest and most powerful in the world. They're from all over, but their headquarters has been down near me in Georgia for the last few centuries. Their leader— call him the Alpha— always goes by the Clan's name, so you'll meet Pershing himself tonight. You'll like him; he's not actually that old, so he has a similar outlook as we do. They have to fight to become Alpha, though, so don't forget that he's not all charm like he seems. And he was born Wolf, so he has that animal right at the surface more than any of the others."

"Do they really have three forms?"

"Yeah. First and foremost, they're Wolves, not humans, which is important to remember. They can switch between states at will— wolf, human and horror-movie-in-between— though it's not easy on clothing, so you probably won't see any of that."

"How do you do it without tearing your clothes?"

"The fabric reshapes around my wings and tail. I rearrange molecules without really thinking about it."

"Piece of cake."

"I'm not... whatever. It's not that hard. Anyway, don't call them werewolves. Don't act overly friendly with any of the guys. Try to seem aloof. They're... lusty and very seductive, so be careful."

"That's reassuring. So I shouldn't give anyone my number?"

"They'd track you by scent; they don't need phones."

"I was kidding. Check your sarcasm meter."

Talera just shook her head.

"Anyway, what's the plan tonight?"

"They have a plan, we're just along for the ride."

"And that is..."

"We're going to meet up at my place in Virginia. Then we'll all take off for New York. After that, we're not going with them. They've got a Lycan thing to do. So we'll figure it out from there. We can stay there OR... we can go on a little world tour..."

"Like what..?!"

"Just go with it, OK?"

"Fine. Should I tell the others about... everything?"

"That's up to you. I'm not the best judge of human nature, but I would imagine they'd be pretty jealous if they found out."

"Yeah... you're right," Sarah said with a sigh. "We'll talk about it later."

She fell silent as Taylor sped off the interstate, flying down dark country roads. After a few minutes, she turned down a dirt road that disappeared into a densely wooded area. Sarah raised an eyebrow, wondering that Talera would take her precious car on such terrain, then understanding dawned as, well beyond the point where any curious traveler or country boy would turn around, the drive was suddenly paved over smoothly. After a moment, they went through a heavy, ornate iron gate that swung closed behind them. The terrain opened up to a very large field that was illuminated by the bright moonlight. They slipped into yet another band of dark trees before emerging into another pasture. This time, Sarah gasped at the sight of a giant Tudor mansion with elegantly manicured grounds set back into a towering stand of old growth trees. 

Golden light flickered in the leaded windows, landscape lights illuminating paths set back into the forest. Talera pulled through the circular drive-up, passing the grand staircase that led up the front door. Sarah craned her neck, trying to take in the imposing facade as they slipped past.

Taylor slowed as she approached a massive garage— Sarah counted at least 12 bays tapering into the darkness under the trees. The door opened and Taylor pulled inside, shutting off the purring Cadillac. 

Sarah hopped out, peering down the length of the giant building, noting, among the many, several Mercedes, a Rolls Royce, two very old cars, and nearest them, Taylor's Avalanche. The truck, new the last time Sarah had seen it, had been outfitted like the rest of Talera's fleet: black, powerful, darkly tinted windows, invisible entry and ignition. The demon moved around the side of the truck, pointing out a big, powerful Harley parked on the other side, chrome and black paint gleaming in the bright lights.

"Nice," Sarah commented, running a hand over the handlebars.

"Yeah, Pershing gave it to me last year so I could ride by myself on these trips."

"Got enough cars here?"

"There are more in New York and... all over. August likes cars."

"No kidding— is that an Aston Martin?" the taller girl asked, gaping.

"He just got that back from the custom-shop. You can borrow it," the demon said, giving Sarah a look as if she should have know that all along. "Let's get inside. They'll be here any minute."

Sarah nodded, pulling her roving eyes off the row of cars and followed Talera back out into the softly lit night. They made their way along cobblestone path that curved around the large trees and led right up to a side door. It silently swung open as Talera approached, revealing little of the dark rooms within. 

Taylor shooed her friend inside, giving her no time to adjust as she took the mortal girl's arm and led her down the short foyer into a great living room. A more elegant setting, Sarah had never encountered. Deep blue walls, comfortable antique furniture, full tapestries, all in the richest hues imaginable, soothed her senses, though a feeling of inadequacy swept over her. This place was far, far out of her league.

"It's just a house. A big one, yes. But just a house," Taylor murmured in her ear. "Trust me, you're the most beautiful thing in here."

A deep blush invaded Sarah's cheeks, making her bite her lower lip, eyes downcast. The thrill of Talera's lips pressing lightly to one cheek made the color deepen, and releasing a shuddering breath, she cleared her throat and looked up again.

"You're good," she breathed, giggling a little.

"I know. You want a tour?" the succubus replied with a wink.

They wandered through maybe half the rooms on the lower floor before dashing up a wide staircase like Sarah had seen in old movies, to explore some of the bedrooms above. Sarah wondered what life would be like in a house like this, where every need was met before it was even mentioned. She was no stranger to a comfortable life, but her family seemed so mundane, hopelessly normal in comparison to the opulence and genuine grandeur of her current settings. 

One look at the expression on Talera's face, though, made her reconsider. To have a family of her own, alive and well, living happily in their own niche, was something of which many only dreamed. Properly chastised, Sarah nodded at her friend, then took a deep breath.

"Where's August?"

"Singapore. There's a House meeting tonight as well."

"You're missing that for me?"

"Couldn't think of a better reason to skip it."

"Thanks."

The demon just turned and led them back to the staircase. As they began their descent Sarah heard the faint sounds of roaring engines. Practically jumping down the remaining steps, she pressed her nose to the window on one side of the heavy front doors. 

Out of the darkness, seven riders, all in black, all riding black motorcycles, helmetless, roared onto the cobblestones, stopping outside the front doors.

Talera adjusted the collar on her duster, flipping her long hair over one shoulder, then placed one hand on the door.

"This is it. Follow my lead and uh... don't talk much."

Sarah nodded, eyes wide. Setting her shoulders and expression in her best imitation of confident aloof-ness, she strode after Talera onto the wide landing outside the front door.

The bikers were dismounting, muttering amongst themselves in a language Sarah didn't understand, giving her a chance to study them from her position slightly behind Talera. The leader— the Alpha— obviously the man at the front of the pack, was tall, overtly masculine, long windblown black hair falling halfway down his back. He had a dusting of five o'clock shadow over an angular chin and cheekbones, stunning amber eyes flecked with crimson. The others, all in black leather like the leader, met the same criteria for appearance, though they by no means looked alike. Even the dark-skinned heart-breaker right behind the Alpha had long dreadlocks, bulging biceps, curiously pale blue eyes. 

Sarah licked her lips, eyes darting away as the man noticed her attention, winking at her. Clearing his throat, he looked away when he felt the heat of Talera's glare. Inwardly, Sarah grinned, felt the heat rise in the leather pants, not daring look at him again.

The leader mounted the steps first, stopping in front of Talera, bowing slightly, a favor she returned. Bowing as well, the rest of the small Pack lined up behind him.

"Have a good ride?" Talera asked, leaning in to kiss the black-haired man on the cheek. Sarah noticed he wasn't immune to her power either. He closed his eyes tightly, turning his head to the side as the succubus stepped back, taking Sarah's arm and pulling her forward. Sarah did her best to sway her hips, tossing her curls, eyes moving lazily over the fantastic specimens of manliness before her as if they were so many schoolchildren.

"We did," the leader said, taking Sarah's hand. To Sarah's delight, he bowed over it, brushing his lips over her burning skin before releasing her.

"Pershing, this is my friend Sarah. Sarah, Pershing."

"Nice to meet you," Sarah murmured disinterestedly, surprised at the even timbre of her voice when her insides were quaking. She caught the fleeting smile that tugged at the corners of Taylor's pouty lips.

Taking Sarah's arm again, Talera led the Pack inside. An aged male servant, dressed in an elegant pinstriped suit appeared when they were all standing at the foot of the staircase.

"Would your guests care for refreshments, My Lady?" he asked in a cultured English accent, bowing to each of them and Sarah. 

Pershing accepted the offer and they all moved off to the den after the man. Talera caught Sarah's hand, stopping her from following.

"If you need to pee or anything, do it now. I'm having the bike brought around, and we'll be leaving in a few minutes."

Sarah nodded, deciding it was at least worth a try and headed upstairs to the guestroom Talera had deemed "hers" earlier. She had just finished washing her hands, flipping off the light and stepped back into the darkness of the bedroom when a pair of very large, very strong, very unfamiliar hands caught her lightly around the waist. Sarah froze, feeling a tall, solid form press itself against her back.

"Let go!" she hissed, slapping the hands. Her eyes had adjusted to the darkness by the time she spun around to face her companion. It was the ebony god. Sarah's breath caught in her throat and immediately moisture began to seep through the thong she'd discovered beneath the pants.

As if catching the scent, he breathed deeply, fangs flashing in the dim light from the hallway. 

"My apologies, I didn't intend to frighten you," he spoke, words like the rumble of distant thunder in his sculpted chest, words tinged with London. His icy eyes sparkled with lust and something like mischief.

"Does the Lady of the house know you're up here?" Sarah asked in her haughtiest tone, masking her nerves with a toss of her soft curls.

"Nothing escapes her notice. I do one thing that's not to her liking, and you can bet she'll have me pinned in a second."

"And this is your best behavior?" the girl scoffed, raising an eyebrow. She was sure her heart was going to break free at any moment and thump out of the room on its own power, it was pounding so hard.

"Hardly," he said, coming forward again. This time, he caught her in his arms, their lips meeting in a fiery kiss. She felt her back hit the wall, wrapping her legs around his hips as he pulled open the leather vest and jacket, bending his head to pull hard on her nipples with his talented lips, giant hands squeezing her firm ass encased in the leather. She could feel the hardness of a very large erection pressing against the bottom of her rear as she pulled on his hair, gasping.

He lowered her long enough to let her reach out and unzip his pants, pulling out what had to be the largest cock she'd ever felt. She stroked it a few times, marveling that her hands couldn't reach all the way around it. All coherent thought left her as he slid her pants and underwear down her legs, bending to hold them while she stepped free. Before he stood, he pressed his nose into her sex, snaking out a long, rough tongue and raking up her dripping slit, growling at the taste of her.

She moaned, wanting him so badly it hurt and tugging on his hair, pulled him to a standing position again. He towered over her for a moment, grinning wolfishly down at her before lifting her once more. Pushing her against the wall, he watched as she guided the head of that enormous cock to the slick opening of her core. With a groan from him and a gasp from her, he slowly lowered her onto his throbbing member. Gritting her teeth, she tried to relax as he stretched her to the limit, seeing that he was only an inch inside her. Wrapping her arms tightly around his neck, she nodded at him and with a grunt, he shoved his way entirely inside her, eliciting a shriek of momentary pain, then ecstasy from Sarah.

Giving her a moment to adjust to his size, he slowly pulled out, then began to fuck her in earnest. She threw her head back against the wall and held on, content to simply be along for the ride. He panted more from lust than effort as he drove into her, his large balls slapping against her ass, lips sucking at her throat. Waves of orgasm began to crash over her, making her squeeze him even more tightly with her long legs, feeling the muscles in his ass working as he drove even faster and harder.

With a grunt, his motions losing their rhythm, he slammed into her hard, staying there, buried to the hilt as he came, spilling his burning seed deep inside her. Sarah balled the fabric of his shirt in her hands, muffling a shout, which was drowned out by his inhuman roar. For one thrilling moment, Sarah thought he was going to bite her, but he seemed to check himself, sinking his long fangs into his full lower lip instead. 

Standing still, both of them fighting to catch their breath, they kissed againm the coppery tang of his blood faint in his mouth. 

"What's your name?" Sarah asked, breaking free of his lips.

"Quentin. That's my Clan name. My name in front of outsiders is Tiberius."

"Quentin," she said, kissing him again. "That was hands down the best fuck I've ever received."

"My pleasure, M'Lady," he rumbled, grinning from ear to ear.

Lowering her to the ground, he pressed his lips to the top of her head briefly.

"I'm gonna get cleaned up. See you downstairs?" Sarah asked, licking her lips as he put himself away. With a wink, he sauntered out of the room, a sharp breeze inexplicably rushing through the room before the door clicked shut. 

"Now, what did I tell you?" Talera's voice chided from the darkness in the direction of the bed.

"Jeezuz!" Sarah shrieked, holding a hand to her heart. "How long have you been standing there?!"

"I just came in—"

"That breeze? Holy God, I didn't know you could move that fast!"

"Don't change the subject," Taylor said, a smile in her tone. "I told you they were seductive."

"Oh, but it was worth it," the girl sighed, eyes going dreamy. She snapped back to attention when she caught a whiff of Talera's succubus scent. Her breath caught in her throat as she felt the pouting lips meet hers in a kiss. She felt the suede of the wings caress her bare arms, shocks of orgasm making her entire body throb once more.

"I can taste him on you." Talera said, stepping back.

Sarah groaned, her body, though exhausted, at the ready for still more. In some corner of her mind, she appreciated the humor of the situation. Standing, half-nude and completely disheveled, the mingled seed of a werewolf and her own juices slowly sliding down her naked legs towards the high-heeled boots. Talera chuckled, pushing her lightly towards the bathroom.

"Get cleaned up. We leave in five minutes."

"Tease," the mortal growled, tossing the shadowed being a dark look. There was another rush of wind, and Sarah knew she was alone once more.

*

The Pack looked up at her as she made her way down the stairs. She noticed Quentin made a tremendous effort not to grin like an idiot when their eyes met. Taking Talera's arm, she held her head high as they descended the front steps. Taylor's bike had been brought around and now sat beside Pershing's in the circular drive.

"How old is he?" she muttered to Talera as quietly as she could. 

Talera didn't respond, but the number one hundred eighty-seven flashed across Sarah's field of vision briefly. The breath caught in her throat, and Sarah couldn't help glancing back at the Lycan, who caught her look as he settled onto his bike behind Pershing.

"No wonder he knew what he was doing," she hissed in her friend's ear. She felt the silent chuckle ripple through the demon. 

Sarah waited until Taylor had straddled the big bike, adjusting the long coat and buttoning it over her stomach, until she climbed on behind her. Wrapping her arms around her friend's middle, the girl took a deep breath, nuzzling the back of Talera's neck, inhaling her scent, feeling the silken strands caress her face. 

Breaking the spell, Talera started the bike, sending deep vibrations rolling up Sarah's body. The girl hugged the demon closer, pressing herself into her back, arms tightening as they pulled away from the house at Pershing's side, keeping a steady pace down the long drive. The wind rushed over Sarah's burning skin, pulling softly at her hair, caressing her face. Squinting as they picked up speed, Sarah remembered the pair of dark sunglasses Talera had slipped into her jacket pocket earlier and, carefully loosening one arm, retrieved them, relieved at the difference they made. Only now she couldn't see a thing.

-Close your eyes.-

Talera's silent voice was becoming almost familiar now.

-I'm going to pop into your head for a second, don't fight me.-

"Okay," she whispered into the wind. "But what are you gonna do?"

-Just open a small connection. As long as you're near me tonight, you'll see as I do.-

"What do you mean?"

Sarah felt an oppressing darkness close in on her for a moment, felt the touch of something alien in her mind, the world going dead silent, all sensation except for the darkness in her head ceasing. Just as suddenly as it came on, the presence was gone, and Sarah heaved a deep breath, feeling the wind again, hearing the roar of the bike and the road.




Blood Bonds Pt. 03



-Sorry. I forgot you've never had anyone in your head before, much less me. It's a weird experience. Open your eyes.-

"Oh..." was all the girl could whisper.

The night was suddenly alive with color. The book had been right, succubi did see auras. The dark night meant nothing. Talera in front of her glowed darkly with a malevolent red fire, interspersed with bursts of pure blackness. Glancing at the riders around her, the mortal saw them as their own unique combinations of colored glows. The rest of the night was alive as well, plants glowing faintly green, glimpses of pale blue that must have been animals in the forests lining the highway. 

"Is this how you always see the world?" Sarah murmured, blinking slowly, studying Talera's glowing form.

-When my eyes are open— I mean, when they're black like this, yes. It has its drawbacks. If I want to see the physical, I have to shut it down. Can't see real colors at all.-

"This is so cool. I can... see... everything. Any way to make this permanent?"

-You want it?-

"What do you mean? To be a succubus? You're offering me that?"

-I'd never deny you. You should know that by now.-

"Well, yeah. I just... I never thought of it that way... I don't know what to say..."

-You don't have to say anything. Just keep it in mind.-

Sarah just closed her eyes, resting her head against the side of her friend's, letting her mind go blank as the night flew past. Now was not the time to consider things like magic and immortality, and she knew Talera wasn't expecting an answer.

The ride to the City flashed by seemingly in an instant, and in no time, their mixed Pack was roaring down narrow Manhattan streets. As they passed luxurious homes packed tightly into classic city blocks, Sarah caught flashes of people inside, sensed the urban life teeming around her.

She felt more than saw the flash of gunfire, felt Talera gasp , heard the sickening thud of impact. With a shriek, Sarah hugged the demon tightly as the big bike started to go down. Then all at once, Talera's wings unfurled around her, catching the wind and with a violent jerk, they were free of the falling Harley. As they were swept back past the Pack, Sarah saw them slam their own bikes to a stop, smoothly avoiding the sparks as Talera's bike skidded to a graceless halt on the pavement. 

Taylor landed hard, her legs buckling beneath her, bringing Sarah to her knees as well, surrounded protectively by the leathery wings. Letting her friend go, Sarah felt the breeze slice across something wet on the backs of her hands. Understanding what Talera meant by the drawbacks of seeing auras, Sarah inspected her hands, seeing only the angry red of Taylor's signature spread across her own light green glow. The realization hit suddenly. Blood. And it wasn't hers. 

Eyes flying to the demon's back, Sarah watched as her aura went completely black, expanding far from the core of her body.

Sarah heard the clicks of weapons all around her. Taylor lowered the wings as she stumbled to her feet, breath rattling in her chest. The mortal girl gasped as she discovered the Pack was surrounded on the deserted street by a group of people, shadows of big guns blocking some of their glow. 

Talera coughed wetly and spat blood, the metallic whisper of her claws extending echoing in the silence. 

"Stand down!" Talera commanded voice rough. "This is fight is mine."

The auras of the Wolves, who had taken up protective positions around the two females, calmed slightly. Sarah felt hands take her by both arms, gently pulling her away from her friend. Talera's power flicked off as the mortal was separated from her, letting Sarah see the scene finally in true color. Glancing up, she saw it was Pershing and Quentin who held her. The Alpha nodded to the other wolf, who took Sarah tightly in his arms. Feeling his entire body tighten and then expand, Sarah realized he'd just launched them into a super-human leap, dropping them lightly onto a rooftop across the street from the confrontation.

"Stay back," he muttered. "If one of them takes a shot at you, she'll never forgive me."

"I have to help her!" Sarah cried, ringing her hands in panic and rushing to the edge of the roof. "She's hit. She's bleeding!"

Quentin caught her in his strong arms, holding her to his chest protectively, but turning to the side, shielding her with his body while allowing her to see the action below.

"She can handle it. She's been hurt worse than that before. Right now, she just needs to make sure you're safe."

Sarah sobbed, pressing her face into his warm body for a moment, letting him stroke her hair. Then she focused her attention on the street below. 

Talera, in full demonic glory, blood sparkling on the front of the black leather corset and streaming down her right leg, faced off against the band of men, Pershing at her side. The rest of the pack, their own vicious claws out, fangs bared, eyes blood red, snarled behind the two. The attackers, twenty of them, serious-looking guns pointed at the Pack, were dressed like commandos in dark grey camouflage, headsets connecting all of them. 

The obvious leader of the aggressors stepped forward, voice echoing off the close walls.

"That was a warning shot, demon," he snarled. "The next one kills you and your little kitten up there. Don't think the mongrel can actually protect her."

A feral growl rumbled from the depths of Quentin's chest, and he hugged her a little closer.

"I wondered when your little band of mercenaries would try something, Franklin," Talera said almost conversationally. "I see, you didn't learn anything from the last bunch's failed attempt."

"We're prepared to deal with you, freak. They didn't have the skills or the training we do."

"Really?" she asked, arching a brow, beating her wings once slowly, whispering something in Vampyr.

Sarah couldn't see that she'd done anything, but maybe two-thirds of the men gasped, backing up a step from her, dropping their guns, pressing their fists into their ears or temples.

The lead Hunter barked an order at them, which was ineffective as two more of the troops fell to their knees, heads bowed in agony.

Sarah's heart skipped a beat as a tall, blonde man with glowing golden eyes, dressed in dark jeans and a light blue t-shirt appeared beside them. With his flowing golden hair, high European cheekbones and pale, flawless complexion, he appeared young, though it was obvious that he was not. 

"Evening, Tiberius," the man said, his voice deep, but light and very soothing, an English accent shaping his words as well. "Nice to see you again."

"ʼLo, Andrew," the werewolf replied calmly as they both watched the stand-off below. Sarah gaped at the two of them. "I see you're on clean-up duty tonight. She's hit pretty good this time."

"Yes, their aim is getting better. Unfortunately."

"As she gets closer to the big night..."

"Yes, it's only going to get worse," the blonde vampire sighed, shaking his head. He turned and regarded the mortal in Quentin's grasp.

"Are you alright?" he asked her, looking her over closely. Sarah just nodded once quickly, eyes like half-dollars. The man smiled and touched her cheek lightly.

"Why is she drawing it out?" Quentin asked, frowning down at the scene.

"She doesn't want to kill them in front of Sarah here."

"I thought she was toying with them," Quentin said, smiling marginally. "I know she's got it in her, but I've never seen her let it out before like this."

"Love, just do it," Andrew said to Talera, though his volume remained the same, crossing his arms over his chest. "They've threatened the girl as well, remember. She's going to see it at some point. Would you like me to do it?"

Down on the street, the demon flashed him a sneer, then raising her arms slowly, she rose slightly off the ground. The Hunters, already terrified, pressed together pitifully. Shaking her head, Talera murmured a low, thrumming chant, sending all of them to their knees. A low moan escaped each man's lips, many falling onto their sides. Sarah's hands flew up to cover her mouth, watching, through some echo of Talera's earlier link with her, as the life energy of each man flowed out of their bodies, swirling around the demon. With a weak flash, the spark died in each soul, shimmering around Taylor, whose body went limp as well, crumpling to the pavement. Pershing was there in a flash, catching her with a grunt, holding her upright.

"Talera!" Sarah shrieked, but Quentin held her fast. "Let me go!"

"It's okay," he whispered in her ear, stroking her hair. "She'll be fine."

Andrew sighed shortly, and Sarah's eyes darted to the blonde vampire at their side. He raised a hand in the air, muttering something in a language the girl didn't recognize, and on the street, the lifeless husks burst into blue flames. Within seconds the bodies were reduced to dark smears on the cooling pavement.

*

"Is she gonna be okay?" Sarah asked the vampire when he emerged from the bedroom, running a hand through his shimmering hair.

"Yes, love. She's just fine. Our blood can heal most injuries," he said softly, laying a gentle hand on her shoulder. 

"But she passed out..."

"Just a reaction to her power. Her... demon side... wanted to take in their life energy, but she wanted nothing to do with it. She shut down her body rather than let it dominate her. She's a remarkable creature. Go on in, she's awake. I'll be out here if you need me."

The girl nodded, swallowing hard, and pushed open the door, letting her eyes adjust to the darkness of the room. A couple of candles on a distant table burst to life, lending their wavering golden glow. Like the rest of the house, which Sarah took to be Andrew's, though no one had clarified, the room was a study in simplicity. The walls were a light cream with furnishings and decorations to match. Against the white sheets, Talera, on her side, wings draped over the far edge of the bed, looked distinctly out of place.

Her eyes flickered open as Sarah settled into the comfortable armchair pulled up next to her. 

"Did the Pack get off okay?" the demon asked, voice soft. 

"Yeah, Pershing said he'd call you. They brought your bike into the garage downstairs," Sarah replied, looking her friend over slowly.

"You okay?" she asked after a moment, seeing no injuries.

"I'm fine. Sarah... if you want to go home, it's cool. I can-"

"Taylor. Shut. Up."

The demon closed her mouth, quirking her crimson lips to the side, eyes clearing to their human state.

"Good. Just... I'm trying to wrap my head around this, okay? Give me some answers for once," Sarah said, sighing, rubbing her eyes. "This has been the craziest night of my life. Were they going to kill you?"

She received a nod in response, so she continued.

"Were they going to kill me?"

"They wanted to. I won't let that happen. Not if I can help it, anyway."

"Why do they want you dead so badly?"

Talera regarded her for a moment, then shrugged one shoulder.

"I have the potential to be very, very evil. They don't want to take the chance."

"What you did..."

"I can take life energy. That's what distinguishes me from a succubus. Or most other demons. What makes me scary."

"Do you do that...often?"

"God, no," she replied with a dry chuckle. "I don't like doing it. Well, some part of me does, but, uhm, it's not pleasant to..."

She trailed off, taking a shuddering breath, eyes fluttering.

"To the good parts?" Sarah guessed.

"Yeah."

Face tightening in pain, the demon squeezed her eyes shut, bowing her head. All at once, her embellishments vanished, and she was just a tired girl in a very large bed, tears glinting in her green eyes.

"Does this happen to you... more than we know?"

"A few times. They've never tried anything with you guys around. Usually wait until I'm alone."

Sarah sighed rubbing the bridge of her nose, leaning back in the chair. When she opened her eyes, Taylor had relaxed back into the pillows, eyes closed. Rising, Sarah reached out to touch her friend's hair lightly.

"We both need sleep. And a beach. Do you really have a place in Fiji?"

"Yep," Taylor said, looking up at her, smiling faintly.

"We're going there tomorrow. Look, I'm not going to lose sleep over all this, so... Don't leave me when you're Turned. I know it's coming up fast. Okay?"

Taylor just nodded, eyes lowering then meeting Sarah's once more. Returning the gesture, Sarah waved one hand and walked out of the room.



Blood Bonds Pt. 04



Hey, everyone. Sorry this took ages. I have not abandoned the story. Life is annoying sometimes. Thanks to my Canadian fan for letting me bounce ideas off him and for great suggestions. I think I have my plot down, I just have to put out now. As always, let me know, any comments or suggestions. Love, pphair.

++++++++++++++

Jobias' eyes flicked over to the door as it slowly opened, a young Hunter poking his head into the office cautiously from the dimly lit hallway.

"I'm sorry to interrupt, sir," the boy said, his demeanor and posture mirrored in the military cuts of his clothes and hair, sharp cheekbones, all angular planes and deception. "But there has been a significant development out of New York in the past hour."

"Report, then," the old man said, waving the new recruit inside.

"I'll get the documents, sir," he said, making a visible effort not to salute, before turning and marching back out down the hallway.

"New one?" Turner asked, cocking an eyebrow at his old friend. 

"He's been with us about a month. Former Marine. Good shot. Head like a block of marble. Very few targets can read him."

"CIA?"

"Or NSA," Thompson said with an unconcerned shrug, blue eyes glinting in the golden lamplight. "I figure I'll give them a taste. At least they sent a good one this time. He'll get antsy in a few months, get himself killed in a heated fight. They always do."

Turner huffed a laugh, falling silent as the young man came back into the room. He laid down a file folder in front of each of the elders, holding one himself.

"Steven, this is Eric Turner," Jobias said, introducing his companion. "He's with another branch of our organization. Deals mainly with Lycans and other Animorphs."

"Yes, sir. I've heard of you. You took out those two Jaguar brothers in Toronto in '84."

"Lord, does that date me," the man chuckled, running a hand through his greying chestnut hair, fingertips lingering unconsciously over a set of three parallel scars that slashed across one temple and disappeared into his hairline. "That was a different time for all of us. The marks were different then too. None of this video surveillance everywhere to catch the lot of us and be aired on the evening news."

"Those were the days, eh?" Jobias sighed. "Report, kid, start from the beginning and give detailed explanations. Eric has been in deep cover and may not know every part of the operation."

"Yes, sir. As you know, we generally steer clear of the particulars of the larger Vampyr Houses, especially Arkon, since they're relatively stable and, in the main, police their members internally. We focus more on rogues and the lawless Houses, as I presume you do in the Animorph division as well. However, with the ascension of Talera, we've begun to watch the House of Arkon closely, namely those Immortals most commonly associated with her. Due to her level of power and the potential for chaos if she were to lose control, she is a concern of most organizations like ours."

"That's an understatement," the lead Hunter said with a small shake of his head. "She is THE concern of every other organization."

Lifting a brow, Turner flipped open the dossier, looking over the page which gave her stats, noting with a pang of sadness how very young the creature was. Barely twenty with the power of gods at her command. 

"Given the spectacular failures of previous reconnaissance missions and strikes by other Hunters, we're trying a new surveillance system in this case. At each of the known residences of the most powerful and influential members of the House of Arkon, we have installed advanced units. The sound captures and cameras were put in place during the day, at times when the Immortals and their close familiars were known to be out of the country or area. Nearly undetectable cameras were discreetly installed with views of the residences, street or surrounding areas and on any available buildings or other tall structures to provide aerial views of rooftops and upper stories. Only those of us with Level One control over our thought process know of the program to prevent any discovery through telepathic means. The feeds run constantly, monitored from here by a handful of technicians. We've yet to capture anything of great interest— until tonight."

He cleared his throat, handing Jobias a flash drive, which the older Hunter plugged into his computer, starting the video that popped up on his screen a moment later. The two experienced men watched intently as Talera faced off against Micah Johnson's best team. Jobias was pleased with the quality of the video, leaning closer to see the flash of gunfire, the red burst of blood against the black of Talera's side as the bullet hit flesh with an audible' thump.'

He glanced up at Turner as Pershing himself roared to a halt, followed by his top wolves, Talera soaring overhead as the giant wings extended and caught the wind, her friend clinging tightly to her back. The other Hunter shook his head slightly, but didn't comment. The foolishness of taking on not only the demon herself but with a Pack at her side wasn't worth the breath.

They watched the entire confrontation up until Talera apparently sucked the life out of the entire team, collapsing into Pershing's arms. Thompson focused on the rooftop, seeing the flare of golden fire as Andrenin turned each body on the street into a tiny conflagration, reducing them to ashes in the space of a sigh. The Immortal then took the human girl in his arms and vanished, the Lycan giant that had been her guard hopping off the side of the building and gracefully dropping to the pavement several stories below. 

Jobias sighed, shaking his head, as he stopped the video. 

"She never even looked at the camera," Turner noted, shaking his head as well. "She's got more control than I would."

"We don't think she knows about the surveillance, sir. There has been no indication that she's aware we're watching."

"Trust me, son. She knows we're there. And if she doesn't know about the cameras, I can assure you that Master up on the roof does."

"That is... Andrenin. Age: approximately six millennia. Origins: unknown. Currently known as Andrew Farrell. This was outside his residence."

Turner fell silent a moment, flipping through the collection of photographs in the file folder.

"At least you have an inside guy," he commented, eyebrows rising as he looked up at Jobias.

"What are you talking about?" the other asked, confusion twisting his weathered features.

"The Alderman kid," the werewolf hunter explained, holding up the picture of the demon arm in arm with the strapping youth.

"No one told you," the leader said, glancing down at his desk. "I forgot you know his parents. The kid's not with us anymore."

"The two of them are really together? When did he go native?"

"Almost the minute he met her. We sent him off to the same university over two years ago, never heard from him again. I went down myself after a few months, tried to talk some sense into him, but he wouldn't hear me. Called her up, and she came, of course."

"Does she know he was there on assignment?"

"We can't tell. She's an extremely powerful telepath, and even though he has a mind like a safe... I'd have to say she knows. Tolbert tried to read her, but he couldn't even scratch the surface of her mind, so I can't say for sure. She seems to genuinely care for him, though."

"How are John and Camilla taking it?"

"They don't talk to him much. When he does come home, kid won't have any sort of conversation about it. You know he actually put Lord Ash'Tine on the phone with John one time? Creature said the kid was safe with them, but hinted that Talera had her sights set on the kid being Turned."

"Dammit."

"Yeah, he won't talk about it, though."

"What about this girl here?" Turner asked, indicating the chocolate-skinned sylph on the roof in the arms of the big black Lycan.

"Human. There are three females, all her age. All, as far as we know, completely normal. No background in the paranormal nor any particular supernatural affinities or talents. They were her roommates freshman year of college and they've stuck together since."

"Why did the Council send her to university? As I understand it, she's dead smart."

"She is. Our sources say they were concerned that she was loosing her sympathy for humanity. While they prefer to keep their distance, with a being like that, it's a slippery slope to seeing and treating normal people like cattle. She wasn't happy about it, but she agreed to put herself in a situation where she'd be forced to interact with mortals constantly. The best thing any one could think of was to send her to college. We found out and sent the boy in at the same time. Arranged for him to be housed down the hall, trained him to see past her human facade. All that work for nothing."

"But you're still getting inside information? Where do these shots come from?" he asked, holding up interior images labeled as various rooms of houses belonging to her.

"We get those photos from someone on deSoto's team. He has a mole who is extremely close to her. We can't get a bead on who exactly it is, but we think it may be one of the three girls. Probably not the black one, because she's the closest and no one can get in that tight with Talera and still manage to betray her. She would have disappeared long ago."

"What is deSoto planning, that damned Bible-thumping nut? He was close to Micah and his men. Can't be taking this well. Must be planning his own Crusade right now..."

"I wouldn't doubt it," Thompson sighed, rubbing his eyes. "This whole situation makes me uneasy. Most of the other Organizations want to off her and be done with it, especially the Christian ones like deSoto and Peoria. We seem to be the only ones who think that's a bad idea. I don't think she can be killed, and if they go in guns blazing, someone she loves is going to get hurt. The boy made it crystal clear that if any harm comes to those girls, she will lose it. I don't think we should push her..."

The young man cleared his throat, to which Thompson raised an eyebrow.

"Sir, I mean this with all due respect but— why aren't we with the other groups on this one? Seems everyone has come to a consensus that—"

"Because, son, the others aren't always right. This organization has been in business for centuries because I don't always do what everyone else does," he snapped, eyes flashing. "The strong Houses like Arkon and Pershing can destroy any of us at any time, and it would do you well to learn a proper amount of respect when dealing with them. As yet, Talera has completely defied anyone's ability to predict. At her creation five years ago, she was given six months until she lost it. She hasn't. She was deemed unstable a year later, but so far, she's proven remarkably well-suited to her power. So when I say I don't want to upset this creature, it's for three reasons. One, we doNOT kill anyone, demon, vampire, werewolf or otherwise, because we THINK they may one day be unmanageable. Two, she's on the cusp of this world, her own sanity; I will not be a party to pushing her over the edge and unleashing her particular hell on this realm. Three, by having as much control over herself as she does, she's proven she's actually much more dangerous than anyone realizes. I've seen what she's capable of. I will not set her lose on my loved ones or yours. She wipes out entire lines if she's crossed. Viciously. Do you understand me? Did you not read her file? When she went after the men who killed her own family, she destroyed everyone who was remotely related to them first."

The young man swallowed hard, face paling slightly. 

"Dismissed," Thompson muttered, waving him out. The young hunter saluted out of ingrained habit and hurried out the door. 

"You told him," Turner said after a moment, looking sidelong at his old friend. 

Thompson just scowled at him.

"What's this about her offing entire lines?"

"She's a swift killer. Clean. Efficient. In the main, no fuss, no mess. I wouldn't half be surprised if the government wants her so badly because they need her as an assassin. I think she decided that since the three bastards killed her whole family, she was going to do the same to them. Wasn't a complete massacre, but she cleaned them out."

"How many?"

"Twenty-three total. No kids, thank the gods, but they all just disappeared into the night. Except the men themselves. The police thought they were ripped to death by wild animals. Big claws."

"Those talons are functional?" Turner asked, eyebrows coming up as he indicated the long metal claws glinting on the video.

"Lethally. Nothing on her is for show. That tail can punch through the side of a car and hoist a man, door and all up into the air, toss them twenty yards. I've seen it. As much as she's designed for seduction, I wouldn't doubt destruction was high on the list when she was remade as well."

"Girl's got to you. She scares you... but that's not all, is it? What's really worrying you?"

The silver-haired man sprang out of his seat, pacing for a moment.

"About a year ago, I started receiving some disturbing intelligence from one of our people inside her House. Council is terrified of her. Except for Ash'tine's usual group, Andrenin, Visarius, a few other Ancients, most of the House wants her dead as well. It's not an open...decree but... I don't know if she's aware of it. Any of them...."

"And you can't tell her. Not that she'd believe you if you tried," Turner finished with a sigh. "Tell the Alderman kid."

"I can't get near him. I'm afraid if she catches me passing information to him, she'll think he's back with us, and I can't put him in that position."

"Just goes against your ancient sense of fair play?"

"Something like that. I meant what I said to that idiot. I'm not unleashing her little corner of hell on my world."

*****

Sarah stared at the thatched ceiling, not moving, letting the warm breeze tickle her skin, breathing deeply, smelling the sea, tropical flowers, hearing the clack of palm fronds and the disjointed melody of insects warming up for their nightly chorus. It took her a long moment to remember where she was, what had happened the day before.

The ride from D.C. to New York. The attack. Talera in all her Dark glory. The plane trip to Talera's island in the Pacific. 

The deaths of the Hunters. She kept picturing all of them falling like so many dominoes, lifeless, to the pavement. The expression on Talera's face when she pulled the life from their bodies. She'd looked comfortable with it, some part of her that Sarah had never seen before showing its face. 

With a frustrated sigh, she turned over on her stomach, burying her face in the down pillow. A small part of her wondered how she'd managed to get herself in this situation. Befriending a full-fledged demon. One who had seemed fairly benevolent until the night before. That Talera loved her, she had no doubt. She didn't fear for herself, but in a primal way, the creature worried her. 

Given, Talera had been trying since the day they met to impress upon all of them that, though glamorous and generally fantastic in every way, her world was dangerous. It just took seeing her friend pull the life from a large group of experienced killers to make her understand.

With another sigh, the girl turned back over, sitting up and looking around, crossing her long legs in front of her. 

"Thought you'd never wake up," a deep male voice said from the shadows. 

Sarah snapped to attention, straining her eyes to make out Kevin's form in a chair on the corner, leaning back, feet propped up on a small table, knees bent. Something about him seemed off, his size, his voice, maybe the way his eyes glinted unnaturally in the few rays of the afternoon sun that managed to filter through the trees outside.

"How'd you get here so fast?" Sarah asked, stretching, trying to make out more of him without seeming obvious.

"You've been asleep for nearly two days," he said softly, chuckling. Again, Sarah thought, something about his voice. And why didn't he stand up? Come closer?

"Being with her takes the energy right out of you the first time," he continued. "You get used to it."

"How did you know?" the dark-skinned girl asked, cocking her head to the side, smoothing her mussed curls. 

"I can sense her power in you."

"Whatever. What are you doing here? I thought you were in Rome helping your parents on their dig."

"I was," he sighed, rubbing his eyes with one big hand. "Pershing told me about the attack from Johnson's team. I'm sorry you had to be there for that. I didn't know."

"What are you talking about?" she asked, alarm beginning to circle her consciousness. Something wasn't right. The situation was moving forward too quickly for her to get a handle on everything. 

"Don't be scared," he murmured, a low note of sadness in his voice. "I promise I'll explain. Let me finish the story, ok?"

Sarah nodded, bringing her legs up, wrapping her arms around her knees.

***The night before****

Kevin's eyes widened when he opened the front door, mouth falling open when his brain caught up and confirmed that it was indeed Pershing, head of the largest North American Pack standing outside his parents' home. 

"Who is it, darling?" Camilla Alderman called, her footsteps sounding on the stair above, moving closer.

"It's, uh, Petra, mum," he replied, naming the teenage blonde from across the piazza who always found an excuse to visit when she knew Kevin was in town. 

"Ciao, Signora Alderman," the giant man offered, his voice a perfect imitation of the Italian girl's. A long-toothed grin stole across his rugged features at Kevin's expression.

"She needs help with her faucet, mum," the boy yelled quickly. "I'll be back later."

He slammed the door, hurrying out of the light at the doorstep, looking around for the dark werewolf, who had since vanished.

"Just like a human, Hunter," the man's voice rumbled from the left, making Kevin spin to find the Lycan leaning casually against the side of a black Hummer. "Always more than willing to be under the paw of some pretty girl."

Kevin swallowed, recognizing the test for what it was. He not only had to think fast, he had to respond to the goad without resorting to outright disrespect to the Alpha.

"As I understand it, Master Wolf," he replied, layering on his accent heavily in a trained attempt to cover his nervousness, though he knew the Lycan could probably smell it on him a mile away. "If your females ask you to jump, you not only do you do so, you throw yourselves off the nearest cliff for good measure. Looks to me like you've done just that more than your share of times."

The man broke into genuine laughter, big chest heaving.

"Damn, that hurt," he chuckled.

"Truth always does," Kevin replied, on high alert, the Lycan's presence still unexplained.

"That it does," the Alpha sighed, holding out one hand, palm forward. "Relax, kid. I'm here on a favor."

For a moment, Talera's Mark burned brightly against the skin of his palm, then disappeared. It was an ancient method of verifying the authenticity of a message, unique to Talera's House and impossible to counterfeit.

"Ok, you have my attention," the boy said, shoulders dropping slightly as he relaxed. "Why are you here and not her?"

"Something's come up," the Lycan said, his Southern accent deepening as his face grew serious. "The Lady requests your presence at a private gathering this evening."

"Where?"

"Far enough away that you need to say good-bye."

Taking a deep breath Kevin nodded, mentally preparing himself for the barrage of questions and outrage when he told his parents he was leaving when he just gotten there. Motioning for patience from Pershing, he walked back into the old palazzo, deciding upon entering the foyer to take the age-appropriate way out. Snatching a pad and pen off the table in the entryway, he dashed out a note stating he would call them when he got to his "friend's" house, he slipped into his room on the lower floor, snatching the bag he was trained to keep packed at all times. 




Blood Bonds Pt. 04



Back outside under the sultry Italian moon, he hopped into the big SUV beside the Lycan, buckling himself in as they pulled away across the ancient cobbles. 

"We're not going to the House airstrip?" Kevin asked as they headed east out of the bustling nighttime metropolis.

"Nope. We're going low profile tonight. My jet. My airstrip."

"What's happened to her?" the boy asked, sudden alarm coursing through him.

The big man sighed, pursing his lips, whisker-shadowed cheeks hollowing.

"Some of your old buddies attacked her last night. Her and the tall looker—" 

"Sarah!" Kevin gasped. "Are they alright? Who hit them?"

"Tall, ugly bible-totin' bastard, goes by—"

"Johnson, that asshole," the former Hunter growled, eliciting a half-smile from the werewolf. "Are the girls ok?"

"They're fine," Pershing said, nodding slightly, eyes flashing in the oncoming headlights, though traffic was thinning as he steered them down increasingly deserted roads. "They hit Talera pretty bad, but Andrenin was there to patch her up. Girl saw her take out the whole team. Talera didn't have a choice."

"Oh, shit. How did Sarah take that?"

"As well as can be expected. She didn't run screaming, anyway. Last I saw them, she was following Talera onto her jet with a drink in her hand."

"That's a good sign. She's a strong girl."

Pershing just nodded, so Kevin ventured a question. 

"Has Talera—"

He never got to complete the thought as a piercing metallic shriek cut into the silence inside the H3, followed a moment later by a jarring thud and a loud curse from his driver, and Kevin found himself shoved into the seat by the airbags as they deployed all around him.

The world, confined to sensations, since his vision was impaired, spun several times, the seatbelt cutting into his chest painfully as the car apparently flipped several times before coming to a groaning stop in a field. 

Coughing violently, Kevin struggled to disentangle himself from the wreckage, looking around him for Pershing. The distinctive click of a modified semi-automatic assault rifle made him freeze just as he rolled out onto the fresh-cut wheat.

"Get up, traitor. Slowly!" a familiar voce barked. 

Kevin complied, fighting to focus on the figures that had appeared around him, dressed in dark camouflage, his eyes still stubbornly refusing to cooperate. As he stood with utmost care, the adrenalin of the explosion ebbing slightly, he realized something wasn't right with his body. Lifting an unsteady hand, he touched it to his left temple, seeing blood when he lowered it to his wavering gaze. A sharp, throbbing pain in his chest made him look down, sighing when he saw the long strip of jagged metal protruding from his ribcage on the right, 

-Probably punctured a lung,- he thought grimly. -Great. No wonder I can't focus.-

"Cover it!!" a woman shrieked from somewhere off to his left, the retort of several shots punching into his ears, followed by a low growl. "It's not dead! Hit it again!"

A pain-drunk chuckle wrenched itself from Kevin's chest as he figured the Hunters had discovered Pershing. He turned his gaze onto the leader of the bunch, who still had his rifle aimed at Kevin's head. Joel Ferman looked the same as always, straw-colored hair still long even though he had long since lost the top third, pulled back into a low ponytail. His pinched features, which reminded Kevin of a child who had just bitten into a particularly sour dill pickle, carried the same expression they always did when dealing with anything out of his ordinary.

"Hiya, Joel. Haven't seen you in aaaaages. How's tricks?" he mumbled, his tongue like an old sock in his dry mouth, tasting the blood that bubbled up with the words.

-Yep, definitely lost that lung,- he thought, the image irrationally hilarious.

Pershing was hurled down beside him, the impact of the giant's body shaking the ground enough to send Kevin to his knees. Several more guns were added to the circle around them, the monotone symphony of chambering rounds echoing in the moonlit darkness.

"You ok, kid?" the Lycan asked, rolling slowly onto his side to prop himself up with one elbow, voice like crushed granite, shirt bloodied and torn in several places.

"Nope," Kevin responded with a goofy grin, proudly displaying his wounded chest.

"Shut up, both of you!" the leader of the band of Hunters shouted, shoving his rifle into Pershing's chest.

"Kid's gonna bleed to death," Pershing growled. "You want that on your heads when she comes after you?"

"Silence, dog!" the man shouted again, pulling the trigger, sending a shot straight through the werewolf's body to lodge in the soft earth with sickening thud.

Pershing didn't even honor the wound with a shout, just gritted his teeth, baring his fangs at the crowd around him. Several licked their lips nervously, fingers fidgeting around hair-triggers anxiously. 

"What brings you lot to sunny Rome?" Kevin managed, trying to force his mind back on track, realizing he must have a concussion of the highest quality. "Surely not the sights."

"Traitor! You will speak when spoken to," a flame-haired woman in black fatigues barked at him. 

"Hoy, Stella," the boy mustered. "Lookin' good there."

"We have our orders," the leader said, smiling at his crew in victory. "God smiles on our battle. Soon, with our allies' assistance we will—"

The words strangled in his throat as the sound of ripping cloth silenced the songs of nearby insects. Kevin turned his head in time to see the last of Pershing's lightning-fast transformation into his full werewolf form. Black fur rippled over the Lycan's body as his height increased to what must have been around seven feet, bones finishing their transition into the half-man, half-beast of so many horror movie plots. Feral light lit his red eyes as he released an ear-shattering roar, sending half the Hunters screaming into the rippling moonlit pasture. The other half opened fire, and Kevin was thrown to the ground as bullets zipped past him with a lovely whistling sound. 

He realized he was beginning to lose consciousness, stopped fighting to keep his eyes open as Pershing attacked, ripping into the leader first, blood spattering on the ground with Pollock-like zeal. Screams of pain and terror echoed over the countryside, but Kevin could only feel the cool night breeze as he rolled onto the soft dirt, smiling up at the twinkling stars, winking back at them when he managed to open his eyes briefly.

After what seemed like mere moments, the crickets resumed their serenade, the blades whispering around him once more, breeze tickling his nose, cooling the sticky mess of blood over his temple.

"Kid. Kevin. Look at me," Pershing's voice floated in on the wind.

Struggling to think straight, Kevin forced his eyes open, finding the Lycan kneeling over him, chest streaked with blood, black hair wild, eyes still glowing red. His shirt was lost to the transformation, but his pants remained in a few strategically-placed tatters, making Kevin smile to himself.

"Please focus. You don't..." the werewolf trailed off, sighing. 

"Give it to me straight, doc," the boy croaked, cracking a grin.

"You've got... minutes, if that. I only have one way to help you, and I need you to understand me now. Got it?"

"Roger-roger."

"Kid..."

Kevin took as deep a breath as he could muster, fighting with all his waning willpower to regain some of his faculties. He closed his eyes for a moment, then reopened them, feeling the giddiness reside, the pain rushing in to take its place. 

"I'm with you," he said quietly.

"Do you want to die?"

"Not really, no."

"You're worthy of it, but it's going to be hard on you. The Pack hasn't even met you."

"You're the Alpha,"

"That's true, but it only gets you so far."

"I can handle myself."

"I don't doubt that. Just warnin' you."

"I understand."

Kevin took a deep breath, realizing his hands had gone numb when he tried to clench them. The pain was even beginning to wane, an overwhelming cold starting to creep into his extremities.

"Ready?" the Lycan asked, taking a deep breath himself.

"You ever done this before?"

"Nope."

"Thanks. It's an honor."

"Yeah. Hold onto your ass. This is gonna hurt."

Kevin took a burning breath, held it. He watched as Pershing took his arm, raising his wrist to his lips, dimly felt the warmth of the man's breath on his numbed skin. Kevin's training had focused almost solely on Talera and the Vampyr, so he knew little of the process of the Change when it came to Lycans. It involved a blood exchange, he knew, but relatively little. 

He gasped, gritting his teeth hard when Pershing bit into his wrist, catching the crimson burst when it spilled out of the broken skin. A deep growl, more felt than heard, rumbled in the depths of the werewolf's chest, the red fire raging in his eyes. 

Releasing Kevin's arm, he brought up both of his own hands, holding out one and with the other, used one extended claw to gash open his palm. Bending lower, he shoved one arm under the boy, hoisting his prone body off the ground, holding him upright. Pressing the streaming wound to Kevin's mouth, Pershing roared when he felt the shock of transfer rush up is arm, shaking his own body to the core.

Kevin lapped at the bloodied palm, moaning out loud when he felt something change in his body, something beyond himself invade his mind, starting to race around his being. Arching his back, he rocked to a sitting position on his own, shoving the Alpha out of the way. The dark man fell back onto the grass, just watching calmly through those glowing eyes, propping himself up on his elbows. 

Rolling onto his stomach, Kevin pushed himself up on his hands. Straining to breathe, he gripped the jagged piece of metal in his hand and with a howl of agony, yanked it free of his body in one sharp tug. He sagged to the ground, ripping handfuls of earth and wheat as the wound knit itself, feeling as if someone was stitching it by hand using molten lava. An ache began somewhere deep in his body, separate from the pain of healing, a steady throb that radiated in every bone, every muscle.

Kevin whimpered as he felt his entire form begin to expand, bones lengthening, muscles gaining bulk and density, teeth growing, claws extending from his fingertips. Something primal was tearing at the back of his consciousness, something feral demanding release. 

"Let it out," Pershing said quietly. "You can't hold back the wolf, and trying will only kill you,"

Kevin sighed and relaxed his mind, allowing his body to do as it needed. He must have passed out momentarily, the shock of white pain knocking him out. When he awakened, he was lying on his side, the world completely changed. The breeze ruffled his thick fur, carrying with it the scent of fear. His ears pricked at the sounds of the night, which were suddenly crystal clear, the rush of cars miles distant, voices in them, completely understandable. 

He struggled to his feet, realizing with a shock that he now stood on four legs. Four powerful legs that supported a body of solid muscle covered, as far as he could tell without a mirror, in heavy golden fur streaked with white. 

Sniffing the air again, he found he could pinpoint exactly where a few stragglers, escapees of Pershing's first attack, cowered in a stand of trees a thousand yards to his right. 

"Five of them. I left you a few. Go." his Alpha said, casting a dark smile over his sharp features, 

With a sharp snarl, Kevin shot into the night, amazed at his new speed, lips curling into a lupine smile as he stalked his first prey.

****

Sighing, Kevin dropped his head into his hands, rubbing his face, pushing back his hair when he returned Sarah's silent, wide-eyed gaze.

"I don't really remember anything past that. Just... impressions. Pershing says I may never have any true sense of what happened. That the first time is pure animal fury, no human influence."

The girl just stared at him, no expression other than shock on her dark features. He could sense no fear, caught no scent of panic or terror, but she was apparently frozen.

"Stand up," she whispered, rousing herself after a few long minutes, her expression going completely blank as he rose. He was at least four inches taller than he'd been, putting him near six and a half feet. His hair was longer and thicker, build much heavier, face leaner though proportionally slightly larger. Like the others in Pershing's Pack, he had gained a rather wild, rugged look, though he'd never been exactly bookish, more like the quarterback homecoming king. She could picture him climbing some remote forested mountain, vanishing into the deepest Northern woods, at home in the unknown wilderness.

Sarah took a deep breath, let it out with glacial speed. She just stared at him as he started to approach her, stopping within arm's length, face still shadowed.

Taking the last step forward, she tentatively reached out, touching his face, first with the backs of her fingers, then laying her palm flat on his cheek tenderly. With a sob, she collapsed into his arms, holding him tightly, crying into his chest. "You're safe. That's all that matters."

She felt his arms surround her protectively, felt his lips on her forehead, felt his body relax against her. He'd been afraid to tell her, she realized. 

"You should have known I'd be cool with it, Kev," she sighed, pressing her lips to his chest, chiding him with a huff. "I'm very familiar with Lycans nowadays, thank you very much."

"You never know," he whispered, breathing a chuckle, kissing her on the top of the head again, smoothing her soft curls. "Talera was less than thrilled..."

"Oh, I bet," Sarah said, looking up at him, biting a her lip. "How did she take it?"

"Well... August practically tackled her the moment I stepped off the plane. It was only because he and Andrenin held her down that she didn't take off on some bloody quest to kill every last Hunter. "

"Are the bad guys gonna leave you alone now?"

"They're not all bad..." he said, looking out the window, eyes distant.

"You say that like you know..."

He smiled down at her. 

"You don't miss much, do you?"

She smiled back, shaking her head.

"You know too much to be just casually interested."

"I uh, I worked for one of the better organizations. I was supposed to get close to her and report. Not to kill. Just gather information."

"What happened?"

"Couldn't do it. Despite all I knew about her coming into the assignment. Despite the years of training I'd had, I just... when I met her, I knew I wouldn't be able to betray her."

"Does she know?"

"Of course. We never discussed it until last night, but I think she knew the entire time. As long as I wasn't still connected, she had no problem with it. It helped me, really. She doesn't have to explain anything to me. I already know."

"Did you know she could..."

"Kill like she does?" he guessed, watching her as she looked down at her toes, then brought her dark eyes back up to meet his. He nodded.

"Is that the only reason they want to kill her. As scary as that is, it doesn't seem like she'd be the only person in the world with that power..."

"It's part of it," he sighed. "There's more to it than that. I don't think I can really explain it... you know how she can hide her wings and the like? Well they don't... go away. She pushes them back into a plane parallel to ours that we can't see. The fear is that she'll lose it someday and reverse the process, bring that plane into ours."

"Is that likely to happen?"

"You'd have to ask her that. She's not afraid to let it out if it suits her purpose. I know there are moments when she's not...she has a temper that's beyond nasty. You saw her perturbed the other night. She's gotten outright enraged before."

"What happened?"

"People disappeared and no one knows what happened to them."

Sarah just let out a sharp breath, then shook her head quickly.

"I don't think she'll lose it. Not until she's ready. She's too controlling to let that happen."

He shrugged, eyes glittering faintly with an inner red glow.

"The four of us are safe at any ra— Omigod! Ana! Nel!" she gasped, eyes flying towards the door.

He shook his head. "Ana just got here. No one bothered her."

"Nel?"

"Talera is hunting her right now."

"Hunting?"

"Telepathically."

"Just making sure. What about you?"

He huffed a growling laugh. "It hasn't hit me yet. It's different..."

The big Lycan lowered his head, rubbing his temples with the heels of his hands for a long moment. 

"What color wolf are you? It tends to go with your hair color right?" Sarah asked, cocking an eyebrow,

"Usually. I can only see part of my body in that form, but gold with white streaks, I think. I didn't ask Pershing."

"Can I see?"

"Not at the moment," he said, glancing at the door. "Listen, we'll talk later, okay? Ana is here, and she's a little worried."

Sarah nodded, and followed him out onto the sand outside the door of her hut. They made their way through the dappled light beneath the palms down to the beach, the sound of the gently crashing surf growing louder. 

Ana met them at the edge of the trees. Her eyes roved over Kevin for a long moment, noting he was changed, but shaking her head, she obviously decided it could wait. With an anxious look on her face, she nodded in the direction of the water. 

"Is that...?" she whispered, unsure of how to finish the question, biting her lip. "I've never seen her like that...that's how she really looks?"

Silhouetted against the giant tropical sun as it was sinking toward the waves, Talera floated a few inches off the ground, fully in her natural form. She wore a simple pair of flowing pants in the purest white and a matching string bikini top, her long black and red hair lifting in the ocean breeze, tail snaking from the top of the low-slung pants, still for once. She faced the waves, head down, arms relaxed at her sides, wings half extended behind her, taut folds of leather billowing slightly in the breeze.

Kevin trotted out onto the sand, standing silently, peering up at her patiently. When she didn't move, he motioned the two girls over. Taking the spellbound Ana's hand, Sarah pulled her closer, stopping at the new Lycan's side.

"She's gone," he said in a normal voice. "Can't hear us."

"What do you mean?" Ana asked, starting to reach out to touch the demon's arm, biting her lip again when Kevin caught her hand, stopping her.

"I wouldn't do that. She's looking for Penelope. Give her a minute, because she's not even on our plane."

Sarah watched Ana study Talera, her expression softening from one of fear, to acceptance, then to something deeper. Fascination. Hunger. Shaking her head slightly, Ana took one last long look over their silent demon then turned to inspect Kevin intently.

"So, what's your deal?" she asked, raising an eyebrow. "Steroids? I didn't think they worked that quickly."

He huffed a laugh. "Not exactly."

"Damn, why does everyone get to be some... superhero when I'm still here, just plain old me? What are you now?"

"Uh, werewolf."

"Crap," she sighed, shaking her head, black hair swishing heavily, "Well, congratulations. When did you decide this?"

"It was a spur of the moment thing. I had no choice. We were attacked when I was on the way here with the leader of one of the Lycan clans. He did it rather than let me die."

"He's a smart...man," Ana noted with a wry smile. "If you'd died she would've done him some serious harm. Good god, look at those claws. Are those her nails? I always wondered how she kept that black polish so flawless."

"It's always the claws they notice. You'd think it would be the wings."

Talera's deep, slightly raspy voice startled them all. She drew a long breath, scrolls at her temples writhing for a moment. She muttered something in Vampyr, then opened her eyes, stretching her wings to their fullest before settling to the sand.




Blood Bonds Pt. 04



"Find her?" Kevin asked. 

"No," the demon said with a slight shake of her head, then growled something in what Sarah recognized as Lycan, her expression dark. Kevin's eyes widened, then he shook his head, barking his response.

"What? What does that mean?" Ana asked, looking between the two.

"Nothing. She may just be out of my range," Talera said, shrugging, face carefully blank.

""No, I can read you too well," Sarah said, shaking her head emphatically. "You don't have a range."

"Of course I have a range. I'm not omnipotent," Talera snapped, scowling at the black girl. "No one will hurt her."

"How can you be sure?"

"Because I'd destroy them if they tried."

Sarah swallowed hard, the expression on the demon's face giving her a chill. Ana shuddered, regarding the three of them for a long moment, eyes narrowed, then sighed and sank to her knees on the beach running her fingers idly through the sand, letting it slip out of her fist and blow away on the breeze.

"You're going to...change tonight aren't you?" Ana asked after a few moments, watching the sparkle of the falling grains in the golden sunlight. "That's why we're all here..."

"Yeah," Talera said with a small nod, flexing the wings as she sank down on her knees onto the sand beside her friend, sunlight sharpening her angular face. "We decided that, uh, it was now or never. It's not safe anymore. For anyone. As long as I'm human."

"Sort of," Kevin huffed under his breath.

"Once it's done, we hope everyone will back off," she continued, ignoring the big blonde.

"Do you really think that'll work?" he asked, raising an eyebrow. He lowered himself to the beach, reaching out one hand to catch Sarah' waist and pull her into his lap. She sighed and leaned back against his massive chest. 

Talera offered an unconvincing shrug, but didn't answer. 

"We get to be here for that? To see it?" Sarah asked, picking up the trailing conversation before it became uncomfortable. 

"Of course," the demon said, giving her a look. "I'll need fresh blood afterwards."

"WHAT!?" Sarah nearly shrieked.

Talera regarded her levelly for a full ten seconds then burst into laughter, tears forming at the corners of her black eyes. 

"That's not funny!" Sarah muttered, thumping Kevin on the knee, feeling his silent laughter against her back. 

"If I had done this the traditional way, when it was supposed to happen, it would have been a big ceremony, and none of you would have been allowed to be there," the succubus said, tone thoughtful. "When I got into all this, that was fine with me but... I don't want it to go down that way now. I also wanted to offer, well, what I can before it's no longer mine to give."

"You mean...?" Sarah started, voice faltering.

"To become a succubus," Talera completed the thought, nodding, looking between Sarah and Ana. "Once I'm Turned, I most likely won't be able to do it any longer. I'm not really a succubus as it stands, but I can draw on Ash's power to turn another and direct the process. I mean... I can have another do it later if you don't want it now but then change your mind or whatever. Or if you don't, that's— I understand—"

She stopped talking before she got on a roll, catching her lower lip between two elongated canines, looking at the two girls briefly before looking back out at the water, leaving them to the privacy of their thoughts.

Sarah exhaled explosively, considering the offer. To be immortal. Forever young. A sex goddess. Demon. Something other than human. It was tempting. 

But it wasn't her.

Looking up, she met Talera's eyes, and knew that the demon understood. She let out a shaky sigh, hoping she wouldn't regret her decision later.

'Um," Ana murmured. "I think... no... I KNOW— I want it."

"Are you sure?" Talera asked. " Maybe I should have said this first: there are some drawbacks. You'll lose your ability to have a normal life. There is some amount of danger from Hunters, the Church, crazy people. You can have friends, career, all that. But nothing will be permanent. People will die, times change. And you'll live on. Your family now can never know, and you'll have to watch them age and pass on."

Ana huffed a bitter laugh, without humor.

"Family? You guys are my family," she said, looking at all of them. "My mom's a meth addict in New York. I haven't seen her in ten years. She's probably dead in some abandoned building. My grandma raised me for a little while after my mom skipped out, but she died six years ago. It's just been me since then. I don't even know who my dad is. I'm not losing anything. Can I have kids?"

"Yes, Ash's mom was a succubus. You can only have a couple, maybe three, but you can change someone if you love them enough."

"I want it. Now. What happens? How does it work?"

Talera grinned, scrolls writhing at her temples briefly. "Just a kiss."

"A kiss? That's it?" the Asian asked, quirking her slanted eyebrows, mouth twisting doubtfully.

"It's not a normal kiss. But damn, it's a good one."

"Well, yeah, I should hope so. Then what happens?"

Sarah reclined against Kevin, attention split between the exchange in front of her and her own thoughts.

It amazed her how little she'd known about her friend. Ana had never mentioned her family, and understandably so, but it saddened the other. Her family was so normal. Happy, with their share of issues, but she suddenly felt a new appreciation for what she had in light of others' hardships. She idly wondered how Kevin was going to handle the changes in his life with his parents. They were familiar with the world he'd fallen into, however accidentally, and having met them only once, she wondered how they would take the news that their son was now a werewolf. She made a mental note to ask him later, when things had calmed down, if there was anything she could do to help. 

As if sensing the direction of her thoughts, though she'd never heard werewolves were telepathic— another mental note— he squeezed her elbows gently, then snaked one arm around her stomach, holding her tightly, reassuringly. 

The explanations over with, Talera rose to her feet, floated really, and held out a hand to Ana, who shuddered violently at the demon's touch, releasing a small gasp.

"I'll have more control over that right?" Ana asked through gritted teeth. "Sending a wave of lust through everyone I touch could be a hassle after a while. I might draw attention to myself if I make the kid at Starbucks blow his wad every time I reach for my macchiatto." 

"No kidding," Talera snorted, but nodded. "You'll be able to turn it on and off at will."

"Why can't you?"

"Long story," Talera said with a shrug. "My demon likes it. We don't quite agree on the definition of acceptable human contact. I'm working on it."

"You guys, uh, want us to leave?" Kevin asked, the vibrations of his deepened voice thundering through Sarah's chest. 

Ana glanced at Talera, who shrugged, then looked back at the two on the beach. 

"Fine with me," she said lightly though a nervous twinge made her voice waver just a little. "It's not like I have anything to hide anymore, right?"

"They'll come in handy anyway," the demon noted, a smirk on her ruby lips. "You'll need all the energy you can get after the change. Hope you guys are prepared to be exhausted. You've both been with me, but compared to an actual succubus, her first time... "

She left the thought incomplete, but grinned devilishly. Kevin let out a growl of laughter and Sarah felt a definite stirring in his jeans under her ass. 

"Down boy," she muttered, squeezing his hand around her waist, but grinning as well. 

"They've both been with you?" Ana asked with an indignant squawk. "Where was I for all this?"

"Relax," Talera commanded, pressing both her palms flat against Ana's cheeks. A sharp hiss caught between her clenched teeth, her eyes rolling back in her head, as her knees went out from under her. Hanging in midair, held, apparently, under Talera's spell, she laughed sheepishly.

"That was dirty," she breathed, timidly pressing her feet to the sand again, legs slightly wobbly, cheeks on fire.

Talera just grinned, raising her wings high above her head, shadowing all of them.

"Do it," Ana growled, taking a deep breath.

-Be sure- the thought pounded into all their heads.

"DO it!" Ana ordered, smiling darkly.

Talera came forward with alien grace, tail snaking around Ana's waist and pulling her close. Ana closed her eyes, parting her lips.

For a second, Sarah saw a blue glow light the black depths of Talera's eyes, then she shut them tightly. Sarah began to tremble slightly with anticipation, and behind her Kevin groaned softly, his arms tightening almost painfully around her waist...



Blood Bonds Pt. 05



Thanks for the continued support, everyone (esp. my Canadian Fan). This is a little short but I wanted to get a new chapter out. As always, opinions are welcome. Email me or make a public comment. Love, pphair.

Note: If you haven't read the previous chapters of this story, it's going to make little sense, so you may want to take a little time and at least skim them.

+++++++++++++++

Ana's face fell completely serious as Talera slowly pressed her pouting lips to hers. A low whimper resonated in the back of Ana's throat, her body tightening, pressing closer to the demon's. The girl's hands came up, caressing Talera's generous ass, running up the length of her curves, pausing to rush over her shoulder blades and carefully dance their way around to grace the upper edges of the sueded wings. 

Talera made a low, rumbling growl in the back of her throat that would have made Sarah look for a tigress had she not known the source. The animalistic sound only made Ana moan herself and kiss her all the harder. Suddenly Ana tensed and almost broke away but for Talera gripping her tightly with one hand around her waist and the other against the back of her head. 

Sarah jumped, squinting as a flash of brilliant light in the most entrancing blue sparked between the two of them, illuminating the shadows beneath Talera's towering wingspan. Ana's back arched, a cry ripping from her throat. Talera released the girl, falling to her knees on the sand, Ana dropping in front of her, hands out to brace herself, though her arms gave out as well after only a second and she fell the to the beach on her side, gasping for air. Talera reached out and touched her lightly on the forehead, making Ana writhe for a moment before she curled into a fetal position and fell still, eyes closed, breath calming immediately.

"Sleep, darlin'," Talera murmured to her, kissing her cheek softly. "This is gonna take me a minute."

Extending her claws briefly, Talera sliced off Ana's clothing. Her manner was careful but almost clinical, holding down the edge of Ana's shirt with the flat of one hand while using a talon to slice the fabric cleanly off, doing to same to the rest of her clothes. Soon Ana lay on the beach, curled naked in the fading golden light, black hair tangled in the sand.

Talera took a deep breath and, displaying the speed Sarah had only briefly glimpsed earlier, seemed to sink into the shade beneath her wings, vanishing altogether into mere wind and cloud. Grains of sands swirled beneath the whorls of a particularly dense shadow that flashed across the beach. The shadows coalesced several yards away, condensing into a dark form. With a sharp grunt she reappeared, fully human, all vestiges of darkness left behind, dropping to a low crouch, head down, panting hard. 

Sarah shrank back into Kevin's chest, murmuring a soft oath of amazement. He kissed the side of her neck reassuringly, though he was taken aback himself. He had been under the impression that Taylor's ability to enter the home plane of her demon was only in her mind and to, for lack of a better term, store her more frightening characteristics. He had felt her physical presence withdraw, reduced only to shadow and air, anchored solely by the most tenuous of threads to the world around him.

They watched her as she collected herself, the effort of shifting dimensions understandably taxing. 

"I don't do that very often in the light," she breathed, glancing up at them with a dark smile.

Though he hadn't even realized he'd been monitoring it up until it changed, Kevin noticed her heart which, from the moment they'd stepped onto the beach had been pumping so slowly as to be barely detectable, sped to a fast, human clip, her skin warming immediately in response. He cocked his head to the side, a canine expression of confusion passing over his features. Ana still lay on the sand on her side, breathing steady, but obviously not yet conscious.

Sarah turned to look at him, her irritation with her limited senses palpable, mouthing the word "what?" to him silently. Regarding her for a moment, he quirked his mouth the side then shrugged. She started when he brought up one hand to cover her eyes tightly, feeling her eyelashes brush his palm as she closed her eyes.

-Relax- he said into her mind, his silent words soothing.

-Aha! I knew werewolves could read minds!- was her response.

-Just Alphas.-

-You're an Alpha?-

-Another time. Will you focus on the situation at hand?-

-Uh, there's this problem of a really big hand over my eyes. I can't see...-

The thought stopped mid-stream as Kevin turned his attention back to Talera, and for the second time in less than three days, Sarah was seeing the world through someone else's eyes. Though with Kevin, it went deeper; she was in his head, seeing, smelling, hearing the scene before them in ways she'd never imagined.

Talera had, to his consternation, brought herself back down the level of a human, superficially at least. Sarah could see the flush in her cheeks, hear the racing of her powerful heart and the crunch of her feet on the sand as she came towards Ana, smell the intoxicating scent of her arousal, even across the distance. Talera was Taylor once more, a nervous young woman approaching the unconscious succubus resting on the sand, jaw clenched tightly, emerald eyes intent. Kevin's confusion rushed into Sarah's head, his explanations and postulations flooding her mind as well. 

Talera shouldn't have to do this, masquerade as a mortal. Something was slightly off about the situation, and it was the demon's doing. He could sense a tinge of her emotions, which were a violent maelstrom to his enhanced senses, whipping around all of them, making Sarah's head spin. Talera was aware of their dual observation, unconcerned though protective. She was powerfully excited, belying her usual glacial calm, though Sarah wondered how much her seeming perpetual emotionlessness was only a mask for a deep ocean of feeling. She was darkly amused, curious, her senses focused to the max on the newly transformed being in front of her.

Sarah felt Kevin's sudden surge of comprehension, felt the flutter of fear in his stomach, but also the rush of fascination and arousal. Talera had created a Dark Succubus of Ana. Through her link to him, Sarah knew such beings were extremely rare and artificially created: the Spirit of the Succubus altered both by the will of a powerful succubus or incubus and by the desire of the recipient. Like Talera, Ana could pull the life out of another, not just the energy of passion. She was exponentially more powerful than a regular succubus, more open to corruption by her Dark impulses but also more likely to survive the millennia. Talera had reverted forms in order to defend them when Ana first reawakened, as she was going to suck the life energy out of the first person to lay hands on her. Sarah clenched Kevin's arm around her waist, stomach tied in knots once more. 

As Taylor knelt on the sand beside her, Ana stirred, a low moan catching in her throat. Her eyes fluttered open, their once deep brown irises replaced by near-jet purple that flickered with an otherworldly glow even in the golden light of the sun as it touched the horizon. Reaching out a hand, Taylor pushed the confused girl onto her back, straddling her stomach, holding her in place. Ana groaned loudly, arching her back as the silver-haired girl bent forward and kissed her hard. 

A look of pure hunger in her eyes, Ana rose up, almost throwing the demon off of her, sending her down into the surf with a splash. The new succubus was on her in a second, straddling her hips, hands plunging into the water on either side of the demon's head, lips following the momentum down, latching onto Talera's passionately, their breasts, Talera's pale globes held back by the small bits of material, Ana's naked, tanned with dark brown aureolas, pressing together. Ana's hips fit well over the demon's, grinding tightly into hers with slow, circular motions that made the other clench her hands in the wet sand. 

Talera hissed through gritted teeth as Ana pushed aside the little triangles of fabric barely restraining her breasts, tangling her hands in Ana's silken hair as the other ran her tongue over each pierced nipple with torturous slowness. The succubus pulled back her lips so the others could see what she was doing and captured a titanium barbell in her teeth, twisting it ever so slightly as she pulled, making the demon cry out, the back of her head pushing into the water, dark hair swirling in the gently rushing waves.

Kevin made a small whimper, rolling his eyes as his body responded against his best attempts to remember football stats and the time his dog died when he was six, his erection pressing hard into Sarah's rear. She tried to ignore it, but her own body was throbbing just watching the two girls. 

Oblivious to their presence, or maybe because of it, Ana pulled Talera into a sitting position, holding her at the small of the back with one hand and trailed her other hand down Taylor's side , pushing her way into the now translucent pants. With amazing flexibility, she twisted her wrist, bringing her palm along the front of Talera's thigh and sliding it between her legs, her movements visible through the wet fabric as she lowered both of them back into the water. 

Talera shuddered , head falling back as Ana made a hard thrust with her hand, pressing her body forcefully against hers a second later. Sarah couldn't tear her attention away from the two of them, didn't dare delve into Kevin's thoughts. 

Ana gyrated her hips against the demon for a few minutes, the argon glow in her eyes getting brighter the more Talera thrust her hips up to meet hers.

"Control it," Talera murmured, breath labored, green eyes opening to slits.

"Like this," Ana whispered in her ear, biting the lobe sharply as she pushed her body against Talera's.

An echoing hiss from somewhere far beyond their world rasped out of Talera's pouting lips as she arched her back hard, gripping Ana's shoulders. 

Kevin abruptly crushed Sarah to him, turning her body away from the two of them, though he kept his senses trained on the others. A sunburst of Dark power, visible to his keen senses exploded out of Taylor and was absorbed by the new succubus, making her body glow in his eyes. Taylor passed out cold, her limp body dropping to the wet sand beneath Ana, pulse weak, heart faltering as a new wave rolled in around her.

Gasping, clutching blindly at the beach, Ana rolled off of Talera and onto her stomach, pushing herself to her knees, forcing herself to crawl just out of reach of the water. Her entire body glowed, pulsing with the Dark energy, a distinct violet shimmer to the power. A horrible ripping, tugging sound assaulted Sarah's ears, making her cringe. With a shout and sob from the succubus, a giant pair of purple-black angel wings erupted from between Ana's shoulder blades, bloody loose feathers floating down onto the sand, dancing in the breeze. The ripped skin healed almost instantly, reforming around the bases of the wings without so much as a scar.

Ana's hair, already past her shoulders, lengthened in until it reached the ground around her form in a heavy black satin curtain that had a violet sheen. Her skin, such a gorgeous shade of gold, took on a purple tint, what little of her nails visible in the sand taking on an indigo gloss as well. 

Sarah's eyes, under Kevin's hand, widened, as Ana's body began to reshape itself under the direction of the Spirit, reforming her into a sort of universal sex symbol. Her hips visibly expanded, her rear becoming a perfect inverted heart, legs lengthening slightly, arms gaining new muscle tone, stomach hollowing slightly. The smallish breasts Ana had so disliked grew at least two cup sizes, dark, purple-tinted nipples tilting upward, pert and begging to be fondled. Her face, just visible behind the veil of hair, changed slightly as well, lips pouting, eyes growing larger, lashes longer and thicker, though they retained their exotic slant.

The new succubus seemed frozen in place but for the heaving of her chest, ragged breaths tearing from her as the pain of the transformation echoed through her body, creating internal changes Sarah could only guess at, making the Asian whimper softly. After a several minutes of tense silence, she released an explosive sigh, a throaty laugh following moments later.

Kevin lowered his hand, contact broken, though he pecked Sarah on the side of the neck again. He turned her in his lap once more, apparently deciding the danger was past, allowing her to open her eyes, blinking into the sunset. 

Rising to her feet with inhuman grace, Ana stretched the wings wide, letting the wind ruffle through the thousands of feathers. Sarah gasped, hand coming to her mouth, awed by the vibrant amethyst color at the tops of the wings, in the fine feathers, that deepened to purest black in the massive flight vanes. With a soft tut in the back of her throat, she knelt next to the lifeless form of her creator. Blinking her eyes languidly, she pressed a hand to Talera's heart, whispering something in a melodic language that was not Vampyr.

Sarah rose to her feet in alarm, Kevin standing behind her when Talera didn't stir, didn't respond in any way. Kevin yelped in alarm and dashed to her side, immediately rolling her over and beginning CPR.

"Her heart just stopped," he gasped, starting deliberate chest compressions. Sarah grasped Ana's hand automatically, barely noticing the altered texture of her friend's skin in the panic. Ana's breath grew labored, dark eyes brimming with tears.

"What have I done?" she asked, the soap opera words having none of the comic effect they would have had if the situation had not been so dire.

Kevin performed three sets of breaths and compressions, cursing her the entire time, before she abruptly disappeared into a dark shadow under his straddling body, causing him to crash to the sand, catching himself with his elbows before he plunged face first into the water. With a growl of combined relief and annoyance he was on his feet in a flash, slapping the wet sand off himself.

They all scanned the beach, the shadow of her presence moving too quickly for them to follow. It was empty save for the crashing of the waves and the clack of the palms.

"Talera!" Sarah called, spinning, feeling the cold chill of panic begin to quicken her breath.

"Where did she go?" Ana whispered, violet eyes filling with tears.

"I don't know. I can't sense her," he muttered, pushing his hair out of his face with both hands, eyes going red. "You should know; she made you."

"No. She didn't. It's not like that," Ana sobbed, tears spilling down her cheeks now, sparkling as they rolled down her purple-tinged skin. 

"Have some faith, huh?" 

They all snapped to attention, Sarah catching Kevin's arm in a death grip, which he barely noticed.

"Damn it all, Demon!" Kevin exploded, rounding on her, his wrist snapping out of Sarah's grasp painfully, clenching his hands, knuckles cracking in succession, face twisted in true anger. 

She stood at the edge of the waves a few feet away, arms crossed, clothing no longer askew, waves of silver hair, curiously dried in seconds, tangling around her in the wind, chin lowered, green eyes shaded, as if daring him to challenge her. They locked gazes for an uncomfortably long moment, Kevin closing the distance between them with a few angry strides. She gazed back at him, green eyes unblinking, stance unchanged, exuding something darker than any of them had seen before.

Sarah took a sharp breath, wondering if she was going to have to step between them, though whether that would do any good she doubted. Finally, Kevin grunted something unintelligible and backed down, apparently against his better judgment. The wolf in him had no intention of submitting to anyone or anything, but it grudgingly acknowledged the power Talera held just under the surface. For the moment. For her part, Talera made no move, did nothing visible other than to avert her gaze, blinking slowly, but the malevolence in her presence subsided.

Ana released a relieved sigh, running a hand through her long hair, grabbing Sarah in a crushing embrace.

"The hell were you thinking?" he barked after a moment, eyes flaring in a bloody glow, claws extending in his rage, glaring between Talera and Ana. "You both could have died! A Dark Succubus! Are you insane? If the bloody Council wanted you locked up before, now they're going to be after your head!"

"It was my idea," Ana offered, face sheepish, closing her wings around her naked form protectively. 

"I'll deal with Council," Talera murmured, her voice lower than usual, words catching in her throat.

"How can you do that? You just gave up half your energy," he growled, scowling down at her.

She gave him a level look, eyes glazing over with blackness, and with a suddenness that sent him back a step, her form abruptly shifted, wings arcing behind her, inch-long black claws extending with a metallic shiver.

"There's plenty more where that came from," she drawled, exaggerating her Southern accent, the malevolence in her returning in an instant.

He grunted, flashing his new fangs at her, to which she snapped her own in response. He took another step towards her, uncharacteristic aggression in the flow and bunch of his muscles, the curve of his hands, set of his teeth. He straightened to his full height, towering over her, which she countered by beating her wings once, rising a foot off the ground, chin down again, arms at her sides, but claws curled in anticipation. The wind picked up at her back, sweeping her hair into her face, sending her loose white pants to snapping against her long legs.

Swallowing hard, Sarah gripped Ana's arm. She was powerless to stop the two of them should they decide to go at one another, but wondered if the other had any influence over either of them. The succubus took the girl's hands, and with a sigh and shake of her head, pulled her in unobtrusive steps further up the beach. 

"This was coming," Ana breathed in Sarah's ear, holding her tightly as the mortal girl tried to pull away. "The wolf in him has to prove dominance. She's gonna kick his ass, though."

"Stop it. Stop it. Stop it," Sarah whispered, bouncing up and down in impotent frustration, giving Ana a withering glare. The Dark Succubus kept her attention on the confrontation, one eyebrow cocked, amethyst eyes intent. 

The sun had vanished into a golden pool at the edge of the horizon, the few scattered clouds scudding in to block out what remained of its light as the moon peeked out on the other side of the sky, stars just beginning to wink high above. Talera raised her wings, all but sinking into the night sky.

"Don't even try it," Kevin growled, eyes narrowing, nostrils flaring as he locked onto her scent. "I'll snatch you out of the sky before you get halfway to whatever hell you're from."

Her blood red lips, dark against the snowbright angles of her face, curled into a sadistic smirk, fangs sparking in the shadows.

"Fine, I'll play with you for a few minutes," she said, voice low and velvety, tone patronizing. "You really think you can take me?"

He snarled something vicious in Lycan, which only made her laugh.

With no warning, he shot forward in a high leap, claws slashing at her lethally. When he was almost at her throat, she beat the huge wings once, rising three yards above him in a massive rush of wind, the force of the air sending him crashing into the waist-high waves far below. Shaking himself off, rising to his feet in the water, he roared at her, throwing off his shirt, defined muscles quivering with rage.

"Oh, shit," Ana murmured, taking Sarah in her arms, pulling one wing in front of them protectively, the other held at the ready, as if she was prepared to leave the ground at any second.




Blood Bonds Pt. 05



Talera floated down until her feet were just above the incoming waves several yards away from him, expression serene, just waiting. With a grunt of pain, he doubled over as the change rushed over his body.

Sarah's mouth formed a perfect "O" as the light-colored fur rippled into sight all over him, his back lengthening, body bulking up, expanding, hands exploding in size, claws doubling in length. His face rearranged, growing larger, expanding as well, fangs dropping, becoming distinctly lupine. The change was almost lightning fast, leaving him not so much a werewolf in the vein of countless horror movies, but more graceful, less feral-looking, though in every way terrifying and much larger than Sarah would have thought.

In a flash, he was out of water, covering the distance with one powerful leap, a spray of sparkling silver droplets erupting in his wake. In a dark blur of movement, Talera was gone and with a sickening thud that threw up a shower of sand, she had him pinned to the beach, one hand around his massive neck, claws sunk into his throat, rivers of blood pouring out of the wounds. She crouched lightly on his giant chest like Penthouse's version of a gargoyle, wings slowly beating behind her, fangs gleaming in a sadistic smile. Her long tail was pinned clear through one shoulder, plunged deep into the dunes beneath him. With her free hand she lightly stroked the side of his face, head turned to the side, licking her lips slowly.

"Stop it!" Sarah screamed.

The demon glanced in her direction, but did not release Kevin, who had frozen beneath her, just peering up at her in shock, the crimson cast of his eyes retreating. With equal suddenness, his body returned to human form, sinking beneath her weight. 

"Talera!" two male voices shouted at once.

Sarah and Ana both snapped their heads to the side, the call startling all of them. August stood near them under the palms, chiseled arms crossed over his bare chest, long blue-black hair streaming in the wind, eyes crackling with cobalt flames, regarding the two near the water with thunder in his eyes. He wore only a loose pair of white pants like Talera's that clung in the right places, his golden skin luminous in the brightening moonlight. Pershing stood at his side, shaking his head slightly, his own black waves pulled loosely in a leather thong at his nape, freed strands dancing around the dark stubble on his chin. He was dressed in a worn pair of jeans, a faded army tee that fit snugly over his defined chest and bulging arms.

With a soft rustle August unfurled his wings, raising them high, loose feathers whirling in the ocean wind. His gaze bored into Talera, some silent command hurled at her. She turned her head to peer at him out of those two pits of obsidian abyss, her expression alien in its serenity and intensity, her long hair curling around her body as if alive itself. Something terrifying seethed just beneath the surface of her calm veneer, the echoes of its throbbing power shaking Sarah at some level beyond the physical. 

"Let him go," he said quietly. "You've proven your point. Now back down."

Sarah could hear her own heart pounding in her ears as Talera only regarded him, tail popping out of Kevin's shoulder with a sickening splurch, the bloodied tip flicking thoughtfully. Then slowly closing her eyes, she lowered her head, moments later vanishing into the darkness.

August glanced at Pershing, who nodded once, his expression somewhere between worry and amusement. With a glance at the two girls, August disappeared into the night.

"Kev," Sarah sobbed, breaking free of Ana's slackened grip, pushing the silken feathers aside and rushing down the beach, going to her knees at his side.

He squinted in pain, hand going to the gaping rent in his shoulder which was flooding the sand below with his blood. The gashes in his throat sealed shut in a matter of seconds, fading to faint red slashes, then disappearing entirely.

"Don't!" he growled at Sarah as she moved a hand to cover his at his shoulder. "Don't get my blood on you."

"I can't let you bleed to death!" she hissed at him.

"I'm immortal," he sighed. "This may hurt but it's not going to kill me."

"Well, it looks horrible. What were you thinking?"

"I wasn't. The Wolf was thinking for me."

"If you needed to mark your territory, why couldn't you just pee on a few trees and be done with it?"

"You're funny."

He glared up at her, wincing as he moved his arm. After a moment, his gaze flicked past Sarah.

"Guess I had that coming, huh?" he mumbled, blushing.

She turned at a light touch on her hair, sighing when she found Talera standing behind her, smiling softly through green eyes, silver hair falling over her face. Standing slowly, Sarah moved back from Kevin, letting Talera sink down beside him on her knees.

The demon didn't respond, just quirked her mouth to the side, taking his hand in her own and moving it to the side. He hissed, gritting his teeth as she lightly ran a finger around the perimeter of the wound.

"I'm sorry," she murmured, frowning.

"I expect it would have been much worse had I waited a few more hours."

She smiled sadly, taking a slow breath. Raising both hands over his face, she extended one long metal claw, drawing it across her other wrist. Blood welled up immediately, pouring down the back of her arm as she held it at an angle, gathering the back of his neck in one arm and gently moving his head onto her lap.

"Uh, My Lady," he whispered, eyes wide, the red cast sliding over them.

Saying nothing, she lowered the streaming wound to his mouth, clenching her teeth as he closed his mouth over the gash. His eyes squeezed closed, a low rumble sounding in the depths of his massive chest. His entire body violently spasmed, and she threw out a strong hand against his chest, pinning him to the ground, though she managed to hold her wrist against his lips steady.

Ana appeared at Sarah's side in a rustle of feathers and a waft of exotically-spiced air that set the mortal girl's teeth on edge, the familiar wave of lust washing over her.

"Could you not do that right now?" Sarah seethed, tearing her eyes away from the scene below her to glare at Ana.

"Sorry," the Dark Succubus breathed. "That's just... so... hot..."

Sarah rolled her eyes, shaking her head once, looking back down at the two on the sand.

With a groan, Kevin caught Talera's hand in his own, forcing her bleeding wrist away from his mouth, the look on his face saying that he would like nothing more than to continue. They all watched as the wound in his shoulder seemed to fill in from the inside, tissue knitting in seconds, leaving unmarred skin in its wake.

Kevin lay perfectly still in her lap, eyes clamped shut, breath coming in labored gasps, teeth gritted hard. Talera bent down, kissing him tenderly on the forehead, stroking his wild hair, almost petting him until he calmed down, slowly opening his copper eyes, releasing a long breath. Almost as an afterthought, Talera absently grasped her wrist, ignoring the wound. 

"Thanks," he murmured. "You didn't have to do that."

"My damage. Mine to fix. I'm sorry. I let it go after you."

"I started it," he muttered, sitting up. "I know not to push you. Especially when you're tired."

"Did the Wolf get that message?" she asked, raising a brow, corners of her lush lips curling upwards.

"Oh, yeah. If there's one thing it knows, it's getting its ass handed to it. In some way I need to thank you."

"Don't even go there. I could have killed you," she said softly, eyes downcast.

"Jesus, Talera," Sarah gasped. "You're still bleeding like crazy!"

The blood was still pulsing between her long fingers, dripping steadily off the underside of her elbow onto the beach. She looked down at the wound, raising her eyebrows as if she'd forgotten about it entirely.

"Hm," she mumbled as if noting a rather interesting pair of shoes. "I hit an artery. Claws are getting a little long. I wonder..."

She tilted her head to the side, holding up the injured arm, splaying her fingers, talons emerging. Narrowing her eyes in concentration, she stared at her fingertips. For a long few seconds, nothing happened, then slowly, the claws extended another inch and a half, glinting cruelly in the moonlight.

"That's new..." she laughed almost drunkenly, withdrawing the metal again.

"Are you crazy?" Ana asked, going down on her knees, clamping her hands tightly around the wound.

"That's what they tell me," Talera murmured, giving them a grin. 

"Doesn't that hurt?" Sarah asked, kneeling as well.

"Not really, no," the demon said with a shrug. "My pain centers are turned off for the most part."

You're gonna bleed to dea—" Sarah began but was cut off, by the creature's shake of her head.

"Relax," Talera commanded, meeting her eyes. She pulled her arm gently from Ana's grasp, holding it up for them to see. The blood streaming out of the wound slowed, then gradually stopped.

"Stopped your heart. Nice trick," Kev muttered, shaking his head ruefully. "How long can you hold that?"

"Long enough," she replied, standing on uncertain legs. "Dinner is ready up at the main house... for those of you who still eat."

Ana laughed lightly, turning as Pershing came down the beach to meet them.

With a rush of wind, three more people appeared behind Ana. Lessa squealed when she saw the newly-changed demon, throwing her arms around the succubus' neck and kissing her hard on both cheeks. She eyed Kev warily, then shook her head. Sarah recognized Andrew from the other night, nodding at him, her eyes once again roaming over his golden eyes and long gilt hair. The man with them, to whose side Lessa returned, gripping his arm, was a study in silver next to Andrew's golden presence. His hair was, as nearly everyone else's, long and hung in a shimmering silver veil nearly to his waist. His eyes were a pale reflective grey that glowed faintly with white light, his skin pale and luminous.

"Everyone pay attention, because I'm only making introductions once," Talera said, striding to the center of the circle, accepting the quick kiss Lessa planted on her cheek. "Many of you know each other, but for those of you who are unacquainted, listen up. Raise your hand when I call your name. You can find out each other's histories on your own time."

"You're gonna pass out," Andrew snickered with a knowing smile. "That's why you're in such a hurry. You want me to heal that for you?"

"Stuff it, goldeneye," the demon growled, giving him a grudging smile. "Lessa."

The Italian girl stepped forward briefly, flashing all of them a brilliant smile. 

"Visarius." 

The silver being bowed lightly, winking at Ana, who gaped at him.

"Andrenin."

Andrew raised his hand like an over-eager schoolkid who knew the answer to the math problem.

"Smartass. You did raise your hand, though, not like the rest of you rejects."

The others laughed, but waited for her to continue.

"Pershing."

The Lycan lifted one hand marginally, eyeing the newcomers, though it was obvious he knew all of them.

Talera ran through the remaining without further comment. When she finished introducing Kevin, her expression looked strained, her eyes flickering to black and back.

August appeared at her back in a streak of cobalt light, wrapping his arms tightly around her waist, nuzzling the side of her neck. She closed her eyes momentarily, her poker-face softening immediately, smiling lovingly, touching her cheek to his, her hands covering his. They held that position for a few seconds, Talera leaning back into him, letting him support her tenderly.

"And Ash'Tine," she added to the rest of them, face hardening again. "Okay, you have three hours. I'll meet you all at the big house then. Andrew, if you don't mind?"

"Not at all," he said, bowing lightly to her. They all fell into step behind him, following him up to the main house.

Sarah turned at the hand on hers as she reached the cover of trees. Ana put a finger to her own lips, motioning for silence, Lessa mirroring the action. The others disappeared into the undergrowth towards the center of the island.

Sarah followed the two girls' gazes back down towards the water, smiling softly at what met her eyes.

Talera had turned in August's grasp, kissing him tenderly, genuine feeling obvious in her stance, the way she stroked his hair, collapsing into his strong chest. In the bright moonlight, Sarah could see tears standing in the demon's eyes, one breaking free and escaping down her cheek before the vampire smudged it away with his thumb, kissing the spot where he'd stopped it.

*

"Why do push yourself like this?" Ash asked, stepping back slightly, taking her injured wrist in his hand.

"I love them," Talera said simply, sniffling back more tears.

"I know that," he said softly, cradling the side of her face in one big hand, smiling when she pressed her pouting lips to his palm. "But you risk too much. You're not invincible."

"I'm aware of that, old man," she murmured, sniffling again, smiling at him, her emerald eyes crinkling. With a sigh, she let her heart loose once more, the blood seeping out of the wound and flowing down onto his fingers.

"Seriously, though, Ash," she said after a moment, her face going paler than ever. "I'm gonna pass out in a few seconds..."

"Yeah, I know," he teased. "Imagine how thrilled Andrenin would be if I let you..."

"You wanna fight now?" she challenge, glaring at him, humor in her dark eyes.

"Such a waste," he whispered, shaking his head at her.

She only smiled at him, hissing with pleasure as he brought the wound to his lips, sucking gently at the pulsing stream. He let his fangs drop, sinking them into the soft skin of her wrist with two low pops. A deep moan vibrated in his deep chest, thrumming through her quivering body. 

"Ah, I don't want you to stop," she sighed when he released her, licking the three wounds like a giant sapphire cat until they healed shut.

"Only a little more time," he said, leaning in to kiss her deeply, his sharp teeth retracting before they cut her eager tongue. He could feel her own unused canines scratch at his tongue, making his blood boil in anticipation. 

"Let's go work off some of this lust," she whispered into his ear. "I don't want to make a scene when we get to the ceremony."

He chuckled at her, cobalt flames simmering deep in his slanted eyes. Kissing her again, he closed his eyes, the thrill of excitement making him tingle all over as she pushed them into the shadows, the beach fading out of existence around them.

*

"Holy shit," Ana gasped. "She took him with her that time."

"I've never seen her do that before," Lessa said, shuddering slightly. "I knew she could but... it's unsettling, no?"

"Nothing fazes me anymore," Sarah said with a shrug. "They are so beautiful together."

"He's the only who makes her melt," the Italian said wistfully, staring at the empty stretch of beach for a long moment before shaking herself out of her reverie. "So, obviously a lot has happened over the last couple of days. Tell me all about it."

"First, tell me something," Ana said, a sly smile on her violet lips. "Who is that gorgeous creature you had on your arm?"

"That's MY Sire," Lessa said, smiling proudly. "Beautiful, yes?"

"Beyond," Sarah noted, grinning.

They continued chatting as they turned and made their way up the path towards the main house.

**

Pershing stopped at the edge of the waves, taking a deep breath. After the amount of Hunting he'd done the other night, he was still brimming with energy. Going for a jog on the beach seemed like a good way to take the edge off, but so far, he was barely out of breath despite nearly circling the island at a near run. He tossed his shirt to the side, preparing to wade into the surf. Maybe swimming around it would be better since he wasn't overly fond of the water. There was still a little time until he had to meet back up with everyone at the main house to start the ceremony. 

A soft wolf whistle— the name always made him smile— made him turn, scanning the trees behind him, eyes narrowing. The bright moonlight made it difficult, even for his eyes, to peer into the darkness beneath the palms. 

The sudden subdued violet flare caught his eye, the scent of succubus wafting over him a second later, and his attention zeroed in on the edge of the trees. A big palm had been somehow warped years ago so that ten feet up the trunk it began to grow nearly horizontally in the direction of the waves. Halfway across the level trunk, long legs swinging like a kid, Talera's new plaything sat, wings half-mast behind her, eyes fixed on him, head cocked slightly to the side, long straight hair floating around her in the breeze.

Damn, but she was fine.

Of course, what Succubus, Dark or not, wasn't? Hell, he didn't go for men, and Ash was even appealing enough to him that he was more than a little concerned about getting drunk in the incubus' presence. Talera had picked a set of hot ones for her little harem. Those Asiatic features had not gone to waste when this one was created. The purple of the Dark power became her, the color of her hair fitting with her tanned skin. She'd dressed since he'd first laid eyes on her on the beach. Sort of. She wore only a red string bikini top and almost nonexistent wrap around her waist that barely covered her ass when she sat, no doubt wearing nothing beneath it. 

"Evenin,'" he drawled, leaving the shirt and making his way up the beach to peer up at her. "Ana, right?"

They had been briefly introduced earlier when Talera had run through everyone's names before leaving with Ash'Tine to do God-knew-what in preparation for the Turning. He'd watched her during Andrew's little speech at dinner, preparing them for what lay in store for all of them during the ceremony. She was completely caught up in this new world, enamored of the entire situation despite the danger.

She smiled down at him, nodding.

"Blowing off some steam?" she asked. Her voice wasn't as deep or velvety as Talera's, but it was sexy nonetheless, having a faint flavor of New York, a hardness to her tone that gave her a street-smart image in his head, a femininity that her Creator's tended to lack. 

"Yeah, I'm all keyed up," he said, shrugging. 

He bent his knees and sprang up to land lightly on the trunk, settling down beside her, letting his legs dangle as well, the thick trunk unexpectedly sturdy.

"You seem to be handling this well," he noted, looking her up and down, raising a brow.

"What?" she asked, delicate face quizzical.

"Mortal to goddess in ten flat."

She laughed, lowering her eyes. "Trust me, with my life, this is nothing. What's your story, wolf-boy? You don't seem like an Ancient."

"Nope, I'm twenty-eight."

"And Alpha already? You got a good start in life."

"I can kick some ass if need be. My Clan is cool, though. Not as tradition-bound as some of the others. Which is funny if you consider that we're the oldest living one."

"That's probably why you're still around and the others get themselves disappeared."

He regarded her thoughtfully, then huffed a laugh, nodding in agreement. 

"You want help working off some of that excess energy?" she asked after a moment of silence, turning to look up at him through the veil of her hair, violet eyes burning in the darkness.

"You serious?" he replied, dark brows coming up in surprise.

Hell, she is what she is, his mind retorted, kicking him for not catching on sooner.

The luscious grin that stole across her lips said that she was dead serious. With a lusty chuckle, he bent down, touching his lips to hers lightly. The thrill of passion shot through him as expected. Not as overpowering as Talera, but enough to stir his cock immediately. Running a soft hand from his knee up to his crotch, she caught the growing bulge firmly, stroking him through his shorts. He hissed through his teeth, attacking her mouth with his own, invading hers with his rough tongue, feeling her silky lips submit to his.




Blood Bonds Pt. 05



Taking her firmly by the arms, he lifted her bodily onto his lap, the fact that they were high above the ground somewhere in the back of his mind. She stretched the wings out to the side, engulfing him in the spiced scent that drove him insane, leveling both of them as she wrapped her legs around his waist, plunging her satin tongue into his mouth, one small hand coming back to free his hair, tangling in the heavy waves. He reached behind her, using a claw to snick through the string around her neck and the other tied below her wings, pulling the top off and letting it flutter to the ground. She pulled back so he could inspect her skirt, exposing her perfect breasts with their dark violet areolas, grinning when he deftly undid the loose knot and sent it the way of the top. As he'd suspected, she was naked beneath and a gorgeous, neatly trimmed triangle of purple-black hair, pale violet lips inner lips peeking out through the silken curls, awaited his hungry gaze.

He bent his head, capturing one nipple between his sharp teeth, making her gasp and arch her back, thrusting her breasts hard into his face. The tree swayed slightly, rocking them just enough for him to pay more attention. She traced a finger over his abs, which rippled with the effort of preventing them from crashing to the ground.

He'd never put "in a palm tree, with a succubus" on the mental list of sexual conquests that all males kept, but it was sure going to be one hell of a write-in nomination for the top five in an already impressive line-up of accomplishments.

Lightly this time, he circled her areola with just the tip of his long tongue, wanting her to beg for more. He trailed the rough tip from one breast to the other, leaving the tiniest of damp trails, delving into the hot valley between the soft globes. Her skin tasted like it smelled, creamy, heady, like mulled cider. 

She breathed a laugh above his head, making him glance up, catching the challenge in her eyes. Taking her hands off his shoulders, she cupped his face on both sides, bringing his eyes level with hers. Pursing her soft lips, she exhaled an almost visible stream of spiced breath directly into his face. Taking a deep breath, Pershing shuddered as her spell enveloped him totally, his will leaving him as his body took over. 

The Wolf inside was confused, lost somewhere between concerned that this creature had such control over its vessel and cheering him on to take her in every way possible. 

He was never sure quite how, but somehow she'd managed to pull off his shorts, sending them to the sand below in a matter of seconds, leaving his impressive erection free for her to manipulate with those hot little hands. Being as they were a tangle of limbs, and the fact that she was kissing his lips with abandon, the feel of a hot mouth sliding down over the head of his cock threw him off for a wild second. The wetness of the burning cleft between her legs rubbed against the rough patch of hair above his cock, the night air cool on his dampened skin as they moved. 

His body, already tense from the balancing act, threatened to spill backwards as the invisible mouth, coupled with the real hands brought him just to the edge of coming in a few expert strokes. Sensing the proximity of his release, she backed off almost entirely, grinning at him, leaving only the sensation of warm breath to caress his throbbing member.

"Sweet god," he murmured once she'd kissed him again, leaving him gasping for breath.

"You've never been with one of us before?" she asked, eyes wide with surprise, tossing her long black hair out of her face.

He could only shake his head, trying to regain control of his swimming senses, the spell still making his thoughts thick as overcooked grits.

"I thought you'd been with Talera," she persisted.

"Nope," he slurred. "Been trying for years, but how would she tease me if she finally gave it up?"

The smile on the succubus' lips would have worried him had he not been so out of his head.

"Mmm, an unprimed canvas," she murmured, lowering her head to kiss him once more. The invisible mouth returned, this time bringing friends. One caught each of his nipples, one licking the soft skin of his scrotum. Hands, maybe real, maybe not, but who would have cared at that point, traced electric trails up and down the length of his spine.

He wasn't prepared when she suddenly rose, grasping his cock tightly, and sank down on him to the hilt. A vague shock rippled through him. No woman, mortal or otherwise, had ever managed to take all of him at once. Small as she was, even being what she was, it should have taken more than one try to get him all the way inside. 

The look he started to give her froze on his face as she tightened her walls around him all at once. An exquisite, velveteen vice gripped him from all sides. He nearly howled, panting hard, fangs lengthening as the Wolf growled in passionate frustration. 

His reaction only made her smile, squeezing him harder. She pressed her breasts into his chest, barely moving her body, letting her talented sheath do all the work for her. 

"She'd do this to you..." the succubus whispered in his ear, licking the side of his neck.

Pershing could only whimper as she started to massage his cock inside her with a rhythmic pulsing that ran from the base to the head. She giggled evilly, changing the tempo, never letting him get accustomed to a pattern.

"In a few hours, she might do this..." Ana breathed.

Now Pershing did howl as she bit down hard on the join between his neck and shoulder, probably with enough force to draw blood. Lifting her head, she repeated the mark on his other side, laughing again when his eyes fluttered. She increased the speed of her internal rhythm. In a way it was like having a blood pressure cuff locked around his cock with a dominatrix nurse at the pump.

"I know she'd do this..."

Ana exhaled another scented stream in his face. For a second, his stomach dropped, awaiting the next surprise. Then his entire body convulsed. The air on his skin was like a thousand caressing hands, the droplets of sweat on his brow like tiny kisses. She stopped pulsing around him, making him sigh in near relief only to moan loudly when she held him tightly once more, only this time vibrating her sheath around him like a washing machine on the spin cycle.

"I don't know how long I can hold it," he growled out, the words hard to get out as nearly every resource in his body was focused on one specific area, the remaining caught up in the sensations on his super-sensitive skin.

The invisible hands and mouths grew rougher, their touch harder as Ana neared her own climax. The glow of her eyes brightened as the energy built inside her prey.

Pershing, gritted his teeth, holding her tighter to his lap, claws extending then forced back as he started to come. He could feel the power pooling inside him, her body coaxing it out with every flex of those incredible inner muscles, her wetness seeping down between his ass cheeks.

With a thundering roar, he shot deep inside her, clutching her with crushing force as she gripped his shooting hardness with all her considerable might, milking every least drop out of him, pulling out that orb of power with his release. Her eyes flared with violet light, skin glowing brightly from within for a moment.

All at once, his body gave up the fight, sending him rocking backwards off the tree, plummeting towards the ground. The impact with the soft sand knocked the breath out of him initially, the secondary thump of her weight landing atop him half an instant later taking what little remained, breaking her spell with a snap.

Ana stared down at him for a several seconds, eyes wide with shock, still dazed from her climax. 

"Are you— are you ok?" she managed to breathe finally, blinking several times. Her super-heated skin pulsed with his power, the burning folds of her core like magma against his stomach as she pushed herself upright.

When he just groaned and let his head drop back onto the beach, strong body going limp, she broke into peals of girlish laughter.

"I don't know if you were trying to impress me," she giggled. "But you are the hands down winner in the 'Most Original Dismount" category. Congrats."

Grinning down at him, she tweaked his nose, and rising, sauntered casually down the beach, diving into the waves once they reached her shapely waist, emerging several yards farther out, hair fanning around her in the dark water, droplets glistening on the feathers behind her. Pershing turned his head to watch her, his body aching pleasantly, his breath returning after a few seconds.

The tropical moonlight bounced off the rippling waves around Ana, reflecting off her silken hair, the glow of her eyes visible even at a distance. Her skin was luminous, the heat in her apparent to his enhanced senses. Her long hair was a perfect black curtain around her shoulders, fanning like a mermaid's once it hit the water. She arched her back, letting her head fall back, stretching, breasts rising out of the waves. Her delicate hands slowly emerged from the water, traversing the stretch of her ribcage, roaming over each breast, lingering with palms over her nipples, finally moving on to travel up her chest, past her neck, finally pushing her wet hair out of her face. Moaning to herself, she dipped herself back underwater, licking the salt off her lips when she re-emerged. 

With a groan, he hauled himself to his feet, popping the kinks out of his back with a grimace. Padding down to the water, he cut through the waves to join her.

Floating in the warm water, her hot arms twined around his waist, waves rocking them gently, he knew it would take little more enticement to lull him into a deep sleep. His eyes fluttered, closing for a moment. Soft lips gently pressed to the lid of one, then the other.

"No time for a nap now, stud," she murmured in his ear.

"Ugh, why?" he moaned, nuzzling her neck.

"We have about fifteen minutes to be back at the house."

"Ah, god," he groaned. "You nearly made me forget why I was here in the first place."

She raised her arms in a silent cheer, swaying her hips in a little victory dance underwater.

"My first victim. Success!" she chuckled, affecting a heavy French accent, rubbing her hands together comically.

He laughed, kissing her forehead lightly.

"Let's get back," he grumbled, giving her a mock-annoyed look. "I may as well change since I figure it's going to take me forever to get the sand out of my clothes."



Blood Bonds Pt. 06



It's been a while. New house (with big gardens to plan). New Mac. New promotion. Nuff said. One of my favorite authors is gone from the site, and I miss her work and her contribution to all of us who struggle to open our imaginations to the great readers out there. You don't know me, but good luck out there, kitten.

Note to anyone diving into this melodrama for the first time: I'm not so much for exposition, so you'll need to invest at least a couple of hours to read the first five chapters (under 'Novels and Novellas') if you want to know what's going on. As always, thanks to everyone for reading. Vote if you like; feedback is better. I don't promise to write back, but I sincerely appreciate it anyway. Thanks to all who have been waiting patiently. More to come when I get the time to actually sit down for more than ten minutes without falling asleep. Love, pphair 

*-*-*-*-*-*-*

She had barely pushed them out of the shadows of her realm, the caressing winds, whispers, still pulling at his long blue hair, softly pulsing lights still reflected off his pale skin, when she let her head drop back, exposing her long white neck to him. Allowing a tiny bit of her carefully constructed walls to drop, she released a burst of energy, heaving a sigh of pleasure and relief.

A shockwave of impenetrable darkness exploded silently out in every direction, whipping the drapes, the bed linens, slashing through the palms outside. A mental shout went up in the distance as the force swept past Andrenin, followed a second later by a hurled curse.

Chuckling he nuzzled the side of her neck, kissing where shoulder met throat, eliciting a low moan from her. She shuddered in his arms as he licked the skin above her carotid, murmuring something in a language even he didn't recognize. Another burst of power thrummed out of her as he sank his fangs into the pulsing artery below the smooth skin, and he had to hold her up as her knees gave out, head dropping to the side, hair swaying heavily against the back of her long legs. Her skin was hot against his lips, her arms coming p to clutch his waist, the back of his head, stroking his hair, tracing the contour of the top of one ear with a gentle finger.

The darkness surged into him, stronger than any other time before, overwhelming his senses, leaving him dizzy, power pounding in every cell, the abyss wrapping around him like a cool, soft blanket. 

It was everywhere.

Calm.

Intimate.

Infinite.

At once mysterious and familiar, redolent of everything in her that drew him. He could feel the slow pulse of his heart, feel it matched in the ebb and flow of power around him, the darkness alive and breathing, embracing and inviting. The world outside faded away, leaving only her in his arms, her chest rising and falling against his. 

Opening his eyes, he let out a gasp, nearly releasing her but for her hand clasping the back of his head, holding his mouth tightly to her pulse. 

-Just look- she said into the wash of low sound around them, voice full of love, anguish, loneliness. She seemed to fade from his grasp, though a faint sense told him he still held her tightly.

She was at his side, holding his hand, eyes fixed on him as he looked around. It was as if he stood in the eye of a slow-motion hurricane, but one made of every color, sound, smell, taste, sensation and energy. In the dark center of a churning storm, nebulous bursts of... what?... surrounding him, but from a distance. Stretching into eternity, slowly floating closer, nearing, then receding into infinity once more, lost behind another wash of color or sensation.

He focused downwards and to his left on a spot of pure white light, sensing enormous energy, hearing a surge of pure harmony in A minor. The light seemed to grow brighter, the cloud of it expanding. He almost reached out to it. His heart thudded in his chest, hurting.

She squeezed his hand, bringing him back to their singular point of darkness in the maelstrom. Turning, he looked up, clenching her fingers as he glanced at a swirl that was simply a conflagration of sound, void of color, expanding towards him until she pulled him back once more. 

Holding her hand as a lifeline, he let his attention wander from one cloud to the next. Wondering that he'd never seen the color blue in a raw state. Never heard the song of distilled life until that immeasurable moment. Like a slap, the realization of exactly where he was left him breathless.

-This is... nowhere- he murmured, looking down into her black eyes. --This is the void. Outside of time, space, life...I never really understood before.- 

-I didn't know how to tell you... show you...-

-How would you even begin to?- he sighed, squeezing her hand as he looked around quickly, gaze sweeping over the glowing, pulsing, vibrant paradox surrounding them. --That's...This is...-

-Everything-

Her smile was gentle, but full of humor, amused by his awe.

-It's not funny- he breathed.

-Not funny, no-

Sweeping her own gaze across the expanse, her eyes seeing deeper than his ever could, she quirked her mouth to the side. 

-It used to be all I had. Moving through it. In it. But never of it. Always happy to be back here, outside of it. We always knew where to find each other... we never fought...never got lost in it...secure in the knowledge that we were gods-

Watching the emotions pass through her eyes, he knew the "we" didn't refer to him. She'd never said much about her People. There were others like her. Beyond that, she'd offered little more, and he'd never pushed her into talking about her existence before she'd come to the girl. 

-But you weren't gods- he said slowly. --Just Watchers. Like the Vampyr. Life passing all around you. Currents running around the rock in the stream. So deeply anchored that even if you step into the water, you may get wet, but it washes past you even faster. Older, more powerful, but no more the wiser or the better for standing impervious to the ebb and flow-

She just nodded, closing her eyes.

-Where are they now? Do you know?-

Sighing, she reached out with one hand, without opening her eyes, and pointed towards six points, the swirl of each existence expanding around her extended finger like a fog before she moved to another. They hung, separate from the other swirls for a long moment.

When she opened her eyes, they faded back into the background, becoming just another series of dazzling points. Indistinguishable from the rest. 

-Do they know where you are? Are they lost?-

-We're all lost-

With that, she smiled up at him, and the darkness engulfed him once more, blanking out the maelstrom. Her skin against his lips was rapidly cooling, her heart fluttering. Then nothing. Truly nothing...

"Hey, come back to me," she was murmuring in his ear, breath cool on his suddenly burning skin.

Opening his eyes for a breath, he realized she'd let them sink to the carpet on their knees. It was several minutes before he trusted himself to speak, eyes clamped tightly shut on the cobalt fires he knew were burning in their sockets. She didn't speak, just leaned into him, pressing the softest of kisses on his chin, down his neck, back up to his face. Softest touch of her lips gracing his earlobes, eyelids, tickling his eyelashes, her breath tickling the tiny hairs on his cheeks, her own hair washing over his shoulders, his chest.

"Don't go easy on me just because you love me, okay?" he said when he found his voice, sarcasm dripping from his words, glaring at her. "I wouldn't want you to restrain yourself out of any concern for my sanity."

"I'll see what I can do," she said, giving him her best doe-eyed pout.

"How long were we gone?" he asked suddenly as he caught a glimpse of the sky through the billowing drapes.

She shrugged, face registering no concern. The need to simply connect with her on the most basic of levels made him shiver with its intensity, and he fought to control it. 

With a shriek, followed by a whoop of laughter, she let him hoist her off her knees, sending them both down onto the soft rug with a muted thump. Even crushed under his weight, she let out what qualified as a giggle when he caught her wrists in his hands, bringing them swiftly above her head and holding them there as he blew a trail of cold air up the side of her neck, the sensitive skin dimpling under the onslaught. 

"Submit," he commanded, repeated the cool air torture.

"Okay, okay," she gasped, wriggling beneath him, though she did nothing to free herself. "I give up, stop freezing me."

Rolling over, he pulled her above him, sliding her forward until she rested on his chest, knees pressed against his underarms, her sex, covered by the thin shield of fabric, already scented by her encounters with the Succubus and the Wolf, inches from his mouth. Sliding his hands over her calves, up the backs of her legs, around her wide hips, he caught the waistband of her pants in each hand. Flashing a fanged grin, he easily popped the waistband, ripping out the seam that disappeared between her legs in one swift pull, yanking the linen off of her body so that his prize was left vulnerable. 

Her hiss echoed from unseen depths as he pulled her soft body closer, his tongue darting out, tasting her. As always, she tasted as good as she smelled, like good wine, exotic spice, pomegranates, moonswept winds. Her skin was aflame against his lips, wet already, inviting and forbidden at the same time. As his tongue thrust into her, she writhed, trying to press more of her burning folds into his reach, while at the same time wanting to rise up, seeking more of him than just his mouth.

"This is now. This is real," he whispered. 

In a move he doubted even she anticipated, he pulled his mouth away from her molten core and opening wide, sank his unsheathed canines into the artery pumping so hard beneath the skin of her right thigh. With a cry, she convulsed above him, hair flooding around his head in scented deluge of black silk as she fell forward. The distinct sound of ten fully extended metal claws slicing into the soft pile and wooden planking on either side of his head didn't distract him as he pulled hard on her pulse. 

She gasped, breasts heaving over him as the darkness flooded him once more. Only this time, he was ready. Silently offering up a spell of his own, he surrounded himself, refusing to let her strength overpower him.

The giant wings unfurled above them, tail curling around his ankles, caressing his leg as it slid under the leg of his pants, ripping the thin fabric as it continued upwards, but he would not be distracted.

Only when her thundering young heart started to flutter again, becoming less certain of its beat, and the beast that lay behind her seductive outer shell threatened to show itself, did he release her. Catching the streams of blood that pumped out as soon as the wounds were emptied, he let a pinprick of his own blood mingle on his tongue, lathing it across the bite, healing it instantly.

She slid back on his chest, leaving a damp trail across his smooth skin, until she could lay down with her head nestled into his collarbone, wings falling over them so that a heavy suede blanket held in the heat between them.

He caressed her hair, kissing the top of her head, the light in his eyes fierce and protective. 

"Whatever you want, I'll do it," he growled after a few minutes. "Just tell—"

She raised her head, silencing him with a heated kiss that took what little breath passed through his chest.

"I want you," she growled back, eyes every bit as aggressive as his own. 

"I can't offer you everything."

"I don't need it."

"You may lose it."

"I don't care. I'm tired of it."

"Once it's done, there's no going back."

"I know that."

"You'll be stuck. Here. In this form— at the very least anchored to it. You and the girl. No more separation between the two."

"There's not much as it is."

"It's still there. It wasn't Taylor, the girl, that attacked your little Wolf tonight. Was it?"

"That was... he provoked me at a bad time..." she sighed, rising up on her elbows, peering down into his eyes with a sheepish smile. He blinked away the cobalt flames when she closed off the abyss in hers. 

"As old as you are, you still let a kid like that get under your skin," he teased.

"Yeah, well the whole damned human race does that," she muttered, shaking her head, hair swaying.

"And you want to be tethered to it for the rest of time?"

"I've gotten used to them over the past few years," she said defensively. "Mostly."

"Usually. Somewhat."

"Shut up."

"I'm just saying, I know we've discussed this before, in less... enticing situations... but my argument is still the same. Not that I want any less to bring you closer to me, but... you could die. Really die. Are you willing to give up eternity?"

"I watched the birth of this little universe," she said, deadpan. "I think I've got eternity taken care of."

"Smartass. It's not the same and you know it. You'll have a stake in it."

"I've had a stake in it for a while now," she said softly, her green eyes melting with affection and something on the verge of sadness as she peered down at him.

Taking in a long breath, he pulled her to him, kissing her deeply. She moaned as he rolled her over, pressing the heavy leather of her wings to one side as he rose up over her, unlacing his pants with a burst of vampiric speed and plunging into her before he lost all control of the lust raging through his powerful body.

Unleashing the Incubus, he let his spell wash over her, testing the limits of her control as passion and need fogged her brain, overcame her body. She ran her long nails over just the right spots on his back, forcing his wings to burst into view, his scent flooding the room, several cobalt feathers fluttering down into her hair.

A low moan escaped her lips, quickly building to a thundering wave that shook the ground beneath them. She arched beneath him, raising her hips to meet his thrusts, legs wrapping around his waist tightly then sliding down the back of his legs, hair flying as she twisted her head, gasping, clutching at his shoulders, eyes filling with darkness once more before she clenched them closed.

When she tilted her head back, baring her fangs, he lost it, spilling into her with a grunt unbecoming a Born Incubus. She shuddered, pulling him down onto her tightly as her release burst inside her. Murmuring to himself and to her, he strengthened the spell, surrounding her, holding her under his power, relishing the trust she had in him. It would take little for her to break free, both of him and his power. 

"But I never will," she murmured in a voice that would have been inaudible to a mortal lover. 

He drew back enough that he could meet her gaze, kissing her tenderly. Relishing in the warm, soft crush of her boy beneath his, the satin slide of her legs against his, the burning, slightly stinging trails her fingers and nails left over his back, he sighed, pushing some of the energy she'd given to him back into her lungs.

"Seems like that would hurt," a voice, tone thoughtful, said from the doorway. "Your wings smashed to one side like that. He's heavy too, so breathing can't be easy."

"Ugh, no one can ruin a moment like you, Andrenin," Ash said, rolling off of Talera, nestling in beside her, pulling her close. 

"It's a talent," the golden-haired immortal replied, grinning, leaning casually against the doorframe. "I was born with it."

"From the shallow end of the gene pool, no doubt," Talera taunted half-heartedly through a contented yawn. She closed her eyes and nuzzled her face into Ash's chest.

"At least I came from one, oh She of the Cosmic Dust," he retorted, earning himself a sharp snort in response and a lazily displayed middle finger. "That's befitting a creature of your standing."

She mumbled something about him not wanting to meet her gene pool that he didn't quite catch, then fell silent, snuggling in closer, sighing deeply.

"You just about drained her this time, didn't you?" he asked Ash, amazement on his features. "You're on fire. Are you all right?"

Ash just offered a drunken smirk, kissing the top of her head. Andrenin rolled his eyes.

"Well, wake up," he said with a clap of his hands. "You two were out for a long time. We're supposed to get started in a few minutes."

Ash took a shuddering breath, stomach twisting in some emotion so strong that "anticipation" just didn't cover it. Talera laughed deeply against his chest, stretching slowly. Andrenin's eyes focused for a moment on her breasts as she thrust them outwards. Sighing, he shook his head slowly, then clapping his hands once more, whisked out of the room in a flash.

***

Sarah turned at the knock on the frame of the hut, smiling when she saw Ana standing there. The other had, however she did it, hidden the succubus, her skin and hair losing their outright purple tint, though her eyes remained a rather distinctive deep violet and her hair had a similar sheen. She'd changed into some decent clothes, a white tank and long skirt that floated around her newly curvy body. 

"You ready? We only have like ten minutes," Sarah noted, rifling through the choice of outfits before her, annoyed with her inability to decide. It seemed everyone was wearing white, though whether that was a command from some memo she hadn't gotten, or just by impulse, she wasn't sure.

"Yeah. I guess so," the Asian said with uncharacteristic reserve, sitting on the side of Sarah's bed and facing her, eyes serious.

"What's the matter?" Sarah asked, shaking her head in irritation and just snatching a set of clothes. She tossed them down across the pillows and turned to face her friend.

"Sarah..." the other began, grinding to a halt before she got any actual sentence out, then starting again. "Sarah, sit down, please. There's something I need to tell you. I've been thinking about it for the past couple hours, since it's had time to sink in..."

The dark girl sank to the bed a foot away, dread burning in her chest for no reason that she could pinpoint.

"I—I don't know if you should go tonight."

"What?! Why?"

"Because I don't know if you'll be— I mean, no one's going to hurt you but..."

"But what?"

"She thinks you'll be fine without knowing ahead of time, but I think there's only so much someone can take in a day before it's too much."

"Ana. Make. Sense."

"Do you know what I saw in her mind?"

"Obviously not."

"When Ash's blood hits her system, she's going to show her real form. She won't be able to hide it—"

"I've seen her real form already!" Sarah cut in, starting to get offended.

"No. You didn't. That was just... a compromise."

"What do you mean? I know she's a demon. Does that mean she's—"

"She's not a demon."

"Yeah, she is. She said—"

"She's not a demon," the succubus repeated, more forcefully this time, eyes pleading with the girl, wanting so badly to show her what she'd seen, but unable to communicate it.

"Look, I've seen her! We all did just a little while ago. Why are you acting like this? She said—"

"She's never actually said exactly what she is! Just that she's not really one thing or another that we ask her about. Think about it. Have you ever asked her outright to tell you what she is? Without giving a suggestion or leading the question with an assumption?"

Sarah's face went distant, searching every conversation she'd ever had with the mercurial young woman. After a moment, she looked back up at the girl in front of her, shaking her head slowly.

"Then what...? You know what? Don't even tell me! I can handle anything any of you want to throw at me! I took it fine when we first met her. Then Kev. Then you. Nothing has freaked me out yet. Why should it now?"




Blood Bonds Pt. 06



"Sarah, this isn't the same. Kev and I are from this realm. You can't imagine what—"

"I don't see how it's any different," the dark girl said, standing defiantly and striding into the bathroom, clothes in hand. "I'm forgetting we ever had this conversation. Let me get changed and then we have to go or we'll be late."

***

Sarah walked with Ana down to the beach in stony silence. Ana seemed to be on the brink of simply yelling out whatever frightening information she was holding on the tip of her tongue, but every time the dark-skinned girl would look in her direction, she bit her lip and sighed.

Kevin was vibrating with excitement when they met him on the sand, eyes red, fists curled tightly, skin flushed. His newly enhanced muscles tensed and rippled beneath his white tee and loose red linen pants. 

"Jeez, Kev, relax," Sarah laughed, reaching up and pushing his hair out of his eyes playfully, bad mood melting beneath the weight of his anticipation. 

"No one ever sees this, understand?" he breathed, looking down at the two of them intently. "No humans, no wolves, no one but them. Much less be allowed to participate in the ceremony. This is beyond forbidden—"

"Well, when you put it that way..." a clear voice cut through from above. 

The two girls jumped slightly as Andrenin dropped gracefully out of the sky, grinning from ear to ear with gleaming white teeth, golden hair settling around his shoulders like a gloriole. 

"You're about to bust too, blondie," Pershing said, emerging onto the beach as well, dressed in jeans and a black linen shirt that fluttered open in the breeze, revealing flashes of sculpted torso, tanned and lightly furred with black hair. 

"You're late."

"Don't change the subject," the wolf shot back, glancing quickly at Ana. 

"Yeah, I'm excited. But when Council has my head on a pike tomorrow night, it'll probably dull the sheen a bit," the elder vampire snorted.

"Like they'd harm a hair on your pretty golden head," the werewolf chuckled, clapping Kevin on the back as he approached. 

"Not that they'd get close enough to try," the vampire conceded, shrugging. "Alright, kiddies, I need to fill you in on what's going to happen in a few minutes. You don't get to just stand there and gape."

"They will though," Visarius put in, smiling as he appeared in a rush of silver , Lessa on his arm. "Gape, I mean."

"Like you won't when you see—" Andrenin started to shoot back before stopping himself.

"See what?" the Alpha asked.

"You'll see," the blonde vampire said evasively, then took a deep breath and began to explain the process of making a new vampire the official way.

"See, it's not so bad."

Talera's voice rose silkily from the shadows, the glint of moonlight off her black eyes disconcerting. Sarah jumped when her friend melted out of the darkness of the trees, or maybe just out of the darkness, she wasn't sure. Ash was at her side, hand on her shoulder to steady her as she was obviously out of it.

The demon moved with a feral grace that set the girl's instincts on high alert. Talera seemed to float across the sand, eyes unfocused behind the black depths, expression distant.

"You okay?" Sarah asked, waving a hand in front of Talera's face. "Seems like your clock is running about two seconds behind everyone else's."

"Mmm," was all she got in response, the dreamy look on the demon's face darkening slightly.

"She's fine, just...depleted," Ash said, taking her by the shoulders and holding her still as he glanced up at the moon, then back at Andrenin, who looked at everyone gathered on the beach, eyes resting on Kevin, Ana and Sarah lingeringly.

"You're absolutely sure you want to do this in front of them?" he asked, glancing at Talera, then back to them, quirking his lips to the side tensely.

She glanced from them to him. Something unsettling seethed around them in the shadows, whispers, half-heard and incomprehensible, swirled in on the wind, sending a sharp chill up the spine. Sarah noticed both Pershing and Kevin's eyes dart to the sides, then meet, exchanging a look before settling once more. 

"You think they're in danger?" she asked, tone somewhere between surprised and genuinely concerned, though her expression bordered on arrogance. 

His eyes did another sweep before he shrugged, shaking his head.

"You gonna tell them first or..."

"They'll be fine. They wouldn't believe me anyway. I'll—"

"For fuck's sake, shut up and get on with it!" Pershing cut in with an agitated growl. "I'm dying of anticipation here!"



Blood Bonds Pt. 07



As always, if you're reading this series for the first time, check out previous chapters first under the 'Novels and Novellas' category, or you'll be lost in the wilds of plot development.

----*****----

They all stood in a loose circle on the beach, Talera and Ash in the center. Both had their wings and other supernatural endowments on display, probably, Kevin noted because they wouldn't be able to hold them in anyway once the ceremony began.

Ash still held onto her with an iron grip. He'd let go for a half second a when they were arranging themselves, and she'd nearly toppled into the sand but for the intervention of her tail.

How much had Ash had to drain her when they'd been alone? How much of her power would still be at the ready when the connection was made? Would that make the transition easier for them all when the time came? So many questions.

Pershing shot Kevin a look, clearly following the bent of his thoughts. The other raised a brow, then shook his head. Mildly chagrined, Kevin cleared his throat quietly and tried to focus on the drama before him.

Andrenin appeared back in the circle after dashing off a few minutes earlier, a small tray now balanced on one hand like a waiter.

"I know I stipulated in our warm-up that this was always done with a chalice of red wine and an ornamental blade, but," he said, stopping to grin, holding out the tray for a second to display a bottle of Johnnie Walker Blue and a round of shot glasses for each except Ash. "Per request of our guest of honor and as a refreshing slap to tradition, I thought I'd go with something different for tonight's entertainment."

Visarius let out a loud snort of laughter, shaking his head. Ash just smiled, glancing down at Talera, who leaned into his chest, arms around his waist, grinning herself. Kevin, standing on one side of Sarah, with Ana on the other, glanced at Pershing at his right. The Alpha gave an appreciative nod at the whiskey, shrugging slightly.

Lessa held the tray as Andrenin poured the shots in silence. The tension that had abated with Andrenin's reappearance returned, hands clenching, teeth on edge, hearts beginning to pound all around. With a glance at the bottle, then at Pershing, Andrenin tossed it over with a smirk. The Alpha caught it easily, setting it at his feet with a satisfied smile as the blonde vampire took back the tray, holding it carefully.

"Everyone ready?" Ash asked, eyes flicking from person to person, receiving a nod from each.

Kevin's heart leapt, this was it. As it was explained, the Turning was generally a grand ceremony, complete with sacred spells, cloaks, candles and chanting. The whole House came, sharing their Blood and their energy, a communal event filled with mysticism and ancient solemnity. Talera had wanted none of that, the thought of the entire event eliciting a sour expression and a groan of revulsion when the Council had walked her through it years ago. Kevin had been slightly disappointed when Andrenin had told them they weren't going through with the full ceremony, but he had to admit that he would much rather have been there, on the beach, with his friends, than not included at all. Experiencing was definitely better than hearing about it later.

"Didn't think I was coming, did you?" a gentle tenor cut into the tense silence. A male hand cut into the circle, setting another shot glass on the tray with a sharp snap. 

Andrenin and Visarius both took a few steps backwards, their faces registering first shock then elation. Pershing's eyebrows shot up as a man on the short side with sandy brown hair swaying just below a set of narrow shoulders stepped between the two Elder vampires, resting a hand on their shoulders for a moment. The newcomer was handsome, with large blue eyes, high cheekbones and a slight but powerful build beneath faded jeans and a loose white linen shirt. 

"Hey, man," Pershing said, smiling and leaning past Andrenin to extend a hand, which the other shook firmly. The wolf snatched up the bottle, filling the new shot glass, before capping and replacing it at his feet.

"Hi, Sweetheart," the man said, stepping into the center of the circle. He took Talera in his arms as she untangled herself from Ash, kissing her tenderly on the forehead. Kevin noted they were about the same height.

"You scared me for a while there," Ash chided, smiling ruefully and clapping him on the back. "Thought we weren't going to get the endorsement."

"Have to show how important I am every now and then," the newcomer said softly with a teasing smile, looking into Talera's eyes.

He rested his forehead against hers, both their eyes closing. She murmured something that Kevin couldn't translate, and the man responded in kind, his hand stroking her hair, gathering it over one shoulder. He leaned in, whispering in her ear. It wasn't until he fell silent and a tiny gasp escaped Talera's lips, that Kevin even realized the man had bitten her. Her hair fell back around his head as she tilted her chin towards him, touching her cheek to his.

Kevin caught Sarah's questioning look, shrugged back at her. "No idea" he mouthed silently at her and then to Ana, who looked puzzled as well. The blonde werewolf hadn't even picked up that the newcomer was a vampire until he'd bitten Talera.

The man released her, resting his forehead against hers for a long moment, his chest rising and falling heavily, though he made no sound. Kissing her again, he stepped back, holding her tightly at arms' length.

"Be careful," the man said to Ash, looking up at him, face serious. "It could still overwhelm you. I don't want to lose you both."

"That's why you're here," Ash said with a wry half-smile. The man huffed a short laugh, turning an uncharacteristically compliant Talera back into her husband's arms, where he enfolded her once more. 

"Just do it, this is embarrassing," she muttered. Mustering herself with a deep breath, blinking rapidly, she pushed back from him, wings wavering as she used their weight to balance herself.

"You heard the lady. I didn't bring a knife, so find a partner if you don't have fangs. But you really should have them, you know," Andrenin said with smirk, taking one of the shot glasses, handing the tray to Visarius.

Holding up his index finger, he pressed it to a sharp tooth, letting a big drop of blood well on the tip of his finger before he squeezed it into the whiskey, the heavy red drop slowly melting into the golden liquor, the colors deepened, but still vibrant in the moonlight. Skipping the newcomer, he passed the glass to Visarius, who repeated his actions, giving Andrenin back the tray. Lessa was next, holding out her hand to her Sire, wincing slightly as he nicked her fingertip.

Ana offered her hand to Kevin with a smile. He gave her a look, then sighing, turned her palm over, sinking an upper canine into her hot skin. She clenched her teeth, eyes flaring for an instant as she watched the blood well, shaking it into the mixture that was slowly turning more crimson than gold. Taking the little glass, Sarah hesitated for a second, then pointed one finger in Kevin's face with a half smile. Rolling his eyes, he bit her as well, trying not to actually taste her blood when the skin burst in his mouth. She sucked in a sharp breath through her teeth, but only smiled reassuringly at him when he cringed.

Kevin did his part quickly, passing the mixture to Pershing. Eyes innocent as a newborn fawn, the Alpha held out his finger to Kevin as well. Talera snorted, hand coming up to cover her eyes when Kevin shot back a level stare. Smothering a grin, the Alpha did it himself, handing the shot back to Andrenin. The golden-eyed vampire held it out as the unnamed vampire added his own blood to the mix. 

Meeting Ash's eyes, Andrenin nodded. Taking a deep breath, Ash took a step back up to Talera, kissing her deeply, lightly touching her temples with his fingertips.

"One more time," he whispered. "I love you."

Her reply was cut off by a sharp gasp as his teeth sank deep into her throat, his hand coming up to hold the back of her head gently. A pulse of dark power, stronger than the one that had passed across the island earlier, thrummed out of her. Kevin froze as it washed over him, a breath later catching Sarah's upper arm and holding her upright before the disorienting effects sent her to her knees.

No one dared move, eyes glued to the couple in the center of the circle. The wind picked up suddenly, the timing too perfect to be a coincidence. It whipped around the circle, sending hair twisting and pulling at clothing. The Darkness began to creep into the winds, whispers from somewhere else beckoning just at the edge of the senses. 

Ash's eyes opened slightly, blue fires blazing, gaze unfocused in the direction of the sandy-haired vampire. He stroked the hair of the Elemental in his arms as she lost control, the winds rising around her defensively. 

"I got it," the mystery vampire said, voice just above a murmur. "Keep going."

Ash blinked in thanks, eyes closing tightly once more. Talera's legs gave out under her, head falling back, hair swaying heavily, wings collapsing into a puddle of leather. Kevin squinted as the air around them roiled violently for a frightening moment. Then all was calm again. His stomach lurched when he saw that the small man's eyes had caught fire as well, the blue glow so light as to be nearly white, narrowed in intense concentration. His hands were held slightly elevated at his sides, palms facing downwards.

He knew who the newcomer was. Licking dry lips, the new Lycan took a deep breath, letting it out slowly, forcing his mouth closed, making himself look away, though his heart thudded in his chest. 

Ash suddenly sank to the sand, managing to hold onto his lovely demon, though crimson tears leaked out of the corners of his eyes. Kevin could hear the powerful heart thundering in the incubus' chest, hear Talera's faltering, her breath barely raising her breasts. 

With a pained gasp, Ash jerked his head away from her, leaving a set of wounds in her throat, blood pulsing out weakly in twin streams, joining into one, flowing down over the scrolls on her skin, which had faded to pale grey.

Fighting to catch his breath, his own pulse like a bass drum in Kevin's sensitive ears, Ash gathered Talera more securely, holding her up on her knees with one hand around the back of her neck. Extending his own claws on the other hand, he released a sharp breath and slashed a small gash in the side of his own throat.

Kevin's stomach twisted, face burning as the enticingly sweet scent of incubus blood with Talera's own distinctive spice mixed in heavily, flooded his senses. Pershing laid a hand on his shoulder without looking at him, instinctively reigning in the Wolf that roared silently.

Sliding his hand under Talera's head once more, Ash brought her lips to the wound in his neck. At first, nothing happened, the flow of Ash's blood leaving a crimson trail across his bare chest, staining the waistband of his white pants.

With a thundering burst of power, Talera sucked in a hard breath. Her fangs sank into Ash's neck with an audible pop. He roared, head falling back, muscles tensing, hands tangling in Talera's hair, crushing her body to his. 

"My God," Ana murmured, breathing shallowly, face flushed. 

Sarah's eyes were the size of quarters, every ounce of attention focused on the two in the center of the circle. Kevin reached out and clasped her hand, feeling her shaking, starting slightly at his touch. She glanced at him quickly, then back, tears glittering in her eyes.

With a sharp exhalation, Talera released her Sire, bowing her head for a moment, trying to calm herself. After a moment, she grabbed him and their lips met in a passionate kiss.

"Did it work?" Andrenin breathed, watching them both with wide eyes.

No one moved, watching the two as they simply kissed, their heartbeats slowing, breath calming. After a few minutes, they rose to their feet, Talera's head bowed against Ash's chest, eyes squeezed shut, face going snowy pale. 

Ash nodded at Andrenin, a smile fleeting at the corners of his mouth, his long blue hair sliding over his eyes.

"Hurry up. Can't hold it long," Talera murmured, voice rough, weak, one arm coming up, the other holding Ash's waist, pale fingers curling around his waistband at his back.

Andrenin stepped forward with the tray. Ash used one long nail to open a wound in Talera's wrist, holding her hand as a burst of crimson rushed down her arm, dripping onto the sand when he held her arm up higher. Catching a small stream of blood in each shotglass, Andrenin set the mixed whiskey back onto the tray one at a time. The wound healed the instant he was done, Ash holding her hand, bringing it back down to their sides. 

Kevin took the offered shot when Andrenin held it out to him, senses immediately on overload as the scent of the blood hit him. Sarah held his hand more tightly as she took hers, shaking so much that it threatened to spill. Ana held it under her nose, inhaling deeply, eyes flaring brightly. 

At a nod from the sandy-haired vampire, they all downed their shots. Kevin tasted none of the liquor, the fire and energy of the Blood obliterating any hint of alcohol. The Wolf roared, scratching at his insides, demanding release. As it was, he knew his eyes had gone red, but it was beyond his control to bring them back to normal. Beside him, Pershing rumbled deep in his chest, his own eyes red, chucking the glass into the waves, the spark of light disappearing into the moonlit water with a silent splash. 

Talera took a step away from Ash, reaching out a hand, claws sliding out fully. Andrenin carefully handed her the shot, waiting as she tossed it back, then took back the glass from her.

"Open your eyes," the blue-eyed man said softly. "You can control it that long."

Taking a shuddering breath, Talera slowly raised her head, facing in his direction. With her back to him, Kevin couldn't immediately see what made the three vampires across from him start violently, but their expressions were enough to send a thrill of fear up his spine. Slowly, she turned so that they could all see, for the real power of a vampire was shown in their eyes. 

Hers burned with a flame that was unlike anything Kevin had ever seen. Black flames, only visible in her dark eyes because they were tinged with bloody crimson, roiled with a barely contained sea of power.

The man stepped forward, embracing Ash tightly, murmuring in his ear, stroking his long blue hair. Then he held Talera, kissing her lightly, first on the lips, then on each eyelid when she closed her eyes. Turning, he put his hands on the chests of Andrenin and Visarius, pushing them backwards. Getting the idea, the rest of the circle did the same, all of them moving back up the beach away from Talera and Ash.

"Let it out," Ash said softly, bending to kiss one cheek, then the other. "I'll be right here."

Taking quick, shallow breaths, Talera nodded, lowering her head, wings rising behind her, expanding fully.

"Holy shit," Pershing breathed as she blinked out of view, reappearing in an instant. Some unfocused thread in Kevin's mind noted that it seemed not so much that she vanished as it looked exactly like what happened when the wind interrupted the signal from his DirecTv. Three more times, the same thing happened.

The last time she disappeared, something else came back in her place.

A gigantic well of matte blackness rose up from the sand, uncoiling, sinuously winding and curling. For hideous moment, Kevin's mind went completely blank. No thoughts, no explanations popped into his head. Whatever was before him defied description, the world sinking into slow-motion and stopping. 

With a roar, time resumed its normal flow, and the giant black dragon unfurled its wings high into the sky, blotting out stars, the crimson beneath its wings covered in the same scrolls as the ones on Talera's skin. The long tail, which accounted for half its nearly two hundred foot length, undulated from side to side just above the beach, five foot tall metallic black spikes glinting in the moonlight. 

His heart jumping painfully in his chest, mouth falling open, Kevin followed the spikes along the graceful back, over the tops of the towering wings, up to the base of the long, narrow skull set atop the powerful neck. Relatively short, heavy legs ended in long feet that were more feline than reptile, though bonier and tipped with vicious talons in the same black metal. Two pointed ears swept back from the skull, two long horns behind them, elongating the elegant head further. The whole creature was not scaly, as every myth and legend stipulated, but soft, velvety-looking, skinned in the suede that was unique to Talera's wings, black on most surfaces, but crimson on the underbelly and the insides of the ears. 

Ash reached out to it, dwarfed by its size. Slowly, it swung its long neck around, ducking its head, letting him kiss the end of its long snout lovingly. The black-red flames in its eyes quieted as he ran a hand over its cheek. 

With a violent shudder, Kevin realized that the dragon was Talera. No question. His breath caught in his throat, heart skipping a beat.

Nearby, he heard a stifled gasp, looked over in time to see Alessandra faint into Visarius' arms. The silver and golden vampires regarded the creature with faint smiles, both their eyes glowing brightly. The other vampire was openly grinning, pride in his stance, the cross of his arms over his chest. 

Pershing grunted something in Lycan, eyes wide, hand over his mouth, rubbing the stubble on his chin thoughtfully. He seemed not scared so much as awed, caught completely off-guard. Ana just peered serenely at the creature, no hint of surprise about her.  

Kevin turned to Sarah, mouth opening, but she yanked her hand out of his grasp. Her eyes couldn't open any wider, her mouth a perfect O, arms coming up to cover her breasts protectively, shaking violently, breath coming in pained gasps, near to hyperventilating. Smothering a shriek with her hands, she backed up towards the trees, stumbling in the loose sand, gaze fixed in terror on the creature before her. Kevin took a step towards her, arm coming out, but she turned and darted into the forest.

The dragon watched her go, tilting its head to the side like a confused puppy. Flickering again, it disappeared, leaving the girl standing on the beach once more, wings, now crimson underneath, folding behind her, hair sliding behind newly pointed ears. She dropped to her knees on the sand, hand covering her eyes as she caught her breath.

Slowly, she relaxed, resting back onto her calves, dropping her hand to her side. Her eyes were green when she looked up, smiling crookedly at all of them.

"Fuck! You coulda warned us!" Pershing burst out, stalking forward, snatching her up and into a tight embrace, kissing her hard.

She laughed shakily when he released her, putting a hand on the side of his face tenderly. 

"Yeah, Yeah," he muttered, almost preening under her touch, smiling slightly, baring his fangs on one side. "I would never have believed that shit."

"Should I go after her?" Kevin asked, his heart still pounding.

For a moment, she regarded him with that same tilt of her head, but then she shook her head, looking down sadly, then back at him. 

"She has to work it out on her own," the sandy-haired vampire said gently. He came down the beach to take her hand and kiss it, bowing over it respectfully, one god to another. She inclined her head to him, taking a deep breath, releasing it slowly.

"Jesus," Pershing exclaimed, regarding her critically. "I can feel the bloodlust radiating from here."

She shot him a level stare. He just grinned at her. 




Blood Bonds Pt. 07



"You don't even trust yourself to open your mouth, do you?" he taunted.

"Let it go, Wolf," the blue-eyed vampire said, breathing a laugh. He stepped up beside Ash, touching the blood that was still wet on the incubus' bare chest. 

"Go," Andrenin said, smiling darkly at them. "We'll handle things here."

Lifting the unconscious Italian girl, Visarius nodded to the three, then headed back into the trees. Andrenin and Pershing followed after, the latter giving Talera one last once-over before he melted into the shadows. With a nod, the two male vampires vanished in twin whorls of sand, rising into the night too quickly for Kevin's eyes to catch.

"Just to clarify," Kevin said, coming to stand in front of Talera, looking down into her eyes. "That was Arkon, right?"

She nodded, smiling slightly.

A breath of a laugh forced itself out of his mouth. Shaking his head, he ran his hands through his hair, taking a deep, deep breath, letting it out as slowly as he could. 

"This has been one hell of a week," he said finally. He wanted to hold her, but didn't, settled for kissing the air just above her forehead with all the tenderness he could muster. She blinked her eyes, flames burning in their depths once more, looking up at him serenely.

"I won't touch you," he said, taking a step back. "Persh is right. I don't see how you're holding it in. Go. Good hunting."

She didn't move, looking from him to Ana, expression unreadable.

"Go," Ana said. "We'll take care of her. Take the time you need. We'll meet you back in DC."

With a sigh, nodding her head, she took a step backwards, turning to face the waves. Stopping near the water's edge, she looked back over her shoulder at them, smiling.

"Thank you," she said softly, her voice carrying on the wind, energy in her words making them shiver. Raising her wings high, she vanished in a blur of Darkness. 

-------*****-------

I didn't agonize over every single word of this installment like I normally do, so please bear with me if it's a little rough. For me this is an exceptionally quick post, so don't get spoiled. I'm nowhere close to done. This story has gone far, far... far, far, far, far, far... beyond its original intention. Thanks to all who vote (I'm not all that concerned with ranking, but I do have my pride) and thanks for the great feedback. I'm working out the next chapter dutifully, sleep be damned. My employees think I'm daydreaming and/or insane as I work out dialogue (aloud) to myself. 



Blood Bonds Pt. 08



Shane Mashburn stretched his arms over his head, cracking his back and neck, looking around at the open water with a sigh. It was a calm night, or it had been before that weird wave of darkness overtook them a little while ago, leaving him shivering and disoriented at the helm for several minutes. 

The stars twinkled brightly, obscured now and then by the big banks of clouds that rolled in like waves over these warm seas. The waves had picked up a little, rocking the boat in a lulling motion that made him yawn more than once. 

Absently rubbing at a stray smear of blood off the cockpit console with the heel of his hand, he looked out onto the open deck below, admiring his new ship. He, Javi and Jean had commandeered it from the old owners two days before, and he felt it was much nicer than the tub of shit they'd started out with.

It had been his idea back on Fiji to stake out this remote stretch of ocean, to just sit back and wait for the lost and inexperienced— and invariably rich— captains of these big luxury yachts to get confused on some idiotic sightseeing detour to explore the thousands of little islands in the area. All they had to do was wait, work on their tans while they monitored radio traffic in the area. The local law enforcement was slow to respond to some rich idiot lost in usually calm waters, so he and his boys had hours to find and "rescue" the hapless sailors. 

The previous owners of his new ship had been a nice family from Cape Cod. A braveheart father who he'd popped in the head with a bat in the middle of the night as he'd slept in the very chair where Shane now rested. The mom, she was hot enough. Not as tight as she could have been, but then she'd had the two kids, so he wasn't gonna hold that against her. The son, another fucking hero, had been taken out by Jean and his blades as he tried to rescue his poor, old mom. Dumbass. 

Now the daughter, she was a keeper. Or at least she would have been had Javi not gone so hog wild with his fucking knives and sliced her up so much that she bled out while Jean was skull-fucking her. Shane smiled. At least he'd gotten to her first before Javi cut her hands off. She'd been the best pussy he'd had in months, eighteen, virgin, tight as a fist. She'd had the hottest scream as he thrust into her the first time, the gag in her mouth barely muffling her cries of agony when he had to slam into her dryness like fifteen times before he was in all the way. He sniffed his fingers, getting the faint whiff of the raspberry-scented shampoo from her long blonde waves.

The memory of her big blue eyes looking back up at him through a well of tears, pleading with him silently for mercy was enough to get him hard again just thinking about it. He was just reaching down to free his pounding dick, give himself some relief when the ship lurched hard at the stern, the bow coming clean off the sea before crashing back down in a spectacular spray of black water. Shane was thrown clean out of the chair, erection smashing painfully against the consol, head cracking hard against the window in front of him. When he recovered, shaking himself and dragging his bruised and aching body up using the chair, he just stood still, listening intently, eyes wide, heart pounding. It was like they took a hit from a giant cannonball, though the ship didn't seem to be taking on water. It was, in fact, eerily still; the air going dead calm like they were in the eye of a cyclone. 

A muffled scream from below made him jump. He listened for a minute, eyes darting around in the darkness, turning to look cautiously down into the black pit of the hallway leading to the cabins below. Pleading, begging, more cries of agony and terror floated up from below.

Fucking Javi. Something smashes into the ship, and the little brown freak probably doesn't even notice. He was watching one of his damned snuff films again. Shane liked a good rape as much as the next guy, but that Javi was one sick fuck. Last week his crazy home videos, probably the one with the brat boy had woken the other two from a deep sleep. Shane had found Javi jacking off like mad at the recorded image of himself slicing open the kid's throat, volume turned up to the max.

The sound system on this tub was incredible, Shane had to admit, but the fucking sharks were starting to circle their bow. Freaky fish around here were like dogs, coming to the smell of blood and the sound of screams in minutes. He would have thought Jean would have told Javi to turn that shit down, but then again that crazy fucker was probably watching too.

All of a sudden, the screams ceased. Finally. He was going to tear that little asshole a new giant asshole. 

"Javi!" he bellowed, rubbing his head as he tried to peer into the pitch black. "Javi! What the fuck! I was sleeping! Turn that shit off!"

The sharply accented retort Shane had been expecting didn't come. No sound emanated from the darkness.

"Javi!" he hollered, his face screwing up with concern. Fear lit through him for some reason he couldn't figure.

"Javi?" Quieter this time, voice wavering. "Jean? The fuck is going on down there?"

No response, just the gentle lap of waves against the bow. He knelt down, straining his eyes, squinting into the black abyss. He could hear a faint, very faint, rustle now. Like heavy fabric sliding against itself, but not that exactly. A strange metallic whisper.

He shrieked as something big and dark and menacing shot past him in a blur out of the maw below. He was bowled over backwards, soaring through the cabin and smacking the back of his head on the console once more.

Gagging, gasping for breath, he tumbled onto the deck, fighting his way to his feet once more. He uttered another hoarse shriek when he felt fire, looked down to see that his chest was deeply scored with four deep slash marks that cut him open form the bottom of his ribs on the right to his shoulder on the left, shredding the light tee he'd been wearing. 

"Oh, God!" he garbled, staring in horror as blood welled from the razored cuts, staining his shirt.

"You think He'd be on your side even if there was a God?" a smooth, velvet smooth, chocolate smooth, gorgeous voice asked. He shot backwards, tripping over the chair and ending up on his ass once more, eyes frantic to find the speaker. 

Seeing no one, he scrambled up, grasping tightly at the streaming slashes, but no amount of pressure was slowing the blood. Breath rasping, he stumbled forward, looking out the window. Starting violently, he ducked suddenly, then peeked just his eyes up until he could see them.

As his hand fumbled for the gun he knew was somewhere, he studied the deck below. Two men lounged causally on two of the soft lounge chairs. One wasn't much larger than Javi, blondish, with a weird white glow to his eyes. The other was a big guy, really long blue hair, blue glowing eyes, pretty in a masculine, Eighties Hair Band kind of way. Neither seemed concerned about their surroundings, simply laying back, soaking up the clear moonlight. 

"Hair Band?" the same voice snickered. "Oh. I will never let him live that down."

Shane spun on his knees, hand catching the gun at the last minute. Perched in a low crouch improbably atop the narrow back of one of the captain's chairs, a beautiful young woman in pure white, bare feet, smiled at him. 

Bringing the gun to bear on her, a slow smile creeping across his own face, Shane chambered a round. She seemed harmless enough. Strikingly pretty, her body hard to read in the low crouch, but promising. Big tits. Hair that would be a true pleasure to wrap his hands around and yank as he fucked her from behind.

Then he saw the blood dripping off the fingers of one hand. His blood. She followed his eyes, then her smile deepening, she extended a set of two inch talons from her bloodied fingertips. They were jet black, some kind of metal that shone like a dead calm ocean in deepest night. The blood from her fingers ran down their lengths, dripping delicately onto the seat below her. The gun dropped to the deck with a deafening clatter.

In her other hand, she loosely held Javi's knife, dripping blood from its tip as well. Idly, without taking her eyes from him, she held it in both hands, then with one claw on her bloody hand, carved a single symbol into the grip of the knife, the metal easily scarring the ivory. She repeated the elegant character on the steel blade, the silver-blue metal no match for that midnight sheen. 

Then, with skill that put Javi's training to shame, she flicked the blade in his direction, smile never leaving her face. A slurping gasp caught in Shane's throat as he was thrown across the cabin, steel going through his shoulder, embedding into the bulkhead, trapping him like a pinned fly, feet dangling off the deck. 

"What the hell are you, bitch?" he hissed, doing his best to look menacing as he tried to squirm free. 

Her lovely mouth quirked into a frown, but she didn't reply. He screamed as a gigantic pair of red and black bat wings appeared behind her, opening to the limits of the suddenly cramped bridge. She only cocked her head to the side, seeming to be listening intently, her face purely angelic in its serenity. 

Heartbeat. Shane realized she was listening to the frantic trip-hop beat his heart was generating.

"Are you an angel?" he asked, face going slack. 

"God, I hope not," she laughed, flashing long white teeth, wings folding behind her. "I doubt you'll be seeing any angels anytime soon, Mr. Mashburn."

"You're a demon, then? Come to take me to hell?" he sputtered, his bowels letting loose despite himself, though he was helpless to control it. 

"I certainly hope that's where you're going," she said sweetly, though her voice deepened. Her nose wrinkled at the stench of him. "I've never died, so I don't know any more than you do."

"What are you?" he whispered, tears forming in his eyes. He could taste blood bubbling up his throat. The sounds of the screams from below deck returned to him with shocking clarity. Javi. Jean. It had been her, this creature. She'd killed them. Horribly by the sound of it. 

"Just a killer like you," she said softly, almost gently. "Though much better at it. Any last words?"

"Wait! I—"

"Nevermind."

The last thing Shane Mashburn saw was a blur of matte darkness, a burst of crimson. The last thing he heard was his own garbled shriek. The last thing he tasted was his own blood. The last thing he felt was searing heat, then ever-deepening cold. 

Then nothing. 

---*---

"Feel any better?" August asked as Talera sauntered down the steps from the bridge, wiping blood off the tips of her claws with a hand towel. 

"Not really," she said with a sigh. 

"The thirst isn't radiating like it was," Arkon commented, continuing to stare at the moon, playing with the winds, idly making the breeze blow one way then the other.

"If I drained that big boy over there," she snorted, indicating the mammoth luxury cruise ship several miles off that they could all hear. "I don't think it'd really help."

"You can control it," Arkon said with a shrug, slanting her a look.

She rolled her eyes, tossing the towel overboard, sheathing her claws. Throwing one leg over August's chest, she sat down on his stomach, leaning down to kiss him passionately. Arkon vanished in a flash of wind. Three splashes echoed over the still waters a moment later. 

"Sharks here are amazing," the Originator said calmly, amusement in his tone as he appeared back on the lower deck, leaning against the railing, eyes on the water below. The knife she'd retrieved was embedded into the wood next to his hand. 

He turned his attention back to the others as August let out a low moan. The incubus' teeth were sunk into her wrist, eyes closed tightly. Turning her head to look back over her shoulder, Talera grinned at Arkon, holding her other arm over her head, wrist falling back enticingly. With a slight grunt, she hid her wings, just as he took her other hand. 

The blood that hit his tongue was like pure fire. Wine. Lust. Love. Passion. Energy. Darkness.

Just as the cosmos started to open before his closed eyes, Arkon released her, fighting to catch his breath. August released her as well, licking the wounds like a giant sapphire panther. 

"I don't need to make that a habit," he muttered in his native tongue, rubbing his eyes, which were glowing so hard they burned. "It's addictive."

She only smirked seductively at him. 

"Make eyes all you want," he shot at her, though he couldn't quite contain a proud smile. "Denarus and his sheep on the Council are going to have your head. No doubt they know what's happened by now."

"I'd like to see them try," she hissed, baring her fangs. 

"It has to be hard to bite with that many big teeth," August mused, still drunk with her blood. 

"Not really," she replied, looking down at him, clicking the fangs at him. "I'll show you later."

"Kids," Arkon sighed, then held out a hand for patience when Talera glared at him. "I don't care when you were born, Dragon. In this body, you're a twenty-year old girl. So you're a kid. Get over it."

She only shrugged, mock-snarling a lip at him.

"Don't underestimate them, neither of you," the Elder warned, face going dead serious. "You may have been invulnerable before, but even you don't know what's happened to you. Take a few days, at least a week. Hunt to the Unclaimed Territories. Push yourself. See what you can do. But do it discreetly. I want to give the warmongers time to cool off a little before you come back."

"But—" she started to say, but he cut her off. 

"No one will dare hurt your pets—okay, I'll stop calling them that— until they know exactly what they're up against with you."

He straightened, looking at the sky. 

"I'm going to get some rest," he said. "Bless you both."

With a bow, which they both returned, he vanished into the dark clouds. Looking down, he watched as a giant black shape rose out of the water like a sea serpent, surrounding the yacht with a spiked tail. With a crunch, the ship snapped in half and was drug underwater, its white hull disappearing into the depths. He could hear August's laughter echo up from somewhere below. Shaking his head, Arkon smiled and broke into the white mists, leaving his two most treasured, and eccentric, children to themselves.

----***----

Sarah sighed, looking down into her drink, swirling it slightly, watching the half-melted ice cubes clash in the amber of the rum and Coke, the sickly sweet scent rising from the whirlpool. She wished she'd ordered an apple martini instead. She looked up, catching Kevin wince as he tossed back a double of Scotch. A faint smile tickled her lips as he grimaced. 

"That's disgusting," she commented. 

"An English Alpha can't be caught nursing a piña coloda," Ana snarked from her position leaning against the balcony, looking down. Her long white skirt rustled in a blast from the air conditioners, the streaming ties on her flimsy top whirling around her sultry form. 

The floors below swirled with activity, people of every conceivable bent had gathered for the night, anticipation, excitement, fear lay heavy in the air, palpable over the thundering music and roar of conversation. 

Just as Sarah finished the last of her drink, the door to the suite opened and the redheaded bartender sauntered in, handing Sarah the desired appletini and passing Kevin a beer. At Sarah's raised brows, her chocolate eyes going from the drink to the woman, she shrugged.

"I have Fae blood," she offered in a light, musical voice through a bright smile. "Just a little telepathic. Enjoy."

"I wondered," Kevin muttered, nostrils flaring as he took in the departing scent. "Smells like flowers."

Sarah managed a slight smile, then went back to inspecting her drink, absently gnawing on the crisp little slice of apple she'd fished out of the chartreuse liquor. 

"Love," Kevin said, coming over and sinking down beside her on the couch. "She'll be here—"

"How do we know that for sure?" she cut him off, tears forming in her eyes. "I ran from her, Kev. She was in pain, letting us see her for what she really is, trusting us—and I ran. Took off like an idiot. And it's been days. Nine days. What if I never see her again? I deserve it."

"Sarah," Ana murmured, coming back in and sitting on her other side, leaning over to wrap her arms around the crying girl's shoulders. "She's not mad at you—"

"How do you know that?" Sarah retorted, all but sobbing now. 

"You know it too. Because she loves you. Because what she is? it's unbelievably rare. And so, so, so old. She's been around long enough to know that that's the reaction she should expect."

"Hell, girl," Kev put in, placing a huge hand on her knee, covering half her thigh. "I freaked out too. How do you think I feel? Lessa fainted. At least you had the sense to run. Shows a strong survival instinct."

Snuffling, wiping her eyes on the serviette from her drink, Sarah managed a ghost of a smile.

"You guys are so full of shit," she mumbled. "Strong survival instinct my ass."

"It's true," Kev said, grinning tenderly at her. 

"Seriously, though, why has she been gone so long?"

Kevin met Ana's eyes, a look passing between them that Sarah caught. 

"What? We're not going to do everything like this from now on are we? Keep things from the fragile human? Don't start that."

"It was blood lust," Ana said finally. "You didn't see the look in her eyes when she changed back. For a just a second, we were all fair game. The others talked her into going off with Ash, because I think another half second and..."

"It would have been bad," Kevin finished, squeezing Sarah's knee. "She's got it under control now."

"We hope," Ana snorted.

"She'd never come back if she were a danger to us, you know that," he said, giving her a hard look.

"I know, I know. I think I like her a little more dangerous. She's always so Zen around us. From what I hear, most of the time, she's a—."

"Icy bitch," a deep voice volunteered from the doorway.

Pershing smiled broadly at them as he strode in, clapping Kev on the back and exchanging handshakes with the women. He sank down onto the chair across from them, slanting a lecherous smile at the fairy bartender as she appeared with a double of Jack Daniels and the bottle. She only rolled her eyes and walked out. 

"She's good to you kids," he snorted, tossing back the drink and pouring another, leaning back in the chair, sipping it thoughtfully. "Before she met you three, let me tell you, she was a handful and a half. 'Bout five years ago, I got into it with her the first time I met her and got my dumb ass handed to me on a silver platter."

The three on the couch stared at him raptly, watching him as he grinned, taking the shot and leaning forward to pour another. He sat forward, resting his elbows on his knees, flipping his heavy black hair over his shoulder, smiling to himself. 

"I was in August's private club in New York. Drunk off my ass," he chuckled. "She walks in on Andrew's arm. Dressed in a dark grey suit, with that silver hair all around her. Looks like a ghost. The hottest ghost I've ever seen, but a ghost... anyway, I didn't know who she was. And normally, we can tell what anyone is by scent. Hers is... complex. But —and now it's clear why— not something I've ever encountered before. So I didn't know what she was either. 

"So, to show that I'm the big, bad wolf I think I am, I decide to introduce myself. In the worst way possible. Walk right over to her, snatch her around the waist, and lay a big whiskey kiss right on those...fucking amazing lips. Then I step back and introduce myself and say 'never seen you in here, baby. Tell me your name so I can get to know you better.' The place goes... Dead. Silent. No one even blinks. She's just looking at me in complete shock. Andrew is shaking his head, rubbing his temples, muttering something about not starting a war by taking out the Pershing Alpha over a kiss. It wasn't until the entire place cleared out in three seconds that my brain catches on that I might be in trouble..."




Blood Bonds Pt. 08



He tapered off as Kevin broke into quiet laughter, trying to cover it by taking a swig of beer, but failing.

"Yeah, yeah. I know you heard this already, Hunter," he growled, smiling ruefully as he continued. "So, here we are, just me, her, Andrew, and apparently, a couple of bartenders, but they're hiding. Her eyes go black. Like death itself. And—damn I hate that tail of hers— she snakes it around my waist before I can even react and launches me clear across the room. I jump up, ready to kick her ass, and Andrew orders me to stand down. Now, normally I'd never obey a Blood Drinker, but he's about six thousand years old, so I'll give him the benefit of the doubt. 

"But she's pissed. Unfurls her wings, lets loose a set of claws like I've never seen and bares a set of fangs that put mine to shame. And, this was in the early days, before she had any control, she lets out a burst of power and goes into... battle mode. Spikes come out all along the top of her wings, tail gets longer and heavier, fangs drop out more. You get the picture. Well, I realize my mistake fast. I actually started laughin' once I figured out how fucked I was."

"Possibly the worst response you can give an enraged woman, regardless of what she is," Ana noted dryly.

"No shit. She lets out a roar that... I can still hear it... At this point, I decide to talk my way out of it. Tell her I've obviously overstepped myself. Still not gonna apologize, since I'm Alpha and don't answer to some chick with a demon inside her."

Kevin let out a snort, which the Lycan ignored.

"Andrew, bless 'im, ain't even trying to stop her. No use. I call her 'Baby' again and she vanishes. Melts right out of thin air in the shadows behind me, wraps an arm 'round my neck and sinks a handful of claws right into my chest like skin and bone are marshmallows. Right in my ear, in the scariest voice you ever heard, says 'you may call me Lady Talera or My Lady. Call me Baby again, I'll tear your heart out and let the last of the blood pump out onto your lips before I feed it to you. Bit. By. Bit.' 

"Popped her claws out, retracts 'em and runs a finger over my lips. So not only am I tasting my own blood, she's touching me skin on skin. And we all know what that does to ya. I don't what she was gonna do next, but August shows up, orders her to let me go."

"I hadn't heard the part about the heart," Kevin remarked, looking at his beer bottle, trying mightily not to laugh. "She can come up with some mean shit when she gets riled."

Sarah sat aghast for a long moment, the drink in her hand threatening to drop before she came back to reality.

"On one hand, that's scary as hell," she said, a slow smile creeping across her lips. "On the other, it's every woman's dream to do that to some creep in a bar. Uh, no offense, Pershing."

"They all seem to sense something," Ana said, standing and walking to the edge of the balcony, pushing open the heavy glass door slightly so that the noise from below filled the room for a moment.

"In the old days," the black-headed wolf said, leaning back once more. "After a Turning, there'd be a party to present the new Blood Drinker to the... community as a whole. Since this was an unconventional Turning, it's a damned big deal. Word got out fast that she was coming back tonight. Before it got out of control, August set up this gathering, kept out all the humans who have no business being here. It's a show of respect for the older races and might help keep some of the hotheads out there in check if they see her now up close and personal."

"Do they know?" Sarah asked, not needing to finish the question. 

"No."

"Is she—" 

"I can't speak for her, but... I would imagine that if she'd wanted the world to find out, she would have arranged it long before now."

"There are probably a few down there who can see right through her... mask," Kevin put in, cocking his head to the side in thought. "But they're not going to say anything. It's too dangerous."

"I wish Nel was here," Sarah said with a soft sigh. "She's going to regret missing this."

"The little blonde?" Pershing asked, continuing when they nodded. "I've seen a picture of her. Cute thing. Looks familiar. Where is she?"

"On vacation with her family," Sarah answered. "We couldn't find her in time for the—the ceremony. I got her on the phone yesterday, but she said she couldn't get away. Sucks."

"Talera couldn't find her?" the Alpha asked, eyebrows coming together, glancing at Ana. "And you couldn't either? Did you try dream-walking, hunting her that way?"

Ana nodded, shrugging. 

Pershing took a deep breath, let it out slowly. He opened his mouth, closed it, holding his tongue. 

"What?" Kevin asked, leaning forward.

"The odds of neither of them being able to track her down... Two of the best in our world..." Pershing said slowly, face darkening. 

"What are you saying?" Sarah asked sharply, anger flashing in her dark eyes.

"Sarah, all of you," the Lycan said, all the calculated easy-going gone from his demeanor. "Be careful. You're in deep now."

If he was going to say more, it was cut off by a sharp gasp. Ana held one hand over her throat, eyes staring at the ceiling. In a sudden flurry of whispered sound, her wings unfurled, extending then folding restlessly behind her once more. 

"What is it?" Sarah asked, jumping to her feet, seeing Ana swallow hard, eyes roving, searching the walls around them. 

"She's here," Kevin said, voice barely above a whisper. He rose as well, walking to the balcony doors, Pershing at his side in a flash of movement. 

Ana turned and pushed open the glass, stepping out onto the balcony, wings raised high, violet light burning in her eyes, smile curving her lips.

Below the crowd let out a roar. In that instant, the world went dark and silent. Only the sound of ethereal whispers, rushing winds, stirred the unnaturally dark club, though it seemed to have vanished into the abyss as well.

In a rush, the world went back to normal. The crowd roared again, so Sarah knew she hadn't imagined the moment before. The lights went even dimmer, music coming to a halt, though it quickly began again, a dark, sensual beat crackling through the charged air. 

Sarah dashed onto the balcony, ducking under the raised wings, feeling Kevin put a hand on her shoulder, Pershing coming to her other side. A sharp breeze whipped through the building, sending another surge through the beings on the floor. All at once, anyone who had been hiding some physical enhancement under the pretense of being human revealed themselves. Wings came out, tails flickered, eyes glowed or burst into flames, hair and skin burst into any number of colors, a number of animals—wolves, big cats, birds— stood where humans had been a breath before. 

Sarah glanced at the wolves on either side, but aside from matching sets of blood-red eyes, neither changed. Ana was focused on a single spot in the deepest of shadows at the back of the club, chest heaving as she breathed deeply. 

At the first words of the song, Talera stepped out of the shadows Ana was scrutinizing. Instead of hitting a wall of sound from the gathered beings, only silence greeted her dark, nearly menacing smile, fangs flashing just for an instant, though she kept her head down, eyes closed. 

Her black hair, stripes like fresh blood, writhed around her white shoulders, catching and flowing off her raised wings, shading half her lowered face before flowing back again. She wore a black leather bustier that held her breasts like loving hands, leaving little of her taught form to the imagination. Her long trousers were like shadows themselves, sitting low on her bare hips and flowing around her long legs as she strode slowly into the center of the club.

Sarah gasped, hands going over her mouth. The Mark of the Chosen was gone from her back, only the scrolls remaining, writhing around the base of the giant wings, which seemed to have grown quite a bit, the undersides now crimson where they had been jet, scrolling markings like those on her skin gracing the black sides in red and the crimson sides in black. A wash of cool air rushed around the room once more as she stopped.

With eternal slowness, Talera's long lashes parted and a fire like none Sarah had seen burst out of her eyes, bloody flames, shadowed with deepest black whirling and arcing out of her pale face. A shockwave of Dark power radiated out from her still form, setting in a 360 degree burst with her as the calm epicenter. It surged over the crowd like a wave in a pond, the darkness so deep that only the barest of pale outlines marked the forms of the beings as it passed over them in a flash. Sarah felt it hit her, wash over her, leaving her cold and gasping for breath on her knees in its wake, the wind passing over her a half a second later. 

Kevin, breathing deeply himself, reached down and pulled her to her feet, his smile fleeting as he turned his attention back to the floor below, his hand going back to her shoulder. Pershing took in a sharp breath, red eyes glued to the scene, not noticing Sarah look up at him. As if tearing his attention away was painful, he shot a look down at the floor, flicking his chin decisively. A young man, taller by far than the dark vampire, surrounded by wolves, approached the demon, dropped to his knees, grinning as he bared his throat, head falling back.

A low rumble sounded from either side as both Kevin and his Alpha raised their fists in the air, the others in the party with the young man doing the same. Belatedly, Sarah realized this was Pershing's Pack. Talera bent and the young Lycan arched his back and roared just as those long fangs pierced his skin. He clenched his hands at his sides, visibly fighting not to touch her as she drank. When she was finished, he laughed triumphantly before passing out. The rest of the Pack bowed to her and then to Pershing high above, who smiled and waved them back. 

A rustle of movement among the crowd and a young woman, palest blonde hair swaying around her sharp features, flanked on either side by a white leopard, stepped up, inclining her head in a bow, then let it fall to the side, neck exposed. Talera, face solemn, came to her, cupping her jaw with one hand, bending slowly as if to kiss the pale flesh.

Talera received tribute from four other beings, taking as much time with each. Sarah was sure of a succubus, the regular blue kind like August, not Ana's Dark variety, at least one male vampire, and what may have been a Fae. The last was a gorgeous creature that Sarah could place as neither male nor female, with long golden hair like sunlight and long delicate fingers, with which it stroked Talera's satin hair as she drank. When she finished, it disappeared in a flash of golden streamers of light.

Sarah jumped as a flash of cobalt sparked in the corner of her eye. At Ana's side, August's blue hair was settling around him, his eyes aflame, his sensuous form radiating excitement and pride. With a wink in Sarah's direction and brush of his fingers over Ana's check, he vanished in a blur once more. 

On the floor, he appeared at Talera's side just as the song sank into the bridge, arms going under the heavy wings as he swept her up in a kiss, raising them both off the floor several feet, his own wings flaring into the darkness. The crowd let out another roar, many bowing their heads. She kissed him back, letting her own head fall back as his lips grazed over the scrolls gracing her jawline. 

Kevin's hand on her shoulder tightened as the flash of August's fangs glinted for a millisecond before sinking into the flawless skin of Talera's throat, one hand bunching the heavy mass of her hair, the other tightening around her narrow waist. Sarah felt her stomach twist, her blood pounding in her temples, the flush of heat in her chest as Talera went limp, body relaxing as the song surged violently, her own fangs catching the light for an instant. Pulling back, August kissed the spot where he'd bitten her tenderly, lowering them to the ground. 

She roused as her feet touched the floor, lifting her head languorously, kissing August once more, then bowing deeply to everyone present. As her Sire raised his hands, mouth moving in the words of a spell, she melted back into the shadows. His eyes blazed, wings opening, a faint bluish haze emanating from him and whirling slowly on the sluggish currents of air. Just as he finished the incantation, another song, thundered out of the walls and he rose again as the dance floor erupted in a slow frenzy of muted lust, couples dancing, grinding together, embracing, lips going to throats and breasts. 

August appeared on the balcony again, a grin on his lips as he surveyed his handiwork, eyes blazing brighter than ever.

"Nice touch," Pershing snorted, taking in a shuddering breath. Sarah could feel the heat emanating from both wolves like being caught between two furnaces. 

"I thought so," the Immortal said with a rakish toss of his long hair. "Unless you want to join them, you might want to go inside before the scent gets this high."

Ana huffed a laugh, her face saying she was considering going down on the floor herself before she turned with a sigh and went back inside the suite, wings vanishing as she passed through the doors. The others followed, albeit reluctantly. Sarah was the last to pass, and as she did, August caught her wrist gently, concern in his eyes as they lost their fire. 

"I'm fine," she murmured, smiling weakly at him, turning her hand so that she clasped his wrist as well. 

"I know," he said softly, leaning in and brushing his lips over her forehead. "And I thank you for that."

Before she could respond, he was gone in a rush of warm wind. Pausing for a moment, taking a deep breath, Sarah smiled to herself, excitement bubbling in the pit of her stomach, and went inside, shutting the door tightly after herself. 

And ran smack into an unyielding wall of werewolf. Tears welled in her eyes as she gingerly touched her offended nose and forehead.

"Fuck, Kev," she barked. "What the hell?"

"Exactly what I was thinking," he shot back, but she could tell he wasn't really responding to her.

Cutting between the two wolves, she stopped short next to Ana, a ripple of something between fear and elation shooting up her spine.

"Hi," Talera said softly, cocking a half-smile at them. She perched on the back of one of the leather chairs, bare feet resting on the seat, wings sprawled on the floor, elbows on her knees, chin resting on her folded hands, hair a wild cascade around her. 

"God, you scared me," Sarah burst out, hand going to her throat, rubbing at the heated skin there.

"Apparently," Talera said flatly, one eyebrow coming up, watching Sarah's hand intently.

"It's really... obvious," Kevin said cautiously, eyeing her closely, licking his lips. The tendons in his neck pulled tight, shoulders dropping slightly as he flexed for a fight. 

"I know," she sighed, tossing back her hair as she hopped down, wings vanishing as she landed soundlessly in front of them.

At the sudden movement, everyone but Sarah tensed hard, leaving the girl looking at the four of them speculatively. 

"This is going to get old," Sarah muttered to herself, then raised her voice, asking no one in particular. "What exactly is obvious to everyone but me? Predatory hierarchy? Do I need to step outside while the four of you decide who's the biggest, baddest thing in the room?"

For a moment, no one said anything, then a snort of laughter from Pershing broke the tension in the room. He sank back down into his chair, snatching the bottle of whiskey as he sat and taking a long pull straight from the source. He tossed it to Kevin, who shot back a mouthful before passing the bottle on to Ana, who did the same.

With a sheepish grin, the blonde wolf took the few steps separating them and swept the new vampire up in a tight embrace, murmuring in her ear. She closed her eyes, a genuine smile softening her features as she pressed her cheek into his neck.

When he released her, Ana came forward, hugging her hard, kissing her experimentally. She said nothing when they broke apart, but a low, lusty giggle accompanied a slow smile as she backed away, hands catching Talera's, slipping them through her fingertips.

A flutter of unknown emotion in her stomach, Sarah stood still, biting her lip as Talera looked up at her.

"There are about five other places I could bite that would be easier given my particular dentition," the vampire said dryly, a good-humored smirk on her red lips.

"What?" the girl asked, taken aback, then blushed as she realized she was still shielding her throat with her hand, though she didn't move it away.

Grinning broadly, the mentioned fangs glinting for a moment, Talera stepped closer, putting out one hand and gently placing it atop Sarah's, wrapping her fingers around Sarah's and squeezing lightly. The girl lowered her chin and closed her eyes, taking a deep breath to try and hold back the tears she could feel pushing at the corners of her eyes. With a sharp exhalation, she threw her arms around her friend's neck, burying her face in that billowing mane. 

Her tears were hot against the icy, silken waves around her face, sending a small chuckle to her throat at the contrast. Talera's cheek against hers was cool, soft as rose petals, her hands resting on Sarah's back as tender as if she were handling a baby bird. Sarah just held her for a while, feeling her breath calm, becoming aware of the press of her body against the cool, soft contours of Talera's form, the gentle creak of leather against her chest, the heavy drape of wool against her legs. 

"Give us a minute?" 

Sarah felt more than heard the words vibrate against her chest, then she felt a rush of wind, felt her feet come clear off the ground. She was suddenly drowsy, sleepier than she'd ever been in her life. She relaxed in Talera's tight, secure grasp, sinking into sleep. 

When she awoke, Sarah found herself leaning on a pretty stone railing, covered with a charming grace of chartreuse algae. The gentle gurgle of water, rasp of leaves on a faint breeze, humid warmth, green illuminated by bright shafts of moonlight, unfurled slowly as her eyes grew accustomed to her surroundings. Benches, walkways, the muted red glare of an EXIT sign seemed out of place in the quiet jungle, the huge fig leaves, heavy drape of dark colocasia, frilly fiddleheads of giant royal ferns that perched just beyond her reach. Looking up, she was puzzled by the white girders, towering glass looming silently above, stars winking through a light sheen of condensation. 

"Where are we?" Sarah asked, voice muted, loathe to break into the serene reverie of the life around her.

"National Conservatory, a few blocks over," Talera said, deep voice sinking into the verdant crush of darkness. 

Sarah didn't say anything, just took a deep breath, peering out into the carefully tamed jungle. 

"My parents brought me here once," said the demon at her side, voice even, relaxed through a veil of sadness. "Before—when I was little. I thought it was the most beautiful room in the whole world. I was about eleven, I guess. I can remember crying because Tyler...my little brother....was tired of it and whining, and it was closing and we had to leave. When we got back home, my dad bought me this beautiful bell jar and some tiny little ferns to grow inside it. My own little jungle on my dresser."

"Do you still have it?"

"No," she whispered, voice dropping to a jagged shadow. "They smashed it when they took my life. Took all I had."

Sarah felt new tears burn her eyes, smudging the rich colors as the wet warmth welled in her vision. One hot escapee trickled down her cheek, tracing its way over her smooth brown skin, pausing, cooling on her chin, before she swiped it away.




Blood Bonds Pt. 08



Talera leaned on her elbows against the bridge, dark green eyes peering into the shadows, blinking slowly, long eyelashes silhouetted against a pale shaft of light, chest barely rising and falling. Her pale face was set in an unreadable mask, gaze unfocused.

"I'm sorry," Sarah whispered. 

Talera stirred, smiling softly, mask cracking like malleable plaster. She turned her head, gazing up at Sarah serenely. 

"No," the demon murmured. "I need to apologize to you. You deserved to know. I was wrong to reveal it like that. I wasn't acting like the human I once was. Forgot myself. And hurt you because of it. I'm sorry."

"Regardless," Sarah sighed. "I shouldn't have reacted that way. No one, no matter who...or what... they are should be treated that way. Especially you."

"It's not the worst I've ever gotten, believe me," Talera murmured with a breath of a chuckle. 

Sarah started to say something, then shook her head, laughing very softly once to herself. 

Feeling Talera's gaze, she looked up, seeing those two dark eyebrows arch in question. 

"I'd explain myself," the girl said, blushing. "But it's so stupid. It'd offend you to no end."

Talera said nothing, only shook her head twice, chin lifting in prompt.

"Fine, but I warned you," Sarah said, clearing her throat. "When I was really little, I saw Sleeping Beauty in this big theater. Scared the hell out of me. And... on the beach... when all of a sudden, this giant black dragon rises up out of the darkness... all I could think of was when the evil one in the cartoon goes after Prince Charming... and he had to hack through all the thorns and.... See, I said it was stupid."

Talera just looked at her for a long moment, mouth open slightly. Then she recovered, closing her eyes, turning and leaning her back against the railing. Sarah opened her mouth to apologize again when she saw that the corners of her demon's mouth had curled upwards, lips parting, chest shaking in a silent laugh.

She began to laugh in earnest now, hands coming up to cover her mouth as she threw her head back, sliding down the stone until she sat, knees to her chest on the cool floor of the platform. Soon peals of bell-toned laughter were echoing through the jungle under glass as Sarah sank down beside her, joining in Talera's amusement. 

"When I was five, I thought Maleficent was the one redeeming factor in the whole movie," Talera managed, clearing her voice as she resumed her calm.

"Figures," Sarah sighed, wiping her eyes, taking a slow breath. "So... you're uh, all of the above?"

"Yeah."

"What's it like? Tell me the truth."

"Well..." Talera looked at her for a second, before her eyes flicked away, considering for a moment, quirking her mouth to the side thoughtfully, one arching brow arching higher. "On the shallowest level... my teeth have been like this for over four years and only bothered me the first day I got them, but fuck if I'm not constantly aware of them and what they do now. Ash says I'll get used to it."

She paused, obviously running her tongue over her fangs behind closed lips. She took a deep breath, let it out slowly, eyes focused on something distant.

"And on deeper levels... I'm whole."

"And you weren't before?"

"No."

The answer was simple. No elaboration. No smile. No twenty-year-old mortal in the voice, the green eyes snapping down to meet the mortal's chocolate ones. Her head tilted to the side marginally, sending a rush of goosebumps down Sarah's arms as she recalled the expression of the creature on the beach.

"So who are you now? Which... being? "

"I'm the same as I always was. The vampire just binds together what wouldn't quite stick before. A Dragon from the abyss and a human girl from the light were never intended to become one. It was...a strain before. Controlling two halves that were radically different."

"Cosmic glue."

The comment won the mortal a genuine snort of laughter and a nod.

"Any more changes? Your claws grew."

"Nothing big. Some coloration and decorative changes. My ears are all jacked up. I already had all the hardware before the vampire was added, fangs, et cetera. No surprises there." 

"Fangs...so... the whole blood thing..."

"Yeah. The blood thing. From not eating a thing in...ever... or years depending on how you look at it... to needing something so badly it hurts. Constantly."

"I thought it could be sated. The thirst, or the hunger or the whatever you guys call it."

"Yeah, anything I say sounds melodramatic. Let's just say I'm 'thirsty' and not put 'the' in front of it. Work?"

"Much better. So, you can't..."

"Unfortunately, the number of people I'd have to kill to make it back off even temporarily is...scary."

"How many people HAVE you killed?"

"Since the other night or in all?"

Sarah's mouth moved once without words coming out before she found her voice. Talera just raised an eyebrow.

"Jesus. Nevermind. You're not gonna...?"

"Kill you? Don't be stupid."

"Just checking."

"If it makes you feel any better, I only go after the ones who have it coming."

"No damsels in distress?" Sarah asked, some cheek in the comment.

"Funny. No, I got tired of scaling castle walls and fighting off Prince Charming."

"New subject, please, I've had one crisis of conscience too many already tonight."

Talera breathed a smile, folding her arms around her knees and resting her chin on them.

"You're linked to me now, you know," the dragon said after a moment, turning her gaze on the girl.

Surprised, Sarah only looked back through wide eyes, shaking her head slightly.

"Give me your left arm," Talera said, swiveling so she sat Indian style in front of her friend. Sarah complied, a faint chill running up her arm when those cool fingers gently clasped her forearm, turning her arm bottom side up.

"Hey!" the girl exclaimed suddenly. "You can touch me now! No crazy lust fog."

Talera smiled, but her attention was on Sarah's wrist.

"The exchange the other night. With the shots and the blood. Is part of a very old spell. It links my family. All of you who were present. To me. And my power. Forever."

Sarah gasped as Talera ran one finger from the butt of her palm several inches down her arm. A dark tattoo, simply a single large black symbol edged in crimson, writhed into view against Sarah's dark skin, spanning about six inches.

"Oh my god..." Sarah whispered, eyes riveted to the Mark. It pulsed, seemed to vibrate, radiate something that the girl couldn't define. The sensation started in her arm, but spread so that it felt as if every cell of her body was suddenly drugged, shivering in an electric wind.

"What is it?" the girl breathed, flexing her fingers, which tingled like mad. 

"A direct link to what powers me," Talera said with a lopsided smile. "Well, there are a few firewalls for your own protection, but the raw energy is still there."

"What does it do?" 

"What do you want it to do?"

The simplicity of the question caught Sarah off-guard. She jerked her gaze to Talera's face, mouth falling open, brow creasing in confusion.

"I don't understand," Sarah murmured, shaking her head, curls bouncing.

"If you're in danger, if you need it for some reason, it's always there. Say you want to see energy signatures like I showed you before, concentrate on wanting that."

Sarah gaped at her for a moment, then closed her eyes, drawing a long breath. After a second, she opened them, hands clapping to her mouth when she realized the world had lost it's physical color and that she was seeing the auras of all the plants around her, each unique in its own tiny way. Talera was a giant black and crimson smear, her energy extending far beyond the woman Sarah knew sat in front of her. Her real shape, the dragon, Sarah realized, loomed just beyond physical vision, visible in this spectrum. 

"Are my eyes black?" the darker girl asked, a slow grin creeping across her face.

"Yeah, it becomes you," Talera mused.

"Jesus. How do I turn it off?"

"Just like that. Stop it."

Closing her eyes again, Sarah released a sigh, then looked around cautiously. Plants, Talera, the night were all back to living color. 

"Is it going to change me too?" Sarah asked, eyes glued to the Mark again. 

"No," Talera said gently. "Not that you can see, anyway. You need extra strength for some reason? It's there for you. You need to... open a door and your hands aren't free? Just imagine it opening."

"I'm in danger, aren't I?" Sarah said, looking directly into green eyes. 

"Yeah," Talera said bluntly. "I'm sorry about that too."

"I wouldn't have it any other way," Sarah said softly. "I don't regret meeting you. Don't think that. Ever."

The other only smiled softly, eyes crinkling at the corners.

"Does it drain on you when I do that? Am I hurting you?" Sarah asked suddenly.

Shaking her head, Talera stood suddenly. Reaching down, she pulled the girl to her feet. Holding Sarah's wrist, the demon ran a finger over the Mark again, and it disappeared. 

"Promise me you won't hesitate to use it if you need it," Talera said, expression solemn.

"I promise," Sarah said, leaning forward to kiss her demon on the forehead. The girl had no idea what she was going to do with all that power, but she hoped she'd never have to find out. 

---*****----

[Can't say I proofread this with any enthusiasm. I love it that Lit readers are so sharp they catch things I overlook. Thanks for the continued support. Love, pphair.]



Blood Bonds Pt. 09



Beth checked her watch for the fortieth time, squinting around her at the moonlit English countryside. Mom and Dad waited apprehensively a few feet away, Mom wringing her hands and Dad pacing just a little.

She'd been the one to talk to her brother that morning and it was such a cryptic conversation.

.......

"Hey, B. Are you with mom and dad?"

"Yeah, at Mr. Thomas' manor outside London. Why? What's wrong? You sound funny."

"Well, that's why I'm calling. I need to see all of you. Something has happened, and you need to hear it from me first."

"Oh, shit, Kevin! Dad told you that you were playing with fire hanging out with that creature."

"Beth, for... your own sake, don't call her that, ok? And don't jump to conclusions. It's not what you think. Can you guys meet me tonight?"

"Yeah. Where? "

"Just come outside around one or so. We should be there around then."

"'We?' Who are you bringing? What car will you be in?"

"Uh, no car. Listen, I've got some stuff to do here. I'll see you all tonight."

.......

Movement in the western sky caught her eye and she spun, mouth falling open as she looked up. Mom and Dad followed her gaze, mirroring her reaction.

A winged being slowly dropped out of the starry sky, holding Kevin tightly. With a few beats of a giant pair of black and red bat wings, a very beautiful young woman, the Lady Talera in her true form, no doubt, touched down silently in front of them, setting Kevin on his feet.

Something was very wrong with him. He was several inches taller, more filled out, his hair longer, movements inhuman. 

"Good God," Mom whispered, hand covering her mouth.

"Lady Talera, how could- we- he's just a boy-" Dad sputtered, taking a tentative step forward.

"Dad," Beth cut in, stepping in front of him, advancing on the being at her brother's side. "Bitch! How dare you-!"

"Bethany!" Kevin interrupted her, moving with lightning speed between her and the Immortal. "She didn't do anything."

"Unfortunately," Talera said, her voice low, as seductive as reported. She gave Beth a sideways look, murmuring something to Kev in a melodic language before turning, wings rustling at her back, long tail flicking restlessly, then melted into the night.

"Oh, Kevin," Mom murmured, coming forward to touch his face. "What-? You're not Vampyr."

"No," he said, taking her hand in both of his.

"Lycan," Dad said, pursing his lips. "Right?"

Kevin nodded, looking back down at Mom as she ran her hands over his arms, peering intently up at his eyes, studying the changes in her son.

"Do I want to know how it happened exactly?" Dad asked, coming forward as well.

"I doubt it. Suffice to say I was personally attacked by a now deceased band of Hunters. Turning me was the only way to save my life."

"And this is recent?"

"Ten days ago."

"You were at Talera's Turning? That's when it happened?"

Her brother just nodded again, face betraying his worry.

Beth stared, jaw clenched. Her own brother, a werewolf. It was beyond her scope. That he was best friends, probably lovers, with the most powerful and terrifying creature the Vampyr had ever produced was enough. Now he was Immortal himself.

"Why are they letting you see us? Tell us? This isn't standard procedure, is it?" Mom asked, biting her lips, tears coming to her eyes. If an Immortal was Turned and still had a human family, they were almost always told their loved one had died, escorted to a nice funeral, never to know.

"There were special circumstances. For one, Talera is involved, and she moves mountains when she puts her mind to it. Mostly, though, my Clan is progressive. And they know that shit wouldn't work with you. I was Turned by the Alpha, which makes me first in his Line, since he has no other heirs, so I have certain privileges."

"Which Clan? I don't know a great deal about the Lyca, but..."

"Pershing."

"That's a distinguished Clan," Dad admitted, nodding his head. "They're an old one and a powerful one. Worldwide, but based in..."

"Atlanta."

"And Pershing himself Turned you?"

"Yeah. He wanted to come tonight, but I told him... well. I didn't know how you all would react..."

"Are you a Beta?" his father asked, face scanning his son's intently. "Where do you stand in their hierarchy?"

"Ah," Kevin hesitated. "I don't know where I stand as yet."

"Answer the question, Kevin."

"I'm an Alpha," the young man said, straightening to his new full height. "I've no plans to challenge Pershing, though."

"Is this good-bye?" Mom asked, eyes tearing again.

"No, not unless you want it to be," Kevin said quietly, looking down at his feet, then at all of them in turn.

"This is so much," Dad sighed. "I didn't expect this at all. Never saw this coming. I thought if anything, you'd get mixed up with Talera..."

"Are you happy?" Mom asked in a small voice, touching his cheek again, tears rolling down her cheeks.

Kevin nodded. "I'm still getting used to it, but... I don't have any regrets."

"What happens next?" Dad asked.

Bethany crossed her arms over her chest, seething, though even she couldn't really pinpoint why she was so incensed. It wasn't that her brother wasn't human. The family had half expected something like this would happen one day, given their line of work and that Kevin was so close to that world the past few years. Shaking her head, she made a sound of frustration and abruptly turned and walked off into the darkness, leaving her parents to her brother.

She stalked into the stand of trees off to her right, their cover providing some sense of comfort, steadiness when her world was so upset. Putting her hands over her face, she breathed deeply for a few minutes, trying to calm herself down and get her thoughts in order. Slowly, she got the feeling she was not alone. Spinning, she searched the thicket around her. Lady Talera leaned against a giant tree trunk off to one side, eyes glowing faintly green in the darkness. She didn't seem to be paying any attention to Beth, eyes peering out at Kevin and Beth's parents. Beth studied her for a moment. She had pushed the demon back down inside herself, so she seemed to be a normal vampire, long dark hair, which Beth knew was dark silver, loose around her in a well-shaped mane. She was as seductively beautiful in person as she appeared to be in pictures, tightly muscled body, sultry curves only visible beneath her long black coat and black clothing because she leaned against a light-colored tree.

"I guess you're thrilled," the young archaeologist said after a moment, putting as much disdain into her voice as she could manage. Inwardly, she wondered how far she should push it with this being, who was not known for her patience with mortals.

"Ecstatic," the Immortal dead-panned, fangs flashing in the moonlight, glowing eyes flicking to Beth's face, then away again. Beth came closer, though the other made no indication that she was even aware of her presence.

"No seriously, I bet you're happy now. He's finally one of you people."

"He's not one of my People."

"Ohh, you're pissed because now you can't control him like you do everyone else around you. That's it."

Beth crossed her arms, puffing out her chest, smirking. The vampire didn't react, other than to smile marginally.

"Or maybe you're upset because, honestly, how are you ever going to top this? Just one more thing he's done to one-up you."

She didn't look at Beth as she said it, only stared forward, but her words weren't mocking. 

"Who the hell do yo-?" the young woman started to retort, throwing her light brown hair over her shoulder, blue eyes flashing behind her glasses. For a moment, her instincts told her to strike at the offending bitch, but her brain kicked in before the girl did anything so fatally stupid.

"Yeah, well," she said after a moment of thought, allowing herself a grudging smile, taking off her glasses and polishing them before putting them back on. "He always warned me if I met you not to challenge you to a pissing match. His words."

The Immortal's unreadable expression cracked with a lopsided grin. "Nah, I think you can both more than hold your own." 

She pushed away from the tree trunk, eyes meeting Beth's, a friendly smile on her luminous white face.

"Truce?" Beth asked, holding out her hand.

"Truce," she said, taking the outstretched hand and shaking it firmly. The creature's skin was cool as marble, but was absent the overwhelming spell of lust that everyone was going nuts over. Beth found herself at once relieved and faintly disappointed. 

When Talera released her, eyes going back to the conversation between Kevin and Mom and Dad, Beth rubbed her hand for a moment to warm her skin. Following the demon's gaze, she watched her family's faces. Her parents' expressions were still dire, and tears continued to toll down her mother's cheeks. 

"Can you hear them?" she asked the Immortal woman, who nodded. "Dumb question. How's it going?"

"Not very well," Talera said with a shrug, face tight. "He thought they'd be a bit more...open than they've proven to be. Unfortunate."

"It's a lot to take in. Even for us."

Talera nodded, but didn't respond.

"Listen, I don't know how this is all going to turn out, but, um, take care of him. Okay? He has forever now, right?"

The immortal gave her a sidelong glance, then nodded.

"Is he going to be okay?" Bethany pushed, eyes going wide once more. "I don't know anything about them. About him. Anymore. I'm worried for him. Your world is so..."

The demon seemed to ponder the words for a long moment, her expression neutral, then her lips quirked in a sad smile. 

"He's smart and strong and powerful," Talera said softly, words moving on a breeze. "In an ancient and honorable Pack. He has the right temperament to be a Wolf. And live for a very, very, very long time. Believe me."

"I want to," Beth sighed, swiping tears out of the corners of her eyes. 

"You'd better get back over there. I think it's about time for us to go"

"Promise me you'll be there for him. You're the one who got him into this when it comes down to it. Don't forget that."

Talera nodded, then leaned back against the tree. Beth could feel those green eyes on her back as she trotted back over to her brother's side. 

"Disown him yet?" she asked her parent's taking Kev's arm and giving it a squeeze. He glanced down at her, raising an eyebrow, and she smiled quickly back up at him.

"This is serious, Bethany," their dad growled, shaking his head. "Where have you been?"

"Talking with your objet de obsession."

"She's still here?"

"Yep, watching over him like a... giant black hawk."

"Talera!" Dad called, raising his voice. Kevin tensed, knowing she bristled at being ordered to do anything. He half expected her to ignore his father. To his relief, she dropped out of the sky, landing silently beside him, though he knew to his parents, she seemed to simply appear at his side.

"Young lady," his dad said, face stern. "My son has your Mark?"

Talera nodded once, but said nothing, face carefully unreadable even to Kevin's trained eye.

"Then I hold you responsible for him, for as long as you both live. Is that clear?" his tone brooked no argument, and even Mom cast a nervous glance in her husband's direction. Kevin prepared for battle. No one, but no one spoke to her that way. Even the Council, who were generally disapproving of her, tended to walk on eggshells in her presence.

"You have my word, sir," she said sincerely. Surprising him again, she put both hands over her heart, lowering her head and tilting her chin to one side, curtsying. The formal bow of the Vampyr, usually reserved for one's Sire or Ruling Elder. In her case, only Ash and Arkon himself were entitled to such submission from her, and no doubt the only ones who ever got it. The nuance of the gesture was not lost on his parents, but their expressions didn't change.

"Kevin," Dad said after a moment, sighing hard, shaking his head. "I don't know where we go from here. We're going to need some time to adjust, and honestly...we may never do that. It's too soon to tell. I never thought anything quite like this would happen to you, of all people. Stay away from us, Wolf."

---*---

"How'd it go?" Sarah asked, standing quickly when the two suddenly appeared in the center of the living room on a gust of wind and shadow. Taking one glance at Kevin's face, though, she knew his family hadn't taken his Transformation well.

"About as expected," the young Wolf said glumly, his voice slightly muddy because his accent was so thick. "They didn't outright denounce me, at least."

He made his way over to the bar, pouring himself a tall drink, tossing it back, pouring another. Repeat. Repeat. His eyes were solid crimson, fangs flashing when he pulled back his lips to down the drink. Ana sighed softly from her perch on the back of the sofa, feet on the seat, wings folded at her back, tips dragging the hardwood flooring (which had earned her the new moniker 'Featherduster' from a giddy Sarah while they'd waited the long hours for the others' return). 

"You're Thirsty. Not in a liquor kind of way, I mean."

He gave Sarah a shocked glance. For a long moment, no one said anything, Talera and Ana watching the other two without a sound. 

"Getting there," Kevin said finally, shrugging. He turned a sardonic smile on Talera, who stood in her demonic glory still. "May I Hunt in your territory, oh Lady Talera?"

"I'll take care of it," she said flatly, giving him a deadpan look when he ran out his own claws, tapping the sides of his glass.

"What are you gonna do? Hunt down all my prey and bring it to me on a silv—" he started to snort before she cut him off.

"No," Talera cut him off sharply, appearing beside him at the bar and taking his drink, downing it with a grimace, then setting the glass down. She used one long claw to snick a long slice over one palm, holding out the bleeding wound right in front of his face. Sarah could see his nostrils flare, eyes go wide, then narrow in undisguised lust and hunger, his entire body tense. He moved forward as if he couldn't stop himself.

Talera stopped him, one hand firmly in the center of his chest, the other coming up to hold her bloody palm a mere inch from his lips. Sarah thought he might actually start to drool.

"But it's one thing to kill in the frenzy of your first Change," the demon continued. "It's quite another to actively make up your mind to Hunt someone. Are you ready for that?"

"Oh, so you're protecting my innocence. Is that it?" Kevin snarled, his voice just above a whisper, eyes deadlocked on the blood, which was dripping onto the hardwood floor. "I think I can—"

"Holy God!"

His comment was cut short by a terrified shriek from the doorway. They all turned to find Penelope, wide-eyed and gaping at the edge of the room, though she was slowly backing out once more. 

Her pretty blue eyes flicked from one of the three to the others, who had all changed dramatically since she'd last seen them. Tears trickled down her cheeks, her chest heaving, hand coming up to cover her mouth.

"Shit," Talera murmured crossing her arms, lowering her head, wings coming up, extending outwards, then folding inwards as if to protect herself from attack. Kevin snapped back to the moment, shaking himself, cheeks going a little red. He reached out one hand, pulling the demon against him, stroking the top of one wing absently. 

"Put it away!" Sarah hissed at her, starting forward towards Nel, holding out one hand as if to a frightened puppy. "All of you. Back to normal!"

She didn't turn to make sure they'd obeyed but she heard the whispers of wings, zing of metal as they complied. Nel apparently took in all three as they reverted back, her eyes widening even more, though Sarah wouldn't have thought that possible. 

"Nel," Sarah murmured, smiling gently, reassuringly. "It's okay. Let us explain."

"What the—the hell is going on?" the tiny blonde whispered, expression threatening on hysterical, eyes glued to Talera, who was without question, the most threatening of the bunch when not in human mode. Her thin lips opened and closed like a fish as she gasped for air. 

"Awwwwkward," Ana said in the tiniest of voices.

Sarah shushed her with a furious "SHH!," turning to give the Dark Succubus a withering glare over one shoulder. The Asian snapped her mouth closed, twirling her back-purple hair around one violet nail, gaze dropping, chastised. 

The little blonde's faltering courage broke, and with another shriek, she turned to dash out the door. Talera emerged from the shadows in the hallway right as the girl got to that point. Screaming, Nel tripped over her own feet, skidding, trying to stop her momentum.

"Oh," Talera huffed, face flashing annoyance. "Grow a pair, Nel."

Taking two barely visible steps forward, the demon caught the girl around the waist with one arm, picking her up with not a trace of effort and tossing her over one shoulder. Nel choked in terror, freezing, her eyes on the dark hair, the shapely rear and long legs that were her only view as she was whisked back into the room. Shaking her head, Talera tossed her onto the couch, which Ana vacated by performing an agile back flip, earning a roll of eyes from Kevin. 

"For the past eleven days, I have searched the infinite planes for you," Talera seethed, leaning down, putting a hand on the back of the couch on either side of the blonde's head, her pale face an inch away from the other's. "If you'd answered your fucking cell phone last week, none of this would be a surprise. Where the hell have you been?"

"My uncle's ranch in Wyoming," Nel squeaked, tears flowing freely again. "I didn't know you were...looking for me?..."

"Wyoming is a pan-dimensional dead spot?" Kevin mused to no one in particular, earning himself a slap and a snort of laughter from Ana, who stole the new drink he'd just poured.

Talera vanished completely, not even shadows marking her disappearance. Dazed, the girl gaped at the two laughing quite normally at the bar. Sarah sighed, dropping onto the couch next to Nel, taking her clammy hand and stroking it tenderly. 

"Gentle," the dark girl murmured to the demon as she reappeared, this time sitting in her usual chair, crossing her legs casually. "This is a lot to take in for some of us humans."

"Point taken," Talera sighed, rubbing the bridge of her nose with one elegant hand.

Ana strode forward, the real color of her skin and hair coming out, wings fully opening as she walked, her purple lips curving into a bright smile. She stopped in front of the blonde, extending a hand. 

"Ana Kim, Dark Succubus," the Asian said genially, laughing out loud when a flummoxed Nel took her hand and shook it.

Getting the idea, Kevin set down his drink, letting his eyes turn red. 

"Kevin Ayers Pershing, Lycan," he said, mimicking Ana's actions and tone. As soon as the girl had released his hand, he turned and walked out of the room into Talera's bedroom. A couple of minutes later, a gigantic golden wolf trotted back into the room. It graced the girl with a goofy canine smile, baring long teeth, though the lolling tongue dissipated the threat effectively. 

"Holy shit. Kevin?" Nel murmured, reaching out a tentative hand to touch one swiveling ear. The wolf sat in front of her, offering her a paw like an eager puppy. "You're a werewolf? Where the hell did you guys go for break?"

As the wolf trotted back out of the room, Nel turned expectant eyes on Sarah. The black girl peered back, confused for a minute, then blushed. 

"Ah, nothing new here," Sarah said, holding up her hands in innocence. "Just plain old me."

"Riiight. Nothing?"

"Well, I have a direct link to the Darkness. Whatever that means. But other than that, nope. Nothing. Nothing glows or catches fire. No claws, feathers, fur, fangs, tail, wings, pointy ears, purple hair, metal—" 




Blood Bonds Pt. 09



"We get the idea," Talera cut her off, smothering a smile. Talera stood, revealing all her demonic glory in one blink. Her talons slid out then retracted as she extended a hand.

"Lady Talera, Pan'ah, Consort to Lord Ash'Tine, House of Arkon. Vampire, et cetera."

"What's the 'et cetera'?" Nel asked, cautiously returning the handshake, eyes narrowed.

Talera glanced at Sarah, who gave a tiny, violent shake of her head. With a grunt, the demon returned to normal, green eyes shining with momentary pain. 

"Long story," Sarah cut in before anyone else could put in an explanation. "You really don't want to know. Trust me."

"It can't be that bad," Nel puffed, face falling. 

"Yeah. It can," Sarah affirmed, shaking her head. She blushed when she saw Talera lift a brow, heard Kev's chuckle as he came back into the room, smoothing his shirt. "I mean. Not that it's bad. Just...I'll tell you later. You wouldn't believe it anyway."

Nel looked at all of them, trying to decide if her feelings were hurt or not. Then she sighed, shrugging and shaking her head. 

"You need a drink," Ana said, breaking the tense silence. With a flourish, she poured a stiff shot for the girl, then one for everyone else as well, handing them out like a Pucker girl at a college bar. 

"To, uh," Nel said, holding her glass out in salute, eyeing everyone else. "To weirdness."

Ana loosed a laugh, downing hers with everyone else. Talera pulled a face, sticking out her tongue briefly like a disgusted kid.

"So you went through with it, huh?" Nel said, looking at the demon, who was inspecting her ice cubes like they were jewels. "I thought v—um... vampires... could only drink blood."

"Anything else pretty much tastes like ass," Talera muttered, a faint flush coming to her pale cheeks. "Works fast, though."

"You'd know," Ana snorted, pouring another round for all of them.

"Says the goddess of getting it on," Kevin countered, smile smothered behind his glass. 

"At least I do it on two legs," Ana shot back, grinning at him devilishly.

"Get down on all fours, I'll teach you a few things."

His response sent all of them into peals of laughter. The tension in the room abated abruptly, and they settled into their normal positions, passing the time with drink and simple company. 

"What time is it?" Kevin asked quietly a few hours later, disentangling himself from Sarah and Nel, who had fallen asleep on the couch, leaning into either side of him.

He stooped gently to lift Sarah in his arms, taking her into one of the guest rooms down the hall and settling her under the covers. Talera was coaxing Ana into the other guestroom when he returned for Nel. The little blonde snuggled into his chest, murmuring incomprehensibly, smiling in her sleep. Smiling softly, he laid her next to Sarah, tucking both of them in then just looking down at them. 

"You'll do just fine in the Pack," the low voice observed from the doorway. 

"Is that why I want nothing more than to curl up there with them?" he murmured. "Pack instinct? It feels so wrong to sleep alone since that night. And I don't mean it, you know, that way."

With a sigh, he turned and faced her. Even in the near darkness, her pale face was visible. 

"What have I gotten myself into?" he asked, lips pursing, eyes going wide.

"It's my fault," she sighed, running a hand through her hair. "I should have done more to protect you. I'm sorry."

"Hey," he said, raising a hand and coming forward. "Don't say that."

When he got to her, he looked down into those sparkling emerald eyes, kissing her eyelids when she shut them. The feel of her cool skin, her soft body, the gentle pulse of her power against his body and inside his head, was more than he could resist. Lowering his head, he touched his lips to hers, drawing her into a deep kiss.

Using strength that would have amazed him if he'd had the presence of mind to consider it, he bent to slide one arm under her legs, lifting her without a breath of effort. She locked her arms around his neck, pressing her lips to his collarbone as he carried her down the hall to her bedroom. He sank onto the bed with her, covering her with his heavy body. 

Her hands slid under his shirt, caressing the muscles of his lower back as he fell to kissing her once more. When he rose up to let her yank the cotton tee over his head, her quick hands slithered down to unbutton his jeans, caressing the growing bulge straining beneath as she did so. 

He growled deep in his throat, falling back, crushing her again, teeth coming out as he moved from her lips to her neck, nipping as he kissed with increasing need. With astonishing strength, she pushed him off of her, rolling him onto his back and following behind so that she straddled his waist, sitting up.

He could see the black flames in her eyes, though she remained otherwise in control of her form. When she smiled down at him, expression deceptively distant with lust, her long fangs flashed alluringly. Slowly, she leaned forward, her lips brushing his with the lightest of touches, her breasts just grazing the sensitive skin of his chest. 

Moving like a panther, or maybe the creature she was, she slid off his legs, eyes never leaving his as she stood at the end of the bed. One elegant hand came up, toying with the collar of her shirt, fingering the top button as if it were an aching part of her body. Her other hand joining the effort, she freed that button of its hole, moving to the next with equal care, then the next, and the next. When her shirt hung open, exposing a vertical slice of luminous white skin, she slid her hands over her collarbones on opposite sides of her chest, pushing the shirt off her shoulders, letting it catch on her elbows before it dropped out of sight onto the floor. 

Taking their time, tripping over the swell of her breasts encased in burgundy lace, over the bare expanse of her stomach, past her navel, her hands converged on the fly of her jeans. He could feel the pulse pounding in his temples as her fingers toyed with the zipper, inching it downwards, the sound testing his control as it echoed in the silent room. When she was free at the waist, her hands roved to her hips, sliding her thumbs under the fabric, arching her wrists to slide the heavy denim down. It slid off with its own power once it was past her hips, settling to the floor in a muffled cascade. His heart thundered in his chest, bringing a smile to her full lips.

"You look good enough to eat," he rumbled, lust fogging his senses. The Wolf inside roared, impatient and hungry, but he pushed it back.

She bowed her head, sending her hair tumbling forward to cover her breasts like a siren. Hooking her thumbs under the edge of the burgundy silk at her hips, she met his gaze once more, one upper canine pushing into her lower lip, drawing the tiniest drop of blood. 

He could smell it. Taste it. Wanted it. Wanted her so badly it was all he could do not to rise up and drag her beneath him. And she knew it.

Sliding off the panties, she let her hands traverse the expanse to the crevasse between her breasts, going to the clasp that strained there. Getting in no hurry, she fingered the clasp, finally unclipping it with a snap that sounded like a shot to his straining ears. She caught the bra as it slid down her arms, slinking out of the delicate lace, tossing it to him gracefully. 

When he caught it, he couldn't help but bring it to his face, inhaling deeply. The ever so faint, lingering spice of her scent permeated the intricate weave, overwhelming his senses for a moment. He could only close his eyes, letting the lace tumble to the side as he reigned himself in. 

The shift of the bed under her weight shocked him back to the moment and snapped his control. Rocketing forward, he snatched her around the waist, spinning, bringing them both back into the covers in a blur. She moaned under him as he buried his face in her neck, plucking at the skin with his sharp teeth, his hand tangling in her hair, pulling then releasing. His other hand slid under her body, dragging down her back, cupping that luscious ass, pulling her hips up and into him, grinding against her through his jeans. 

"Can you hear it?" he whispered, sliding down, taking one hard nipple into his mouth, kneading the other with his free hand. "This big, strong heart? All that hot blood? Don't you want it?"

She gasped, arching her back, fingers digging into his shoulders.

"Don't tease me," she managed. "You have no idea."

"I'm in no mood for teasing," he growled, biting at the sensitive skin around her nipple, lathing it with his tongue.

With a swift movement, he sat back, pulling her onto his lap with a wave of her hair following, settling own around them like a dark cloud. Tilting his head to one side, he pressed the back of her neck, pushing those cool lips to his throat. A deep vibration ran through her body and into his, her whimper of desire fast in its wake. He felt the twin points of her two upper fangs press lightly against his burning skin.

"Bite," he ordered, grasping the back of her head and pressing hard. 

When the teeth broke the skin, he howled in mixed pain and ecstasy, grabbing her hips and crushing her closer. She let loose a sigh of relief, closing her lips over the rush of liquid heat. For a long moment, he drifted on the current of his own pulse, entranced by the sensation of the long teeth buried in his throat, the blood flowing past them in a blazing torrent. 

One of her hands released his shoulder, moving down his back, over the side of his stomach, tugging at the waistband of his boxers. He let her loose enough to get her hand between them, into his pants, drawing his hard length out. 

Grasping her tightly once more, he lifted her just enough to press himself into her hot core, finding his place in her velvet heat. The grasp of her tight body, the convulsions around him were at once familiar and alien. Where it had once been it thrill to be so powerless against her, he now had the depth of his own strength. The knowledge that he was also Other. No longer a weak human at the mercy of a higher being. 

"Show me that power," she sighed, popping out her teeth, licking his blood off her lips, which were stained red.

Pressing her back into the bed, he growled, thrusting into her once more, making her gasp, tangle her legs around his. He could feel the gentle drip, drip of his blood as it trickled down his neck, leaving a fiery trail in its wake. He caught her hair, pressing her lips to the wound once more, roaring outright when she sank her fangs in for the second time. 

The Wolf reared inside him, casting out much of his reserve, pushing him into frenzy. She held him tightly, nails cutting into his back as he buried himself deep inside her, staying there, moving only in tiny waves, lost in the cold and heat of her. 

"Take it back," she whispered, licking the wounds in his neck. He moaned at the sensation, cool air wicking away the burn of his skin as it healed instantly. "Take as much as you need."

Making a low sound deep in his chest, he nuzzled into her neck, the silken strands of her hair sticking to the beads of sweat on his forehead. He felt his own canines run out a little more, pricking the inside of his lip, dragging across the sensitive flesh as he opened his mouth.

"You can't hurt me," she murmured. "Don't be gentle."

With that goad, he drew back, letting his mouth come back down on the satin skin, feeling it break under his teeth. The blood gushed down his throat, burning and freezing as it passed, melting his senses, immersing his mind. The flow stopped the second his teeth let her free. Perplexed, hungry, the Wolf took over his human brain, forcing him to bite again, this time sinking his fangs deeply, leaving them, forcing the river to burst into his mouth once more. 

She convulsed under him, the pleasure of being taken, nourishing another with her own life, spreading into his thoughts on her blood. It was entirely different from the satisfaction of the hard length buried inside her. Deeper. The surrender of her soul more intoxicating than the plunder of her body. 

He groaned, breath smothered against her neck, swallowing as fast as he could, drinking as deeply as a man lost in a desert. The beast inside him crowed as she relaxed beneath him, shuddering with her release, letting her head fall back, hands only stroking his back softly. He wanted to let go, to free her, but he was so close, so hungry.

His body picked up its rhythm once more, rocking her in his arms, making her moan softly. The sensations built around him. The silk of the sheets against his knees and arms. Cool, satin wash of her skin. Heat of his own flesh. Ache of his jaw against her neck. Burn of her blood as it thundered through his veins. Pound of her heart as it pushed against his pull. Rasp of his own breath.

With shattering finality, he climaxed, thrusting into her with all his power. She shrieked beneath him, pulling his hair painfully for a moment before collapsing, panting hard. It was a long moment before he could pull his teeth free of the bite. She was intoxicating. Addictive. Sating the terrible hunger that had been building for ten longs days.

"So much," he grunted, licking the rather nasty wound as it closed smoothly. 

Sliding down beside her, he snuggled her into his chest, wrapping one leg around both of hers. She sighed, kissing his heated skin. He could feel her smile, though he couldn't see her face. Glancing over, he realized the curtains weren't drawn. The feeble gray light of early dawn was starting to creep into the room. 

"I need to get you to safety," he murmured, kissing the top of her head, bringing his arms up as if he could shield her from the light. 

"Mmm, it won't kill me," she replied sleepily, words muffled against his skin. 

"What?" he asked, shocked, drawing back enough to look down at her face. 

"It won't kill any of the Ruling Line," she said groggily, yawning, all four fangs bared for a couple of seconds. "Me, Ash or Arkon. You didn't know that?"

"No, I didn't," he muttered, awake now, brain working once more. "I don't think anyone knows that."

"Doesn't mean I like it," she continued, shuddering, bringing fiery eyes up to meet his gaze. "If I can stay conscious, I'm like a kitten. Burns eventually, but that takes hours. Weakens me for days. Makes the thirst unbearable."

She closed her eyes, a tiny stream of her power arcing out, touching some control he'd never seen. With a smooth metallic whir, a set of steel shutters locked down tightly over each section of the bank of windows. Elsewhere in the house, he could hear the click of heavy deadbolts on the outer doors. The bedroom locks snapped shut, but she overrode the mechanism, unlocking even her own door. 

"That's a bit trusting," he commented, arching a brow in the direction of the doorway. 

"I'm not going to lock any of you in," she huffed. "Besides, no one who doesn't belong can get anywhere near me. Even when I'm out, the tail is awake. And it doesn't take any shit. Somehow manage to get past that, touch me, and any intruder finds themselves flung into the abyss and face to face with a pissed off Dragon and a whole bunch of mind-blowing Nothing."

"Hm," he muttered thoughtfully, staring down at her. "Should I leave?"

"Nah, none of you are in danger. If you've had my blood, and I've had yours, I won't hurt you no matter if I'm out."

"That's comforting," he deadpanned. "Are you asleep or..."

"Dead?" she grinned. "Undead?"

He just stared levelly.

"So serious. Fine. Ah, I probably seem outright dead. In any case, I'm not here. I have no sense of anything going on in this plane or any other besides my...home."

"And it wasn't like that before?" he asked, fascinated. "That's amazing. That a Spirit bound to this Plane can have that much influence over you, when so much of you is obviously not here physically. I can't even grasp how confusing that must be."

"You're a dual being now too, honey," she noted dryly. "Wait 'til that first full moon rolls around. No matter how much control you think you have, once instinct kicks in, you'll understand."



Blood Bonds Pt. 10



Sarah relaxed back into the chair at the kitchen table, eyes roving over the piles of book before her. The house was eerily silent, no creaks or sighs from the walls, no rush of traffic sounds outside, no sense of the vibrant urban neighborhood. She idly stared at the far wall, wondering in an off-hand way about sound-proofing. Shaking herself, she scribbled on the legal pad under her hands, flipping the book nearest her closed with a muted thump. 

She'd discovered the supernatural section of Talera's small library completely by accident. Combing through the walls of books in one of the spare rooms of her friend's Georgetown townhouse, she was surprised to find a collection of books, both ancient and crackly-new, that dealt with any number of creatures Sarah had never imagined. 

Since no one else was awake as usual in the few days since the demon had returned, Talera in her room for the day, Kevin apparently in her company— doing who knew what in that big bed— and with Ana and Nel at their own places, she had some time to kill. So she approached her task like a term paper, taking notes, compiling a list of questions based on research.

"Is there a test later I was supposed to study for?" Kevin asked, a yawn interrupting his sleepy laugh. He padded into the kitchen in a pair of tight jeans, hair long and tangled over his bare chest and shoulders, feet bare. 

"You need new clothes," Sarah noted. "Those jeans are indecent."

"Ugh, shopping," he snorted. "What time is it?"

"After six," Sarah said absently, leaning forward to close all the open books and stack them neatly. "I assume you're hungry. Where's Tay?"

"Off stalking her dinner, I guess ," he said with a shrug, leaning into the fridge and retrieving a beer. "She's not in the house."

"Stalking?" Sarah sighed with a raised brow. 

"I don't picture her as a pouncer," Kevin mused, downing the beer and crushing the can into a tight little aluminum ball. "Can't you see her watching from the shadows, waiting for them to—"

"I get the picture," Sarah cut him off with a faint shudder. "I didn't hear her leave."

"Did you feel a breeze?" Kevin asked, deadpan, popping open a soda and rooting in the pantry.

"About an hour ago."

"Then you heard her leave."

"It's not even dark yet."

"Like it matters to her. Maybe I'll order a pizza. Extra cheese. Mmm, lots of meat."

"Whatever you want," Sarah said absently, jotting down a sudden thought on a separate notepad.

"What are you doing, anyway?" the Wolf asked, coming to look over her shoulder.

"Just compiling a list of questions," the girl said, showing him the three legal pads in the pile. "One for all three of you freaks. I can't stand not knowing anything."

"Freaks," he snorted, lifting the list with his name on it from the pile. "Let's see..."

She waited expectantly, heart picking up a notch with excitement. He caught the increase, lifting a brow at her. 

"It's not that exciting," he huffed, scanning to the next page, eyes flickering with red light. Taking a chair on the other side of the table, he twirled it around and straddled it backwards, resting his arms on the back of it, laying the list on the table.

"Silver..." Sarah prompted when he fell silent.

"We're mildly allergic to it. Nothing too bad. Hurts like hell if you shoot a Lycan with a silver bullet, but it's not fatal."

"Full moons."

"Mmm, tricky," he sighed, running a hand through his hair. "At first it's hard to control the Wolf at full moon. It's supposed to get easier with time and experience. We can shift at any time, but at full moon, it's damned hard not to. A lot of the Packs have reserves and ranches they retreat to once a month so they don't have the danger of discovery or accidental Hunts during the two or three days when it's hard to control."

"When is the next one? What's going to happen to you?" Sarah asked, placing her hands flat on the table near his. 

"Hard to say," he said with a shrug. "The next one starts tomorrow night. Pershing is coming up from Georgia to discuss my plans."

"Do the Packs hunt people? Humans?"

"Sometimes. Game is the usual fare, though. Deer, elk, bison, depends on the area. I won't say they never hunt humans, but it's not the norm and there are a lot of rules to follow if we do."

"If you're an Alpha and Pershing's an Alpha, what happens now?"

"You're taking this seriously, huh?" he noted dryly. "I don't know. Traditionally, I challenge him for the Pack. I don't want to lead them. I don't know how they're going to see me either. Since I used be a Hunter, the enemy, I can imagine I'm not going to get the warmest welcome. The only thing that's kept me from having to go down there and prove myself so far is Pershing's insistence that they cool down a bit. That and Talera's blood is in my veins, and she scares the piss out of them. Are we done yet?" 

"For now," Sarah conceded. "I'll think of some more, and we'll get back to the rest of the list later."

"Joy," he snorted, yawning again, baring long teeth. 

"Does everyone have fangs now?" Sarah growled, shivering involuntarily at the sight.

"I don't think Ana does," Kevin said, a slight smile on his lips.

"I'll add it to her list. Why are Talera's so...big? I've never even seen any of the others'."

"On most vamps, their fangs retract when they're not using them," he explained, yawning. "And I've never heard of anyone with them on the bottom. I don't think she can retract either set. Probably because she came into the Change with them intact. It keeps you as you are for the most part. Freezes you in time. That's why they tend to have long hair. Short styles aren't generally timeless."

"What about Lycans? I saw a couple of older-looking guys in Pershing's Pack."

He considered for a moment, eyeing her speculatively. 

"You'd make a good Hunter," he said, giving her a wry smile. "If you're Changed, bitten, unless you're a little kid, you're stuck at whatever age you were when it happened. But, that doesn't happen very often. Most people who are bitten die immediately, and outsiders aren't usually brought in anyway. 

"But, if you're born a Wolf, it's a little different. Everyone ages to a certain point, then stops. Sometimes it's just after puberty ends, sometimes it's not until your late fifties or so. There's no way to tell ahead of time. So, don't think that because one of us looks older, that we are. A teenager could be the eldest in a group and there'd be no way to know it. Other than that, I'm not so sure about the finer points of our physiology. My training wasn't comprehensive on some subjects."

"What did you...cover? What are the Hunters most concerned about?"

"Depends on the organization," he shrugged. "Generally it's the big three, though: vampires, werewolves and demons. And the latter covers a broad range of creatures. Ana is considered a demon now."

"That's charming."

"It's easier than breaking them down into each individual species."

"What did your organization, um, hunt?"

"There are different branches," he said, leaning over to pick up a book from the center of the pile. "These guys? Abercorn and Cohen? They're affiliated with the group I worked for. Do most of our—they're— research. They're thorough too, the books they write are the most accurate in the field. Are these hers?"

"I found them in the library in the last room down the hall," Sarah said. "Doesn't look like most of them even have been opened, though."

"She probably doesn't need to read them," he yawned again, though his face was thoughtful. "Anyway, I was in the vampire division. My whole mission was to come in and run inside surveillance on her alone. We can see how well that worked out."

"Why you specifically? Aren't you a little young?"

"A bit, but there are some of us who are called Born Hunters," he explained. "For some reason we pop out of the womb with the ability to track, patience to research, and everything else a Hunter needs. My parents have been friends with the leader of the organization I belonged to for most of their lives. Jobias Thompson. Good guy, actually. Noble, if that's not too cheesy a word. Anyway, when she came to the world's attention a few years ago, when Ash first took her as his Chosen and everyone got a look at the power behind that pretty face, Job asked me to join. For two years, I went through extensive training to prepare me to face her. Job apparently thought she'd find me appealing."

"Is she that dangerous?"

"More than we knew. Still moreso, I'd imagine," he grinned, eyes distant. "I had to learn how to lock up the thoughts in my head, disguise who I really was. Learn how to defend myself against vamps, how to incapacitate them, kill them if need be. It was kind of fun at the time. Super spy stuff, you know? And then... that first night, she walked into that kitchen and...it was all for naught. I knew that... I couldn't betray her. Knew it was useless anyway. Something about her. I just realized that, uh, it didn't matter what we did, she was like a hurricane, a nova. If she wanted to start trouble, there'd be nothing any of us could do about it. And she was fascinating."

"And hot," Sarah put in, grinning. 

"And hot," he said ruefully. "I was eighteen, and—"

He froze, eyes scanning the room, alert suddenly. 

"She's..." he said slowly, turning to scan over his shoulder. "Fuck! Bloody vampire! Don't do that!"

It took Sarah an extra heartbeat to realize that Talera was leaning against the doorjamb, dark eyes glinting in the light from the kitchen, arms crossed beneath her breasts. Her teeth flashed in a brief grin, but she otherwise remained still as a sculpture. 

"How long have you been standing there?" Kevin demanded.

"Your pizza is on the way," she replied, straightening. "The staff will bring it up later."

She vanished for a second, but was back in a blink, two bulging shopping bags dangling from one hand. Her well-worn jeans hugged every curve, every ripple of muscle as she sauntered into the room, raising a brow at the books, but saying nothing as she set the bags in an empty chair. Sarah noted wryly that the demon looked more elegant and powerful in jeans, a black t-shirt and sneakers than most people did in suits or in uniform.

"It's all in the attitude," Talera said quietly as she ducked into the pantry, coming back with a bottle of red wine. 

"How many different ways can you...come and go?" Sarah asked, ignoring the mind-reading. "Sometimes you seem to melt out of the darkness, sometimes you fly, sometimes you make a breeze, sometimes you don't. What's up with that?"

"Hm," Talera murmured to herself as she used a claw to slice open the seal on the wine bottle, the cork seeming to pop out of its own accord, jumping into her waiting palm. 

"Waiting..." Sarah prompted, tapping her foot.

"I'm just thinking about it," the demon responded, casting a glance in the others' direction as she decanted the bottle into a crystal container. "I don't really think about how I'm going to get somewhere. If the shadows are deep enough and I'm familiar with the area, I can walk through the darkness. If I've never been somewhere before, or if it's too light, I generally flash in on the breeze. Otherwise, I fly. Or I just walk. Driving is good too..."

"Would it do any good for you to try to explain the shadow thing? Or the wind thing?"

"I can try, but probably not."

Talera pondered the wine for a moment, frowning slightly, then sighed and poured a glass. Pausing, she took out another and poured for Sarah as well. She leaned around the girl and set the glass in front of her, taking the last empty seat. With a muted sigh, Talera read over the notepad that had mysteriously appeared in front of her.

"I didn't even see you take that," Sarah breathed.

"Mmm, misdirection and speed," Talera noted, distracted by her reading, taking a sip of the wine herself. "You are thorough."

"Wind," Sarah said, smiling to herself, eyes lighting up. "That's your preference as an Elemental."

Talera didn't look up, just nodded, flipping to the next page, still absorbed.

"I read all about it," Sarah continued. "Elementals can control the four Classical elements, wind, fire, earth and water. But each individual has a preference, one thing that they're better at than the others. I would have thought your would be fire."

"I don't breathe fire," Talera snorted. "One of my...sisters can, but I have no taste for it."

"Fire?" Kevin asked, puzzled.

"Fire-breathing Dragon?" Sarah sighed, glaring at him.

"Ohhhh," he exaggerated through a yawn. "I still can't reconcile Gorgeous here with the gigantic beast."

Talera rolled her eyes, flipping to the next page and scanning it closely. She ignored Kevin as he reached over and snatched her wineglass, setting on the table in front of him. 

"What are you doing?" Talera asked. "You hate wine."

"Not all the time," he protested. "Besides, I know it tastes terrible to you. I want to show Sarah a trick I learned."

"Don't gross her out," the demon huffed, shooting him a look and reaching for the glass, laying the tablet down.

"Relax," he retorted, smacking her hand out of the way. 

Sarah watched wide-eyed as he pressed one finger hard against fang, letting the stream of blood that burst out darken the wine. The wound healed after a few seconds, and Kevin licked the smear of blood off his skin.

"Watch her eyes," Kevin said.

"Please," Talera snorted, rolling her eyes once more. "I just hunted and it's not like she's ever going to need to look for it."

"Just show her," he shot back. "She needs to recognize the look anyway."

"Fine," Talera said with a sigh, sitting up perfectly straight in her chair. 

"This is bloodlust," Kevin told Sarah, face serious. "Watch her face, especially her eyes, the set of her lips."

Talera closed her eyes for a long moment, turning her head to the side to inhale a long breath through her mouth. When she turned back, she was completely relaxed, green eyes intent on Kevin's face. 

Almost cautiously, he picked up the glass by the stem, standing a little so he could move closer to her unimpeded. His arm moving glacially, he extended the glass under her nose, licking his lips, eyes glued to her face.

Sarah concentrated on her friend's expression. At first, only Talera's usual faint smirk touch her pouting lips, then they parted, revealing glints of the sharp points behind. The green eyes went wide, unfocused, then narrowed, lids going slack, irises turning black, then expanding outwards with the jet-crimson flames. Her nostrils flared once slowly, tongue coming out to slowly caress her upper lip. 

She looked up from the glass, straight at Sarah. The being peering with unblinking hunger at Sarah was so alien that the girl slid back in her seat, hands coming up to cover her throat.

A low, rumbling growl started across the table, growing to a sharp bark. With a snap, Talera returned to the eyes, which flashed to green. She smiled ruefully at Kevin, who'd shot to his feet, teeth bared.

"That was a great idea," Talera breathed, running a hand back through her silver hair, closing her eyes for a long moment. "Are you okay, Sarah? I'm really sorry."

"N—no problem," Sarah stuttered, forcing her hands down into her lap. A sharp shudder started at the back of her neck, racing up and down her spine, sending goosebumps up all over her skin.

"You asshole!" Talera hissed, reaching across the table to slap Kevin's arm as he sat back down. "Dump this out, now. Have you lost your mind? Fuck, I'm just as bad, agreeing to that. Forgive me, Sarah."

"Would you have killed me?" Sarah asked, her breath coming back under her control. 

"I hope not," Talera said gravely, stifling her own shiver. She barely glanced at Kevin as he snatched up the glass, turning the contents into the sink and washing them down with a blast of water.

"No," he shook his head, face sheepish. "You wouldn't have killed her. You know that."

"Let's hope not," Talera hissed back. 

"Can I see your fangs?" Sarah asked suddenly.

Both supernaturals stared at her as if she'd lost her mind. 

"What? It's on my list," the girl pointed out innocently. "Look, I know you're dangerous. I was just curious. I don't think you would have done it, for the record. Scared the hell out of me though. Better than a roller coaster. Can you hear my heart?"

Both continued to watch her with amazed eyes. Grinning, she got up and moved to Talera's side, motioning for the other to slide her chair back. When the demon complied, eyes still wary, glancing at Kevin, Sarah slid onto the table-top in front of the other girl, resting one foot on the open space of chair between Talera's thighs. She leaned in close, reaching out one hand to touch the other's cheek. She felt more than saw Kevin come to stand behind Talera, his hands going to her shoulders.

"Open up," Sarah ordered, cocking a lopsided smile. "Come on, I'm not afraid of you. At the moment."

"Fine," Talera said slowly, eyeing her suspiciously. "Look. Do. Not. Touch. Understand me? The instinct to bite is automatic if skin touches fang, and nothing he can do will hold me back if you touch. Is that perfectly clear?"

"Crystal," Sarah confirmed, shaking with anticipation.

She leaned forward as Talera parted her lips, expression halfway between excitement and terror. With exaggerated slowness, Sarah pushed back one side of the vampire's rose-petal cool upper lip, exposing the curved, razor sharp canine beneath that extended far beyond the line of the perfect teeth around it.

Talera took a long, shuddering breath, closing her eyes tightly.

"Careful," Kevin cautioned, his voice no more than a gruff whisper.

"I'm not going to touch it," Sarah murmured, intent on her inspection. "Holy shit. I don't have to touch to see how sharp it is. Is the bottom the same way?"

"Okay, that's enough of that," Talera gasped, putting one hand on Sarah's chest and gently pushing her back. "Sorry, honey, I hit my limit."

"Does it hurt?" Sarah asked, eyes ablaze with excitement, looking up at Kevin. "When she bites?"

To his everlasting embarrassment, he blushed hard, earning a guffaw of laughter from the girl. Talera turned her head to look back at him, laughing as well when she saw his face.

"Shuttup," he growled, squeezing the vampire's shoulders tightly, glaring at her, though a smile tugged at the corners of his mouth. "It does hurt. Four giant teeth sinking into your skin. Bloody hurts, trust me."

The demon smirked, eyes twinkling.

"But only for a second," he continued, blood smoldering under his skin. "Then the Trance takes over and, well... pain is the last thing you're thinking about. Why? You wanna find out for yourself?"

"Maybe," Sarah muttered, the heat rising in her cheeks this time as she looked away. Now he burst into laughter, leaning down to plant a swift kiss on Talera's surprised lips. 

"Are you serious?" Talera asked, shaking her head. "Why aren't you scared of me? You're going about this all wrong, you know. You're supposed to be frightened of monsters."

"Pff, monsters," Sarah huffed. 

"She is serious," Kevin said with a lecherous grin. "The little kitten can't help herself."

Talera eyed the girl for a long moment, expression inscrutable. Then with a breath of moment much too fast for Sarah to catch, she stood behind Kevin, hands rubbing his shoulders, eyes still fixed on Sarah, one eyebrow lifted, trademark smirk intact. With a languid stride, she turned and walked out of the kitchen, pausing to look back over her shoulder through the veil of her hair. 

"I'm not going to have our first time be in my kitchen," Talera noted dryly. "You coming or not?"

"Have fun," Kevin chuckled, yawning once more, stretching, every single muscle beneath his exposed skin rippling breathtakingly. 




Blood Bonds Pt. 10



"You're not coming too?" Sarah asked before she could edit the thought. She cringed and shot off the table, nearly tripping over the chair. He froze mid-stretch, eyes coming down to meet hers. 

"Damn, girl," Talera laughed suddenly. "You're not doing anything half-ass tonight. Want me to call Ana too?"

"Oh, God above, let me," Kevin breathed dramatically.

"Maybe some other time," the girl mumbled, then started to giggle. "I think I have my hands full tonight."

"I'm telling her that," Kevin teased. "Mmm, better yet, I'm going to ask her to introduce you to Dream Walking....""

"Anytime," Talera sighed from the darkness beyond the open door.

With a blur of movement, Kevin shot forward, catching Sarah under the knees and scooping her into his arms, cradling her to his massive chest as if she were a child. Maybe it was only because she'd never been quite so close to him, but she'd never noticed how huge he'd gotten. Bigger than Quentin, than any of the wolves she'd seen in Pershing's Pack. His hard chest was hot against her bare arm, his long hair heavy, warm against her hand on the back of his neck. 

He had her up the stairs and into Talera's bedroom in a few quick steps, holding her securely the entire time, pressing his heated lips to her forehead gently. The blush returned to her cheeks like tossing kindling on a fading fire. 

"Careful. She's gold leaf to us," Talera' s voice murmured in the darkness.

He laid Sarah gently down atop the bedding, which was newly changed as always, and watched her scoot back against the mountain range of pillows at the headboard, her eyes blind in the near-absolute darkness of the room. 

The girl took in a sharp breath when a single candle popped to life in a corner lamp at the head of the bed, sending golden, quivering light spilling into the closeness of the dark. Kevin stood in all his wild glory at the foot of the bed, just looking down on Sarah. Talera's eyes sparkled from the edge of the light, behind Kevin to the left. It took Sarah a moment to make out that the vampire was seated comfortably in a big leather chair, legs crossed elegantly, gaze flicking from Kevin to Sarah patiently.

Some silent communication passing between them, Kevin and Talera peered at each other for a long moment. Then the Wolf took a slow breath, eyes coming back to Sarah, turning away from the demon. 

A growl so low she could barely hear it, though the thunder of it shook the floor, rumbled from his deep chest. Something changed in his eyes, his usual humor fading, replaced with something primal. All his instincts focused on the girl on the bed.

The girl who was quaking with anticipation, stomach twisting under the scrutiny.

Taking a step forward, he sank down on his knees on the bed, testing her reaction, dropping onto his hands and crawling forward when she only stared back at him, breathless. When he was over her, holding himself above her body, looking down into her eyes, he froze, quirking the smallest of smiles. 

A nod was all she could manage, exhaling a huge breath in a vain attempt to slow her heart. Serious again, he let some of his weight sink onto her, pressing her into the cocoon of down and cotton. She responded with fire when his lips pressed softly to hers, her hands coming up to tangle in his hair, pulling him closer, desperate suddenly to feel the whole of his body against hers.

When she broke the kiss, gasping for air, he moved his lips to her jawline, brushing burning kisses over her ear, down her throat, over her collarbone. Coming back up, he met her lips again, stealing her breath, and when she was gasping once more, moved his kisses down the other side of her throat, licking ever-so-lightly at the skin where shoulder met neck with a surprisingly rough tongue.

Sarah's gaze followed him as he slid down her body, pressing his face into the cool fabric of her shirt, hot hands sliding beneath it, buttons popping as he pulled upwards, the whole thing coming off, tossed into the darkness. She took a shuddering breath as he kissed her skin just above her waistband, his tongue tasting, savoring her scent. He continued back upwards with the caresses, hands sliding ahead, pushing beneath her, popping the clasp of her plain white bra with a gentle tug. It too was lost to the darkness beyond their circle of light. 

He took a long moment to linger at each breast, worshiping the flush his touch brought to her skin, pulling at each nipple with only his lips, devouring each heavy mound with pure devotion. She arched beneath him, whispering his name, pulling at his silken hair, grasping his hard shoulders, running her hands over the molten heat of his skin.

With a lusty sigh, he kissed his way back down her stomach, his tongue running freely now, dipping into her belly button, lapping at the soft skin of her belly. He let his sharp teeth sink lightly into the flesh right below her navel as one hand came down to free the button of her jeans, yanking the zipper down with impatience that was immediately tamed. 

Sarah moaned softly when his hands slipped beneath the fabric, sliding it over her hips, down her long legs. His hands tenderly squeezed the soft heat of her thighs, his lips pressed to the heated skin, tongue sliding all the way down to her knees, past them, and she was free of the denim long before she realized it. Or cared. The simple white cotton that stood between him and his goal was lost to the darkness with a sharp tug, his tongue pressing into the wet folds between her legs in an instant. 

She groaned, gripping the tops of his shoulders, gasping his name now, writhing beneath him, head rolling to the side and back. The ache built quickly within her, arcing up her spine, making her eyes roll back in her head, bringing forth a muted shout when it crested. He didn't release her, continued, his tongue slipping deeper, tasting as much of her as he could, a low growl smothered against her flesh.

When she gasped again, pulling his hair hard, pressing her hips into his face with all her might, he slid his hands up her sides, his body following them up. When their lips met this time, there was no hesitation, her legs coming up to wrap around his waist, pulling him close. 

She whimpered as she realized there was a wall of denim separating their skin, her hands pushing at the back of his waistband powerlessly. Smiling, he rose off of her, straddling her still, letting her undo his fly, button by button, rubbing her hands against the bulge straining beneath. His weight was suddenly gone, leaving her cold, eyes searching frantically. 

But he was at the foot of the bed once more, bending to slide the jeans past his hips, stepping out of them. She smiled, all conscious thought beyond her as he knelt to the bed again, coming up it to cover her once more, now only the slide of his burning satin skin against hers catching her attention.

With an obvious display of iron control, he pressed against her, gritting his teeth when he slid in a few inches. His eyes were fixed on hers, gauging her comfort, tasting her with every sense now. She responded by arching her hips up to meet his, surrounding him fully, gasping at the near painful sensation. She could only release a shuddering breath as he pulled back, then pinned her to the bed, lips crushing onto hers with slightly less control.

His arms slid under her knees, bringing them up, mouth coming down to bite tenderly at her throat, not daring break the skin. Sarah rocked against him, massaging the back of his neck, breath falling in short gasps into his hair. He brought his knees up, curling around her, over her, surrounding her with his heat and his reassuring heaviness. 

Their movements were limited, more focused on the intense connection of their entwined bodies, all fire and sweat and animal lust. And with a loud grunt, a subdued growl, he thrust into her hard, burying his face in her soft curls, holding her tightly as her body shook beneath his, her face twisted in the agony of release. 

She dimly felt a knot form inside her, felt him stiffen in surprise. Then he calmed himself, his body responding, allowing him to pull out of her slightly, stretching his legs back out. Without really realizing how she got there, Sarah found herself astride him, his length still buried inside her, pulsing with his heartbeat.

Panting down at him with wide eyes, she let her hands roam over his sweat-slick skin, long fingers caressing the hard, bulging planes that jumped under her touch. 

Then his eyes flicked past her face, focusing on something behind her. Sarah started to turn, only to stop, a sharp shiver running down her spine when the cool pair of hands, like silk left outside on a winter's day, slid over the tops of her shoulders, caressing her collarbone.

She could see nothing but the intensifying lust in Kevin's face, the anticipation and desire in his eyes, but the bed shifted as Talera's weight settled behind her. Sarah reached a shaking hand up to catch the freezing mane of the vampire's hair as the creature bent to press a soft, cold set of lips to the back of the girl's neck. 

Sarah gasped, arching her back sharply, thankful for Kevin's steadying grasp as he captured her hands in his own. 

"Don't move," he murmured, voice barely audible. "It only hurts for a heartbeat."

She looked down at him through foggy eyes, unable to focus on much besides the icy thrill of the cold lips sliding along her shoulder, the cool hands coming around to lift, to knead her heavy breasts. 

"Oh, God," Sarah breathed as the lips came to rest at the base of her throat. She could feel the frozen silk of Talera's skin against her back, the hard press of the vampire's bare flesh.

Pursing her lips, Sarah clenched her eyes closed, feeling Kevin's grip tighten, those cold lips open, the sharp prick of four long fangs. She gasped in agony, stiffening.

But it was over, the searing pain forgotten on the next beat of her pounding heart as a thick cloud of the most intense, divine pleasure moved into her head, surrounding her body, leaving her gasping for an entirely different reason. 

Distantly, she felt Talera's arms surround her, the freezing wash of the vampire's body an unbelievable, amazing contrast to the inferno that raged beneath Kevin's skin. Sarah sighed, the frighteningly alluring sound of her own blood rushing into Talera's throat, past the gauntlet of razored teeth, lulling her, pulling high, rough moans from her near-forgotten body.

Sarah was arcing through the heavens. Stars blurred as she pushed herself harder, the soft winds, motes of light, swirls of stardust, swept past. Whole galaxies flashed past, just soft muddles of primal light and energy, calling for her, sparkling for all they were worth, like a billion jewels tossed into a depthless ocean.

She was the ocean.

Darkness.

Cool.

Calm.

Forever. 

-Sarah-

She sighed, twisting in the flow. 

-Sarah-

"Sarah."

With a shiver, she opened her eyes, breath coming in slow, deep gusts. Kevin grinned up at her, still clenching her hands. She could feel the dull throb of pain in her neck, stopped suddenly when Talera's now warm tongue swept over the bite, healing it in a shimmer of heat.

"What the hell was that?" Sarah breathed, running a hand back through her hair, staring up at the ceiling for a long moment, half expecting to see the vast surround of the cosmos once more. 

The bed shifted again, and Talera sank into Kevin's side, wings splayed off the edge of the bed, hair a wild tangle of black and crimson, eyes afire. Her chest heaved for a moment, the ache of bloodlust raging through her veins for a heartbeat, then pushed back with visible rage. She lay still, propping up on one elbow. But the smile on her lips was gentle, patient.

"Holy shit," Sarah murmured, eyes fluttering. "That's what it's like for you. The Dragon, I mean. All that power. Freedom. Why would you risk giving that up?"

Talera cocked her head to the side, smile deepening.

"Anything loses its appeal after you've been alive as long as I have," she said, voice so low it was a throaty purr in the darkness. "I can still fly, though. Don't despair for me on that account, little one."

Sarah collapsed onto Kevin's chest, sleep urgently pushing her into oblivion. 

The last thing she heard was the Wolf's low chuckle.

"Ana's waiting for you."



Blood Bonds Pt. 11



Sarah bolted awake, head swimming with half-remembered landscapes that were beyond description, body faintly throbbing with pleasure that couldn't have been real. She sat up, rubbing her eyes, taking a deep breath, twisting her tangled curls into a bun. 

"Have fun?" Talera's voice murmured into the darkness.

"Was that real? I was really in someone else's dreams? With Ana?" Sarah asked, stretching her arms upwards, feeling bones pop with a satisfied ache. "Don't answer that; I know it was...wish I remembered it clearly..."

She felt the bed shift beside her, started to turn, but stopped when cool hands touched her shoulders from behind. She let the other turn her so that she sat, legs crossed, near the edge of the bed. Talera's long fingers were soft as silk, sliding up the girl's graceful neck, massaging the skin and muscles beneath with deft familiarity. 

The vampire's touch warmed suddenly, hands moving to undo the bun at Sarah's nape, raking through tangles gently, sending tingles from the roots of her hair all the way to her toes. Sarah let her head fall forward, eyes closing, enjoying the moment.

"Just ask," came a barely whispered reply out of the darkness, responding to a thought. 

"What you are...is it... supernatural? Or something else?" Sarah asked quietly. "The books...in what little they say about...Dragons...always say you come from the heavens, the stars...?"

The fingers on Sarah's hair moved to her scalp, tracing circles into the soft skin, releasing tension around her temples, at her crown. Sarah breathed a deep sigh, eyes fluttering as Talera took a breath, answering softly.

"I do love the stars..."

"How old are you? And don't say 20," Sarah added with a faint smile.

"Years upon years upon years," whispered Talera voice distant, almost wistful.

"Really, Tay..." 

"Before there was time, I was," the other murmured.

"Metaphorically or literally?"

"Literally."

"Sheesh."

The girl fell silent, letting the simple pleasure of the other's touch lull her. It was what seemed like an hour later before she opened her eyes and took a deep breath. The hands moved to her shoulders, touch still gentle, pulling any ache from muscle and bone.

"It's just after three in afternoon. Kevin's getting dressed to meet the Pack," Talera said, voice still quiet, answering the questions before they hit Sarah's tongue. 

"Are you going too?" the girl asked.

"Yes, ma'am," came a quiet Southern drawl.

"I miss the accent," Sarah commented. "We don't hear it much anymore."

"Then you'll like it where we're going," Talera chuckled. "Incidentally, you've been extended an invitation as well."

"As long as I'm not the evening meal," Sarah huffed.

"I would never let anyone harm you," the demon said gently, after a long silence, voice barely audible.

"I believe you," Sarah sighed, dropping her eyes, thoughts pouring out in a whispered rush. "What do I do now, Tay? How do I live a normal life? Can I at this point? I always pictured...the white picket fence and couple of kids. If anyone had told me four years ago that I'd be in bed with a werewolf and a vampire, I'd have laughed in their face and told them to take their meds. I'm destined for unswerving normalcy, not immortality. People like me...we don't have it in us to be...more..."

Sarah took a shuddering breath, striving forward, voicing all the fears and insecurities that had been eating at her since that moment when her friend had opened that door to the world beyond the generally known. Talera's hands kept at the tender ministrations, only patience and understanding in her touch.

"I was watching some TV show about space the other day, just dreaming about one day looking out at all those stars and galaxies, seeing it in person. And it occurred to me... I could. If I wanted, right? All I have to do is ask...but could I really go through with it? How do I know if I'm supposed to do it? How can I know what I'm supposed to do in this life, much less with five or ten or a hundred? When I have everything going for me that ninety-nine percent of the people on this planet dream of, is it wrong to wonder if there's more out there for me?"

For a long moment, Talera said nothing, then her hands released Sarah. The girl opened her mouth, about to squawk in hurt protest, then those warm, smooth palms covered her eyes. There was an odd shift in the air of the room, the gentle warmth of the covers replaced by soothing winds and caressing bursts of cool and hot. Sounds, whispers, wisps of song filtered in from all angles.

Kissing the side of her friend's neck softly, Talera pulled her hands away, twisting them so that she caught Sarah's in her grip. The demon seemed to drift closer, pressing against her charge, bringing their combined hands down, and holding Sarah tightly just below her breasts.

They floated in a warm pool of air, suspended in an infinite expanse of blackness. Before them, a whorl of light drifted, glowing fairylights against the backdrop. The galaxy, stars becoming distinct, overlapping, orbiting one another, sparkling in a glowing mist of gases and creation, swirled majestically just beyond Sarah's reach. The girl's eyes teared up, throat closing, forced open with a ragged breath, a sharp sigh.

"What's your point?" she whispered finally. 

"What's normal?"

"That's it? That's all you've got for me? Fortune cookie advice and special effects?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"I suppose this will all hit me later, then I'll have a burst of insight and wisdom," Sarah sighed. "Is that your plan?"

"Maybe," came a soft chuckle. "Or maybe you're still dreaming."

**

Sarah jerked up, tossing back the heavy mantle of covers, sending a few pillows careening across the room. The curtains were open, revealing the pretty city street below going about its day rendered in the bright, golden light of the spring afternoon. 

People walked dogs of all sizes and colors, some in a tangle as they dashed excitedly down the sun-dappled sidewalks. Cars moved slowly, most occupants chattering on cellphones, looking around at passersby and the beautiful brownstones packed neatly into the city blocks. Mounds of red begonias sparkled gaily in neat beds the length of Talera's front walk, frequented by the occasional carpenter bee and moth enjoying the early spring warmth. 

The door cracked open and Kevin stuck his head around the door, grinning a toothy grin when he saw her sitting up. 

"Thought I heard you bolt awake," he said, stepping inside and moving like, well, like a wolf to plop down in the center of the bed next to her, his head near her feet. 

"What time is it?" Sarah asked, looking around, but seeing no vampire in sight.

"Just before four," Kevin answered, giving her a puzzled puppy-dog look when her eyes went wide, then narrowed in confusion. "What's the matter?"

He sat up, leaning forward to caress the side of her face. 

"Where is she? Have I been here this entire time?" the girl stammered, searching his face. 

"Where else would you be?" he replied, one brow lifting. "She's gone out to get Pershing from the airport. We didn't want to wake you. What's wrong?"

She sighed, shaking her head. "Nothing's wrong. Fortune cookies."

"Huh?"

"Nothing," she laughed shakily, turning her head to kiss his palm. "So, we're going down to meet the Pack tonight. Are you worried?"

"A little," he sighed, looking at her intently, though his inner gaze was elsewhere, his hand moving to run through her hair. "To be honest, I'm a lot worried."

"About what they're going to do to you?"

"That, and what I'll do to them," he muttered, letting his thumb trace her bottom lip. 

"Do you know you have her power?" Sarah asked suddenly.

"What do you mean?" he asked, immediately alert, eyes bright, searching hers. 

"You don't know that?" she asked, mouth falling open. "I know something you don't? The world may end righ—"

"Seriously, Sarah," he cut her off, shaking his head. "What are you talking about? What did she tell you?"

"Just that everyone who was there when she, you know, has a direct connection to her power."

"She said that? What words did she use?"

"What do mean? She said just that, what I just told you—"

"You all have my Blood Bond."

They both turned to the voice at the door. Talera stood, looking drowsy but unharmed by the beam of sunlight that shone across her face.

"Arkon let you give your Blood Bond to two Lycans, a witch, a human, and a Dark Succubus?" Kevin asked skeptically. 

"And he would stop me how...? Even if he had a problem..." Talera drawled, raising a brow. "Did you think I just went through the motions? You should know me better by now."

He gasped suddenly as her Mark writhed into view on his arm, flames burning darkly in the bright room. 

"I expect you to use that tonight," she said, giving him a serious glare, then turned and was out in hall without further comment.

"Pershing's here," Kevin murmured, eyes still glued to his left forearm, which he rubbed thoughtfully, face distracted. "You should get dressed."

He was off the bed in a blur of movement, pulling on a black motorcycle jacket that he'd dropped by the bed. He left it unzipped, but the red stripe that ran across his chest and over both shoulders was eye-catching nonetheless. His eyes, crimson infiltrating the bright copper of his irises, were frightening in their intensity. His long dark blonde hair was coming loose from the ponytail at the base of his skull in a glorious tangle. Towering as he did over the bed, legs apart, big feet planted like redwoods, he looked beyond formidable.

"You look tough as hell," Sarah commented, grinning at him. "I wouldn't tangle with you. And I've met Pershing's top Wolves." 

That got a chuckle from him, and he dropped his arm, taking her hand and yanking her out of bed. With a twist of his wrist, he spun her into his arms, kissing her hard. She all but yelped as he brought his lips down, and without warning, sank both of his upper canines into the soft skin where shoulder met neck. It hurt, but from recent experience, Sarah's body interpreted the pain into a burst of heated pleasure in an instant. She pressed her cheek into his forehead, hands clasping at his collar, fingers running through the heated waves of his hair. He released her a few seconds later, taking a moment to breathe deeply, his chest heaving against her.

"What was that for?" she gasped, wide eyes staring up at him as he licked blood off his upper lip. He bent once more, catching a trickle with his rough tongue, then kissed her forehead tenderly. 

"Insurance," he rumbled. "No one better dare touch you. You're doubly Marked now."

"Ugh," she sighed, shooing him out of the room. "More fortune cookies."

"I still don't understand that one," he noted, backing out as she waved at him to close the door to the hallway. 

**

Sarah looked around at the sunset-hued landscape of North Georgia that surrounded the small airport. Talera hopped down from the top of the steps, not bothering with the rest, slipping on her dark sunglasses and flipping her hair so it fell into her face. She didn't even bother to conceal the hideously fanged yawn, just shook her head as if to clear it, then glared up at the setting sun for a second. 

A gathering of people on motorcycles waited below, but she generally ignored them. A group of seven Lycans, three wild-looking females among them, sat astride black Harleys, leaving three empty bikes at the head of the formation. 

"Aren't you supposed to burst into flames or a cloud of dust or something?" Sarah asked coming down the steps and cocking a brow at her friend.

"Probably," Talera snorted. "Welcome to Georgia. Not bad now but hot as the third level of Hell in a few weeks."

"Are you going to be less grumpy after sunset?" Sarah asked.

"Probably," Talera sighed, but smiled sheepishly. "I haven't been back here in a while."

"Where are you from? Around here?"

"Nah, I'm from above Atlanta, an hour and half or so south of here. We're staying in the north tonight. On the line with the Carolinas near Sumter National Forest. Pretty country."

As she spoke, Talera drew a map of Georgia in the air with her hands, motioning to indicate their position. Sarah found herself wishing she'd paid more attention during geography in high school, but nodded her head like she followed anyway.

Pershing was out of the jet in a single bound, landing silently several yards away next to the lead bike. At the barest of signals from Pershing, Kevin took the bike behind the Alpha, taking a breath to look over the controls and acquaint himself with the machine. Talera led Sarah to the third bike. The demon climbed on gracefully, straddling the big Harley like it was a horse. Sarah clamored on behind, adjusting her leather jacket, another new one Talera had brought out on the flight down, against the oncoming chill of the mountain night. 

They waited as the wolves readied themselves, zipping up jackets, checking gauges, chatting to each other in their rough language. Sarah inwardly smothered a laugh. It would be funny, cinematically stereotypical, if it wasn't obvious that these people really did dress, act and live as they did. 

Sarah cleared her throat, quashing a smile as Pershing kicked his bike into gear and they all rocketed into the trees, heading east into the dark woods. They kept formation, Talera in the center of the line as they shot down mountainous, isolated roads, past campers and rusty trucks. They roared through tiny little towns boasting little more than RV parks, gas stations and the occasional Wal-Mart or country buffet restaurant.

The houses that flashed past were small, blending into the mountainsides, whole towns of rustic cottages, log cabins and sturdy little brick homes. Folk art was common, charming and comical in some cases. The people here had a sense of humor, carving out a life that seemed carefree and idyllic to the visitor rushing past at a distance. Small gardens, filled with cabbages and peas dotted the landscape, shaded by twisted dogwoods and wild pears. 

As they passed, what locals were out in their yards, tending small flocks of cows or goats, feeding horses, checking their gardens, threw up hands in greeting. Pershing lifted his fingers off his handlebars in response, nodding his head.

Sarah marveled at the beauty of the area, never having been so far south before. The spring cast the trees and undergrowth with a vibrant, new green gloss. When they topped a ridge now and then, she craned her neck, rising just slightly in her seat to peer down into the golden-lit valleys, many sparkling with streams and lush greenery. Though washed out and battered by millions of years of winds and rains, the Appalachians were intimidating enough when taken at high speed over winding roads and in decreasing light.

As night fell, sinking the road into pure darkness as they roared through the silent oaks, Sarah felt Talera take one hand off the handlebars and clasp her left arm. Her sight wavered, going black then bursting into unbelievable color. This wasn't the sight of auras and glows Sarah had experienced before, this was true color, unhampered by darkness. Vampire sight. 

"Cool," the girl murmured in the vampire's ear. "Sunlight must be blinding."

By way of response, Talera gave her arm another affectionate squeeze, then returned her attention to the road. Sarah could see the riders ahead now, the low beams of their headlamps dazzling. Kevin looked tense, though he was doing a stellar job of hiding it beneath a veneer of unruffled attention to his surroundings.

A light fog descended around them as they climbed higher into areas untrod by the ever-present RVs and pickup trucks. Sarah shot quick a glance back at the two couples behind, catching them peering up past the canopy of leaves at the moon as it rose above a ridge. One of the women threw back her head and howled, an eerie sound that echoed off the rocks and rills, clear above even the roar of the engines. A chorus of howls answered her from seemingly everywhere. 

Sarah felt her jaw drop, but snapped it shut when she felt Talera's stomach muscles tighten beneath her hands. They were slowing now, pulling off onto a deceptively smooth dirt road, taking it with slightly more care. The sheer drop off to her left had the girl clamped tightly to her driver, though the other seemed completely unconcerned, her gaze traveling over the entire valley below and across from them.

After what seemed like an hour on the dirt road, they pulled into a turnout, rumbled down a short drive, and came out into a mountain meadow with a small gathering of tiny but sturdy-looking rustic cabins and a large covered pavilion. Sarah waited for her demon to dismount and hold out a hand before she did the same, trying not to stare at everything in sight with that incredible vision. The wolves around her seemed to glow and throb, and with a start, Sarah realized she was seeing not them, precisely, but their blood. 

The night was cool and damp, filled with the chirp of crickets and flutter of leaves and undergrowth in a sweeping, but charming breeze. Talera lifted her face to the sky, inhaling deeply, eyes closed.

She shrugged out of her short leather motorcycle jacket, draping it over the seat. If the cool night air bothered her, she gave no sign, the scrolls on her exposed arms rolling and moving for a long moment. In fact, as she raised her hands to the sides, the winds picked up, racing through the camp in one direction and then back again. Pershing flashed her a look, and she lowered her arms, crossing them under her breasts petulantly. 

Sarah looked between the two of them, wondering about the silent exchange, then caught sight of Kevin lifting his nose to the wind. Talera was helping him, she realized, sending the scents of the camp and the surrounding terrain to him so he could count heads, fix positions, get the lay of the land. 

Pershing nodded in the direction of one of the cabins and, taking Sarah's elbow, Talera steered her towards it, following Kevin. They passed it, moving behind the little log building and came out into a breath-taking little glen that shivered with new ferns and little wildflowers. The air was filled with the scents of fog, green and fresh dirt; sweet, musky and full of life. Shafts of bright moonlight filtered down through the branches overhead, giving the whole a surreal cast that had Sarah gazing with wonder about her.

Talera went up to Kevin, murmuring in his ear, kissing his cheek. She stroked his tangled hair, rubbing his shoulders hard, her words a calm stream of sound, rising and falling like a prayer said by rote, without particular cadence, but purposeful. Sarah couldn't follow since the language was beyond her, so she just let her eyes wander.

They must be separated from the Pack while they all gathered. Pershing had explained just a little to her on the plane, having spent most of his time with Kevin. They'd all be there by ten, awaiting the introduction of their guests and their new brother, if they chose to give him a chance. Then the challenge would begin. 

Talera, touched Sarah's arm softly, making the girl jump. 

"Sorry," the demon whispered. "I'll be right back. Don't leave Kev's side."

With a burst of wind that lifted Sarah's hair upwards, she was gone. 

"Hunting," Kevin murmured, dropping to a knee beside Sarah, letting her lean against his warm bulk, one arm snaking around his shoulders. "The sun sucks all the power out of her."

"Can you hear them?" the girl asked, idly fingering the heavy, sun-warm waves of his hair. 

He nodded, eyes moving all around them, though he stayed still. 

"This place is beautiful," she sighed. "I've never seen any place so...green."

"Can you see? I would think it's nearly pitch-bla—" he started, then shook his head. "Oh. I forgot they can do that. Give their sight."




Blood Bonds Pt. 11



"What does it look like to you?"

"Our night vision isn't half as good as theirs," he whispered. "It's more the sounds and scents of the place. It's so full of life. Little...bugs and rodents and the like rustling around under all the leaves and fronds. You're seeing as they do, which is more of the electromagnetic spectrum than probably any other creature, from infrared to the limits of ultraviolet. But they don't have the noses we do. Not sure about their hearing..."

"You sound like my freshman bio professor," she chuckled softly, tracing the outline of one of his ears.

"And you without your lists," Talera noted dryly, appearing beside Sarah, looking around, eyes narrowing then widening once more. 

"Speaking of lists," Sarah prompted, face hopeful. "Pershing mentioned you have a...he called it 'battle mode.' Explain."

"Show," Kevin corrected, giving Sarah a look.

"This is what you think about right now?" Talera snorted. "Can't I have a secret or two?"

"You have more secrets than all of us put together times a million," Sarah laughed.

Talera shrugged, then showed her wings, spreading them high and wide, a solid black shadow behind her, flames of her eyes flickering against the darkness. She flashed them a slightly open-mouthed grin, showing her teeth, which grew four more fangs where her lateral incisors had been. With the same metallic whisper as her emerging claws, only magnified, spikes ranging from a hand's-breadth to over a foot tall slid out along the tops of her wings and at the joints along the bottoms.

"You're one scary beast, Miss Garretson," Kevin chortled, shaking his head.

"I second that," Sarah concurred, laughing a little.

"Aww, thank you, both," Talera drawled sweetly, turning her head coyly as if she were capable of blushing. 

"Where did you go?" Sarah asked. 

"Little meth lab a few valleys over," the demon noted with a turn of her top lip. "They're like a disease around here."

"Did you kill someone just now?" the girl asked, mouth falling open.

Talera shrugged a nod, reaching out to take Kevin's hand, letting him pull her right up against his body.

"I'd say more than one," he noted, sniffing pointedly.

"Well, you know," Talera snorted. "Half-assed isn't my style."

"How many?" Sarah asked, gaping down at her. 

"It doesn't matter," the demon said, shaking her head, glancing up at her friend.

"I'm not...appalled," the girl shot back, shaking her head as well. "I'm just curious what you can do. Come on, tell me."

The other held up one hand, all five fingers outstretched for a second, talons glinting in the moonlight as she curled all fingers under then flashed another four.

"That's amazing," the girl said in wonder. "Scary, but amazing."

"You didn't ingest any of the drug, did you?" Kevin asked, eyeing her hard.

"Give me a little credit," the vampire huffed, lifting a brow at him. "That blood tastes like burnt...well, it just smells disgusting. The users went down in the fire... Amphetamines and vampires do not mix well. At all. Ever."

The last was directed to Sarah, who was looking at them in fascination.

"The glamorous world of the vampire! The wonders never cease," Talera exclaimed, moving a hand in an arc in front of her, face fixed in an expression of coy mystery. Sarah burst into laughter, feeling her face redden. 

"I can't help it," she giggled. "It's interesting to me. I feel like I'm in some bizarre version of The Real World half the time."

"Which archetype am I? Southern bad boy?" Pershing asked from their left. 

"You watch the Real World?" Talera asked, brows rising. 

"Not since Las Vegas. That nightclub wasn't as good in person," the Alpha noted, face thoughtful, then he scowled at her. "You know it creeps me out when you look like you have a hell-bound pterodactyl sitting on your shoulders."

"I think I'm insulted," the demon managed through a burst of laughter. 

The Alpha glared at her until the spikes slid back in, nodded once, then went serious. "We're all here."

Kevin was on his feet in one fluid movement, stepping in front of the two females, nodding, straightening his jacket and running a hand through his hair. Pershing fixed Talera in a hard stare.

"No interference, got it?" he said sternly, no trace of humor in his face. "I don't care who or what you are, don't pull any shit with me tonight. He comes into this exactly as he is at this moment. No tricks later. You mess with this process and he'll either die or be a rogue the rest of his life, and nothing I can do will save him from either fate."

Talera clenched her jaw, but only nodded solemnly.

"Exactly as he is," the vampire confirmed, fires in her eyes arcing out suddenly. Kevin sucked in a hard breath, eyelids fluttering, ducking his chin, then releasing a sharp hissing sigh. Pershing looked between the two of them, shook his head once, then turned. 

Sarah linked one of her arms through the vampire's, locking them side by side as the Alpha led them back out into the circle of buildings. Fires from several pits lighted the center, open area, bright to Sarah's borrowed sight. As they emerged from the darkness of the oaks, Talera opened her wings, pressing one against Sarah's back.

The area was filled with bodies, human and wolf, all staring with eerie red eyes at the newcomers, mostly at Kevin, though all had a curious glance for the two females. Sarah glanced at Quentin, who was gathered in a loose huddle with most of the Wolves the girl had met not long ago. People and animals crowded around, crouching on rooftops, above the pavilion, some on low branches.

"My family, my Pack," Pershing called, striding to the center of the circle of people. "Welcome our guests to our Hunting Grounds. Sarah. Lady Talera."

Sarah nodded an acknowledgement to the introduction, watching Talera do much the same, flames licking out into the firelight.

"This is an important night," Pershing continued. "We test a new brother tonight. He is my own. Born of my blood. Accepted by the moon. Now he awaits only your judgment. Kevin, known as Ayers, come forward and face my Pack."

The big blonde strode forward without hesitation, meeting each set of eyes in a sweeping glance. He stood with his arms at his sides, confident but not overtly challenging. Sarah felt Talera's body tense just a little. 

"You gave him your father's name," called one of the younger-looking men, perched above the proceedings on an overhanging limb. "Ayers was a bold leader for a century."

Pershing only nodded, though his eyes were wary.

"As is his right. The boy is an Alpha, worthy of the name without further qualification," noted a woman with a steel-gray shoulder-length bob and a genteel coastal Georgia accent. "Young man, you're a Born Hunter. With which organization were you affiliated, and do you maintain contact?"

"I was trained by Jobias Thompson himself," Kevin replied, voice even, his accent odd against the collection of Southern inflections. "I've not communicated in any way with either him or his organization in over two years, nor have I contact with any other. Talera can vouch for my honesty in this matter."

All eyes turned to the demon, who nodded once, meeting the gaze of the woman, who nodded in return, satisfied. 

"That's quite the pedigree," called a man who looked to be in his mid-forties, his voice tinged with what sounded like French. "And the company you keep is... formidable. Are you Marked by this Blood Drinker? Remove your jacket, if you please, so that we may see where your loyalties lie."

Kevin complied without comment, stripping off his jacket and shirt, letting them drop to the ground. Naked from the waist up, skin gleaming in the wavering light, he was more impressive than before. The Mark on the inside of his left wrist writhed still, burning darkly against his skin. Kevin held up his arm so that all could see.

"That's not a Mark, Philippe," called the woman who'd spoken earlier. "That's its Blood Bond."

"I know what it is, Katherine," the man shot back, sneering at her. "Do you know how to use that, boy?"

"My name is Ayers," Kevin growled. The Mark flared suddenly, flames leaping into his eyes, and the wind whipped around the gathered, gathering a vortex of leaves just above them. Talera tensed at Sarah's side, visibly gritting her teeth, eyes narrowing. Sarah looked between both of her friends with concern.

Kevin moved his upraised arm to the side, clenching his hand into a fist, sending the leaves rocketing into the sky. When he released his fingers, the greenery rained down on the gathered, drifting in the now absolutely still air. Talera wobbled just a little, her weight bearing on Sarah's arm for a heartbeat. 

"It's a true Bond," tinkled a girlish voice, which issued from a young woman who looked like she'd stepped off the pages of a teen magazine, long blonde hair pulled into a high ponytail, white leather jacket gleaming in the night. A big gray wolf sat nearly on her feet, its eyes going between her and Kevin. "Interesting. I've never seen a Blood Drinker give its power to anyone outside its own clan. Tell me, Ayers: do you seek to lead us?"

"No," Kevin replied levelly, arms back at his sides.

"Then what is it that you seek?" the girl continued, face curious, copper-red eyes sparkling. 

"Only acceptance," the blonde man answered. "Pershing did me a great honor. He also saved my life. I would like to repay the kindness, with my own life if need be."

Sarah felt herself growing impatient as the questions continued like a supernatural press conference. It was clear that the Pack was split down the middle. The tones of the questioners ranged from impressed geniality to downright hostile.

Without warning, one of the wolves atop the pavilion leapt down into the circle, landing a few inches from Kevin. He barely reacted other than to stare it down. With a roar it lunged at him, crimson eyes full of death. Kevin sidestepped with amazing grace, slashing out with one foot in a kick so swift Sarah barely caught it, sending the animal sailing into a distant tree, over the heads of Pershing's top wolves. Sarah could just make out the animal dragging itself to its feet and limping off into the trees. 

The man Sarah took to be Philippe lunged forward suddenly, clothes ripping as he launched himself into the half-half form that sent a shudder down Sarah's spine. All at once, there was a flurry of tearing cloth and rumbling growls as at least ten more men and women changed into the same form, all rushing Kevin at once. 

Sarah opened her mouth to shriek, but Talera silenced her with a look.

-He has to fight them in human form because they consider it the weakest of the three. He's going to be fine. With all the power in his system, they look to Kevin like they're slogging through waist-deep snow. -

The girl cast a frightened look at her friend, but nodded. Talera shivered suddenly, face tight with pain. Kevin's eyes flared with her flames, and he suddenly moved with speed beyond any others, flashing out of the melee. With a series of leaps, punches, and kicks, he had all the attackers down in a muddle of bodies with only a few spare movements. He towered over them all, face filled with wrath, fangs bared. Talera bared all her teeth as well, a low rumble coming from her chest.

Pershing appeared at his side, catching Kevin by the throat with one long-fingered hand. 

"Enough, Ayers," the Alpha commanded. "You've proven yourself."

The big blonde stood his ground for a single blink, then stood down, closing his eyes and bowing his head until Pershing released him. 

"Anyone else?"" the Alpha called. When no one challenged further, Pershing nodded. Sarah could see the veiled relief in his black eyes as he clapped Kevin on the shoulder and declared that the newcomer was welcome in his Pack. Talera released a silent sigh of relief, the wing at Sarah's back relaxing slightly.

As if a giant fight hadn't just happened, everyone seemed to burst into laughter and conversation. All went to Kevin and greeted him with a thump on the back, kiss on the cheek or hearty handshake. Wolves reverted to human form, people who had been on two feet suddenly stood on four. Naked, clothed, no one much seemed to care. 

A pack of children burst into the clearing, shrieking and giggling, ogling Kevin, running to meet him, sniff him over. All had a wide-eyed stare for Talera, before their mothers shooed them off into the trees. Sarah was surprised to see that not a one seemed to have a problem shifting into wolf form as well and there was soon a gaggle of puppies yelping and howling up and down the valleys around the cabins. 

Kevin returned to Sarah's side, giving her shoulders a tight squeeze and flashing a rueful smile. With a sigh, Talera vanished her wings, reaching across Sarah to lay a hand over Kev's Mark. 

Pershing had bounded over to the covered pavilion, two screeching little girls on his shoulders, their tiny hands catching in his long black hair, faces alight with childish mirth and enjoyment. He swung them both down with a hand on each of their collars, motioning them towards their families, but each grabbed a leg below his knees and wrapped themselves around it. He barked a laugh, play-shook one foot, then the other, then gave up and made his way, squirming legwarmers and all, over to where a giant of a man with shaggy ice-blond hair was firing up charcoal in no less than five industrial-sized grills. 

Quentin had planted himself at Kevin's side and was making surprisingly friendly conversation, their combined accents, so similar, flowing musically as they discussed some motorcycle the black Lycan was thinking of buying. One of the men who'd leapt at Kevin earlier, now back in human form and dressed, no evidence of his attack other than an impressive shiner, joined the discussion, and soon there were seven or eight men and women who'd just tried to maim each other talking together as if they'd known each other for years. 

Sarah watched as one woman stepped from a larger cabin that looked to be a kitchen, holding an overflowing tray of hamburger patties like a diner waitress. Another man followed behind with two wheels of cheese and a palette of tomatoes. He sidestepped smoothly as a line of kids shot in front of him, chasing an adolescent brown wolf into one of the cabins.

"It's always a madhouse with the kids here," came a soft voice, a light chuckle under the words. "Pershing lets them come every other month, so they won't drive their mommas crazy at home."

Sarah turned just a little to find the grey-haired woman from earlier approaching from the right. 

"Talera," the Lycan said, giving the demon a shallow bow. "Always a pleasure."

"Pleasure's mine," Talera returned smoothly, her accent fully out, similar to the other's, though sharper, vowels not as butter-smooth. "Kitty, please meet Sarah Phillips."

Sarah paused for half a second, unsure of how to greet the imposing woman, small though she was. With a mischievous grin, the Lycan woman held out a hand.

"We usually stick to human gestures," Kitty drawled. "Though I could sniff your crotch if you'd feel more comfortable."

Sarah stared open-mouthed for a half a breath, then laughed with the other woman as she burst into a dignified giggle. Taking the outstretched hand, the human shook it, noting that her skin was as warm, if not hotter, than Kevin's. 

"Kitty?" the girl asked, raising a brow.

"Yes," laughed the other. "We have a strong sense of irony. It's actually short for Caterina diColombrino."

"Little dove," Sarah translated, eyes intent, fascinated.

"Yes, it's poetic isn't it?" the Lycan sighed. "My father was a gamekeeper on a Medici estate. That was a number of years ago, obviously."

"Are you running with the others tomorrow night?" Talera asked. "I know you don't like to get your paws dirty...."

Sarah fell to looking around at the gathered people as someone cranked up a stereo, filling the field and surrounding valleys with an eclectic blend of music that ranged from hard rock to classical to bluegrass to African folk. Several couples were dancing out under the moon, swaying to their own beats, smiling at each other. Others crowded around Pershing at the grills, laughing as he artfully flipped burgers, his long hair flowing as he turned to another grill. He still had his passengers around his ankles, though they had moved from just hanging on to actively tickling him behind the knees. One leg buckled as a girl hit a sensitive spot, which sent her into endless spasms of laughter, tumbling onto the floor, taking her friend with her. Pershing stomped a foot at them, growling inaudibly and they both shot into the trees, shrieking with victory and giggling like mad.

"...of the boys from one of the local Nations are coming down too next month. Want to play laser tag or some other nonsense. Prove themselves," Kitty was saying with a roll of her dark blue eyes. "Pershing agreed as long as the elders were in on it. And as long as all parties involved were clear that no one is to be shot or eaten."

"Just your basic ground rules for a night out," Talera said with a deadpan shrug.

Kevin came back to them, face alight, bowing grandly over Kitty's hand, kissing it like a hero from a period movie. She mock-swooned, giving him a kiss on one cheek, before excusing herself when someone hollered her name. 

"What? She's Italian," Kevin said when he caught the expression on Sarah's face.

*-*

Sarah looked up at the unassuming façade of the house in the middle of the bustling suburban subdivision. It was in the center of the street, bordered on all sides by varied versions of the same plan, boxwoods trimmed neatly, marigolds and petunias peeking out brightly from a fresh layer of pine bark mulch. Children shrieked and chased each other in a nearby yard, a little girl holding a running hose and chasing a much smaller boy. The sunlight sparkled off the water, shone on their smiling, wet faces. A pack of older kids on bikes shot around the bend, shouting to each other gleefully, racing to the community pool. A man behind a noisy green lawnmower did laps back and forth in a yard across the street, singing loudly to himself as he cut the grass while his wife planted flaming red salvia and trailing chartreuse ipomoea in concrete planters by the front door. 

"This is...not what I expected," Sarah said softly, raising a brow across the top of the car at Talera. 

The demon rested her arms on the top of her open door, chin on her arms, dark hair shimmering inhumanly platinum in the bright light. The black flames in her eyes roiled unreadably, face impassive. 

Straightening, she lifted a hand, shading her eyes. The flames flickered out, leaving her bright green irises shining for a long moment, though she squinted mightily against the bright blue sky in the backdrop.

"Shit," she hissed, clamping her eyelids closed again, the flames returning at once. 

"I have to tell you," Sarah laughed softly. "When I pictured your origins, this is not at all what I had in mind. It's so...normal. How do you go from this to immortal superbeing?"

Talera chuckled gently, lowering her head enough so that her hair fell over her face, concealing her teeth. With a sigh, she stepped back, shutting her door. Looking around at the yard once more, she shook her head just a little, reaching up to swipe bloody tears out of her hurting eyes. 

"You might want to put these on," Sarah suggested, holding out a pair of very dark sunglasses. "The neighbors are starting to stare."

"Yeah," Talera sighed, sliding the dark frames over her eyes. "Most of them know who I am, even if they don't recognize me yet. Word will get out fast. See the people in the doorway two houses down? That's Pete Compton and Bhairavi Porter. I went to high school with them. And, shit, they just realized who I am. Let's get inside. They're going to call everyone I ever knew before I was sixteen. Facebook will be abuzz today."




Blood Bonds Pt. 11



"You're on Facebook? How come I'm not your friend?" Sarah mock-pouted.

Talera muttered something unflattering about social networking websites in general and floated up the front sidewalk.

Sarah looked around as Talera unlocked the front door, wondering morbidly if the kids in the neighborhood ran up to the windows on Halloween, looking for ghosts. She could see their terrified faces peering through the slits between curtains, whispering to each other.

"There aren't any," Talera said flatly. "Not that I can tell anyway."

"Sorry," Sarah sighed, chagrin in her dark features. 

"Why?" the other asked, genuine confusion on her face. "Nothing to be sorry about. Come on."

Flipping on the foyer light as they entered, the demon stepped back to let Sarah in, her flame eyes peering at everything in sight. The girl blinked. It looked like a family was still living there. An incredibly neat family, but still, the house looked completely occupied. No dustsheets. No packed up boxes. Shoes were lined up military straight along the wall near the door. A man's coat hung on a hook above them next to a Spiderman backpack and a pair of pink and black Rollerblades. 

"After I left, I had the place maintained," Talera explained, obviously catching the direction of Sarah's thoughts as she slid off her sunglasses. "Took me a while to find a housekeeper that would step foot in here once a week to dust."

The demon stepped into a large, open living room, DVDs lined up in a built-in entertainment center, Playstation with all the accessories waiting on a lower shelf, couch with a plush throw over the back. 

"I figured I'd just keep it exactly as it was until I felt I could deal with it," she said softly. "That's morbid."

Unsure of what to say, Sarah just walked over and took her hand, squeezing those cool fingers tightly. Talera seemed lost in thought, eyes roving over the room and the open kitchen beyond. 

Catching sight of a family portrait above the giant television, Sarah picked it up gently, peering down into the four smiling faces that looked out at her. 

Talera's mother— Taylor's mother— had been a petite, curvy woman, with her daughter's dark grey hair. Her eyes were a stunning pale blue, her smile bright and inviting. She was holding the hand of a tall, lanky man with black hair, a rusty grin and Talera's green eyes behind a pair of glasses. His hand rested on the shoulder of a small boy with black hair, blue eyes and a massive grin with one tooth missing. The boy had obviously been forced to dress up for the picture, his hair mom-combed straight and clothes unnaturally wrinkle-free for a kid his age.

Next to him stood an early teen version of Taylor. Her face was fuller, eyes smaller, frame slightly heavier. She was darkly tanned, grey hair shot through with white-blonde highlights, wearing a pair of small glasses. Through her smile, it was obvious that she knew she had way better things she could be doing. Typical of the fifteen or so she must have been in the shot.

"Beautiful family," Sarah said softly, tears threatening at the corners of her eyes. 

"I was so annoyed when my mom dragged us to the portrait studio," Talera said with a soft chuckle. "Look how tan I was. I'd just gotten back from a trip to Destin with one of my friends, and I was way too cool to be there. My mom was so pretty."

"You have your dad's eyes. What was your brother's name?"

"Tyler," Talera laughed gently. "He was so annoying. Loved, loved, LOVED Spiderman. I don't know how many times he watched that movie when I had to babysit him. We were going to Universal Studios in Orlando the next summer to see the Spiderman ride they have there. Ty had a little calendar beside his bed where he'd put an X on the day every night..."

The demon trailed off, face distant. A sparkle of blood red tears echoed in her eyes, but none escaped.

There was a tentative knock on the front door, which echoed eerily through the empty home. Talera sighed, shaking her head. 

"Do you want them to know what you are now?" Sarah asked, stepping in front of her friend. "Because you're going to have a hard time passing for human if you don't."

"It's that obvious?" Talera grimaced. "I don't want to want to have any impact on these people's lives. They don't need to..."

"Can you make your skin warm? Like yesterday?"

"Not after being out in the sun so long," Talera answered with a slight shake of her head. "It's fine; I can stay in the shadows."

"Won't work," Sarah said, shaking her head emphatically. "Way too bright in here. Drink."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa—" the vampire started to protest before the girl clapped a hand over her mouth. 

"Just do it," Sarah glowered. 

With one last hard glare that wasn't in the least frightening to the girl, Talera leaned in close to her friend, going up on her tiptoes. The cool lips pressed against Sarah's neck, and the next thing she knew, her knees gave out, head falling back.

Talera's moan was smothered against her warm skin, barely heard over the rush of her blood, the pound of her heart. Sarah fought to remain in the moment, her breath coming in short gasps, hands clutching at the backs of Talera's arms. 

It was over in the space of twenty racing heartbeats. Sarah heaved a deep breath as her demon swept its tongue over the wound in her throat. Talera had to push back a smile as she smoothed Sarah's shirt, straightening the collar, sweeping a hand back through the girl's hair. 

"Thanks," the vampire murmured, kissing Sarah's cheek softly. Closing her eyes, face the picture of concentration, she willed blood to her skin. Color flooded her snow-pale face, bringing a blush to her cheeks, warmth to her lips and hands.

"Much better," Sarah approved, reaching up and fussing with her friend's hair until it completely covered her elven ears. The doorbell rang again just as Sarah was motioning for Talera to turn in a slow three-sixty. 

"Okay," the girl breathed, nodding. "You're good. Human as you've ever looked. How am I?"

"You look like you just gave blood," Talera snarked.

"Ha. Funny," Sarah shot back with a raised middle finger. 

"God, I don't know if I can do this," the demon sighed as she went to the front hall. With one last deep breath, visibly resisting the urge to run a hand through her hair, she opened the door. 

"Hello. Is Tayl—Oh! Taylor! It's you!" a reedy female voice came from outside. "I didn't recognize you at first!"

"Hey, Bai. Pete," Talera said, smiling warmly, though she kept her lips closed. "Come in, please. Meet my friend, Sarah."

Sarah stepped up, exchanging handshakes and pleasantries. The little Indian girl barely came up to her chest, the smallish redheaded guy topping out at about her chin. 

Talera let Sarah lead them into the living room, probably hesitant to let someone who knew her before see how she moved now. The couple sat gingerly on the couch, Pete's eyes roving covertly, searching for bloodstains and bullet holes. 

"Um, so... how have you been?" the little Indian asked, looking over at Talera, who'd taken a seat next to Sarah on a soft corduroy loveseat. "We were all worried about you."

"You just vanished," Pete put in, sounding almost hurt. 

"Yeah," Talera said, voice almost a whisper, pitched much higher than usual, her eyes downcast, hands clasped between her knees. "I couldn't stay here. Anywhere near here."

"That's...understandable," Bhairavi said in a conciliatory tone, giving her boyfriend a sharp look. "What are you up to these days? You look...great—different—but great. And uh, is that a wedding ring?"

Talera glanced down at the platinum band on her left hand, fingering it for a second, black nails glinting. Sarah placed a hand on the demon's arm.

"Yeah, I got married to a great guy."

"Where is he? Is he coming too?" the Indian girl gushed, squeezing her boyfriend's hand ominously, wedding bells in her eyes. 

"Ah, no. He's in Hokkaido. On business," Talera said with only a faint hitch in her voice. 

"What's he like?"

"Oh, he's hot like you wouldn't believe," Sarah put in when her friend took a second too long to respond. She fluttered a hand near her neck for emphasis. Talera gave her a befuddled look for half a breath, then broke into genuine laughter, covering her mouth with a hand. "Tall, dark and all that. Built like a model."

"Wow," Bai laughed, face betraying only a tiny amount of jealousy. Pete sat stone-faced. The girlfriend scrambled to change the subject. "So, are you in school now? Or did you skip all that?"

"I graduated last year from Winecroft," Talera said. "Nothing special, just a BS major to get the certificate on the wall."

"What did you major in? Particle physics? Quantum theory?" Pete snorted. Seeing Sarah's expression, he clarified. "She was a genius in high school, but you never woulda known it with her obsession with the outdoors."

Talera smiled, but only shrugged. 

"This chick would run out into a thunderstorm just to feel the wind," Pete continued, grinning when he saw Sarah's face light up with interest. "I can't believe you're so pale now. I thought sure you'd have skin cancer by now with all the time you spent in the sun."

"I spend a lot of time in the air," Talera informed them. Sarah kicked her lightly in the side of the shin.

"Oh, that's good," Bai put in, smiling broadly. "You always wanted to travel.-

"I certainly do that."

"Are you going to settle down? Have a couple of kids?" Bai asked, catching Pete's hand again. 

"It's not on the to-do list at the moment," Talera said dryly. 

The last ten minutes of the conversation passed uneventfully. With a few last good-byes and pleas to email soon, the two were headed back down the street, both looking back with curiosity and sadness in their eyes.

"That was fun," Talera sighed. 

"Do you ever wonder what would have happened?" Sarah asked. "What you'd be doing right now?"

"No," the vampire stated flatly, shaking her head, flames returning to her eyes as she looked back at the pictures on the mantle. 

"What are you going to do with the house now?"

"I can't keep it a shrine forever, can I?" Talera breathed, looking all around her. "Sell it, I guess. The neighborhood is still good. Nice, normal people. It could be a happy home once more."

**

Kevin stretched, yawning mightily, carefully disentangling himself from the disarray of bodies amidst the pile of giant pillows in the corner of the cabin. He shifted back to human form, popping the kinks out of his back as he made his way to the shower, stepping over sleeping Lycans in various states of form and clothing.

A pile of clothes lay on the counter when he stepped out of the hot spray, no trace of who'd put them there. He sniffed, but with so many bodies around, it was impossible to tell who'd been where recently. After dressing, he slipped out the back door, coming back around to the central area. Pershing leaned sideways against one of the massive boulders, talking to Sarah who sat four feet up, long legs swinging as she munched on a slice of watermelon, trying in vain to catch rivulets of juice with her tongue before they ran down her arm. Talera sat on the ground in the deep shade of the rock, elbows crossed atop her knees, head bent against her arms, though if she was asleep he couldn't tell. 

Rustles and crashes in the woods told Kevin that a few other Wolves were awake and hunting or exploring, though most were out until nightfall. Without a watch, the big blonde guessed it was around five in the afternoon.

"...don't you just go lie down in one of the cabins?" Pershing was asking Talera, smirk on his face. "No one will bite."

"I bite," she huffed, words muffled against her legs. 

"Showing off?" Kevin rumbled, grinning down at Talera as he hopped up to sit next to Sarah. The girl leaned into his side, letting him wrap his arm around her shoulders. 

"What is the world coming to when a vampire rises before the Lycans?" the vampire muttered in response.

"All due respect, Lady Talera but it's... just wrong," Pershing noted, looking at her with renewed interest. "You really should be a torch by now."

She shrugged, but didn't raise her head. Pershing raised a hand and gave Kevin's a manly clasp, nodding at him. "Sleep well?"

"Yeah, actually," the boy said, grinning. "I was so beat at dawn I just passed out. Never thought I'd sleep so well with a big, hairy man using me as a pillow."

Sarah loosed a loud laugh before she could stop herself, cheeks coloring. Kev pecked a kiss on the top of her head, mussing her curls with one hand. She reached on her other side, her hand returning bearing two footlong subs on a big plate.

"Hungry?" she asked, beaming at him.

"Bless you," he sighed, taking it and tearing into the roast beef like he'd been starving for weeks. 

"These two definitely earned their brownie points today," Pershing chuckled. "Ever wonder how much in the way of sandwich fixins' can fit into a Caddy?"

"The entire deli counter at the local grocery, plus all the packaged stuff," Sarah supplied. "Plus, if you let a supernatural creature flash back and forth, you can get half the potato chip aisle and most of the bread into the woods in less than five minutes."

"If you're looking for dinner suggestions," Pershing directed at Talera, who was still as a statue. "The sheriff made it a point to come out earlier. Mentioned in passing the trouble locals are having with a nasty bunch of drug pushers a few valleys to the west. Don't think he'd notice them going missing."

"Is that the catch of the day? Or the appetizer?" the vampire mumbled.

"They know what you are around here?" Sarah asked.

"Not officially," Pershing said with a shrug. "Locals know to stay out of the woods at full moon. And they've appreciated the lack of crime around here for the last two hundred years."

"I think the law may need to go check their information," Kev said through a mouthful of sandwich. "Their intelligence may be outdated."

"Damn, you got them already?" Pershing asked, turning on Talera, amazement and smug annoyance in his expression. 

"Not all of them," the demon mumbled against her legs. "I have a surprise for y'all come dark."

With that, she melted back into the shadow and was gone. The black-haired wolf let out a chuckle that simultaneously made Sarah's cheeks heat and her skin go cold. Leaning over to see what her friend was doing, Sarah sighed when she realized Talera was vanished. 

"Where do you think she goes?" Pershing wondered aloud. 

"I don't wanna know," Sarah huffed, leaning back against Kevin, offering him a drink from her other side. 

"She did bring us dinner," Kevin pointed out. 

"Why do I get the feeling you're not referring to the sandwiches?" the girl half-scoffed, half-laughed. 

"You wanna join us?" Kevin leered, flashing his teeth.

"Ah, hell, kids are up," Pershing sighed, and with a nod to them, was off in the direction of a far cabin, barking commands in Lycan. 

A tidal wave of children rushed out the door at him, shrieking and laughing, stumbling over one another to be the first to kneel before him. He gave them a lecture in their language for a while, making sure each solemn face understood him. Then with a grin, he stripped out of his clothes, shifted into a massive black wolf and bounded into the woods. Scrambling to their feet, all the kids tore after him, many ripping out of their clothes as they shifted on the fly. 

"I was actually serious," Kevin said after a long moment. "Not so much about the hunt."

"About joining you?" Sarah asked, surprise on her mahogany features. She looked up into his copper eyes, seeing pain there. "What is it?"

"I don't—I can't watch you die," the wolf said after a few breaths.

"Kev, I'm not going anywhere," Sarah said, smiling softly at him, reaching up to touch his cheek. "I'm not going to die."

"Ever?" he asked, lifting a brow.

"Well, I—" she started, then frowned. "I don't know what to do."

"Then let me do it," he rushed on. "Or let her do it. Or Ana. Don't waste your life."

"What right do I have to want it?" Sarah hissed back, tears pooling in her dark eyes. "What right do I have to want more than what I've been given?"

"What right?" the wolf asked, bewildered. "Whose permission do you need?"

"I don't know, Kev," she snapped, eyes roving as more and more people and wolves emerged, yawning, from the cabins. "I wanted a normal life. I always did. From the time I was a little girl."

She stopped, muffling a sob with one hand.

"But now...I just don't know anymore," she continued, tears rolling down her cheeks as her gaze moved to the sun setting through the trees. "I worry about my mom and dad. About all of you. And there's no one to tell me what I should do. There's no guide to life that I can read or study or learn from."

"Then wing it."

"It's not that easy. Look what happened with your family."

He sighed, looking down at his lap then back up at the moon as it rose a little higher against the crimson rays of the melting day. 

"My parents know too much. Always have. And it wasn't to my benefit," he murmured. "I understand now why they always have a funeral, inform the former family that we've died. Death is easier than the truth sometimes."

"How could I do that to them? Let them think I died?" she asked, voice pleading. 

He was silent for a long moment, looking down at her, though she kept her gaze on the sun.

"If you were to ask them whether or not you should pass through life like everyone else, or if you should take the opportunity, never grow old, never die, what would they say?"

"I don't know," she sighed. 

"Sar, we can make it work," he whispered in her ear, leaning down to kiss her jawbone. 

"Ooooh! Kissy-kisseee!" shrieked a tiny voice out of nowhere. 

They both looked down, startled, to see a tow-headed little boy making an exaggerated kissy-face up at them, to great comic effect. Clearing her throat, Sarah turned, pecking Kevin on the cheek, wiping the tears out of her eyes. He gave her a smile, but the expression behind it said that the conversation wasn't over. 

"Where's the demon?" the little boy asked, puffing out his chest with all the fearlessness he could muster at eight years old. The dark woods behind him teemed with animals and people, many carrying stuffed sandwiches on overwhelmed plates. 

"Think you can take her, Alexander?" Kevin asked, arching a brow. 

Sarah smothered a grin when she saw the movement behind the kid. 

"I KNOW I can," the boy growled, clenching his little hands into fists and punching at the air in front of him. "I'm gonna be Alpha one day."

Sensing something behind him, the kid turned, only to shriek when he found Talera about two feet away, wings unfurled, all eight fangs bared in a grin. He skittered back, a scream still caught in his throat before he gathered himself, shaking a little.

He extended a hand, shivering when she slid her claws back in right before taking it. 

"My mother told me to tell you thank you for bringing dinner, Lady Talera" he managed, then turned his head to Sarah, extending her an imperious nod. "And you as well, Lady Sarah."

"You're very welcome," Sarah returned in the same tone, giggling silently.

"Hey," the boy asked, looking up at Talera, then back down at her hand, which he hadn't released. "You're all warm. I can smell human on you too. Were you hunting already? I thought Blood Drinkers couldn't come out in the daytime."

"I'm special," the demon smiled, wings vanishing as she took a knee. 

"Can I see your claws again?" Alexander asked, awe on his features now. "I wish mine looked like that."

She extended her talons to their full length, on the ready to pull them back if he went to touch, but the kid was too much the predator already to do anything so foolish. Grinning, he held out an arm to her, his blue eyes going solid red. 




Blood Bonds Pt. 12



Jobias Thompson cocked his head to the side at the same moment Tolbert, who'd been running through video feeds on his laptop across the room, stood abruptly. Both looked out the window at the trees bathed in bright morning sunlight. 

"What is that?" the elder Hunter asked, glancing over at the hulking blonde telepath as he sat down his computer and slowly moved towards the door. 

"Not sure," the other said slowly, his raspy voice catching as his eyes narrowed. "But something...there's a crowd heading this way. Lycans and...something else. And they're pissed."

The leader sighed and stood, pushing his chair away from his desk, running a hand through his silver hair. A junior Hunter burst through the office doors, eyes wide, expression bordering on panic. 

"Sir! There's a whole pack of Lycans heading up the main drive! What should we do?"

"Let me see them, Tolbert," Jobias sighed, nodding towards his lieutenant. The big man nodded, typing in a command on his laptop. 

On the big screen across the room, cameras lining the winding drive up to the organization's rural North Carolina base displayed what appeared to be an entire Pack of Wolves roaring up the mountainous road on their bikes. There were at least fifty cycles, many with more than one rider; all looked angry. Looking at the lead bikes, Thompson shook his head slightly. 

"Oh, shit," Tolbert murmured. 

"I see her," Thompson replied, feeling a shiver run down his spine. 

"That's not possible," the blonde muttered, shaking his head and taking a step forward, squinting at the image. "It's full daylight. She should be a fireball."

"Is that Talera?" the junior Hunter asked, mouth falling open, eyes showing real fear now.

"Looks like it. Pershing too," Jobias said with a nod. He retrieved the coat hanging on the back of his chair and moved towards the door, pausing to let his second fall in behind.

"Where are you going, sir?" the young woman asked, mouth agape. "We need to head to the cellars."

"I'm going to see what they want," the ancient Hunter responded, glancing back at her. "If she'd wanted to kill us, this complex would be a crater already."

"Is this a good idea?" Tolbert asked quietly as they strode through the big house towards the front door. "If she can show herself in daylight, we have big problems."

"They're not here to fight. You know that."

"Oh, I forgot I invited them for brunch." Tolbert shot back. "I'll get Tara and the cooks working on a nice quiche and some finger sandwiches—"

"We are not walking out there looking for trouble. Just stand there and read them. Let me do the talking."

"I'm going armed," the other man grumbled, pulling a shotgun from the closet by the door. Stepping out the door, he cocked it loudly just as the Pack roared to a halt at the front steps of the stone house. He pointed it firmly at Talera as she flipped down her kickstand and climbed off the imposing black Harley. 

Her expression unreadable behind her dark glasses, white skin gleaming in the sunlit drive, she stood for a moment, facing the Hunters on the front step, the leather of her pants and jacket creaking in the silence. Tolbert let out a rumble of dark laughter as the Alderman kid, fully Lycan and looking dangerous as hell, nodded a greeting to the Hunters, but otherwise remained impassive in place on his bike behind Pershing's. 

Pershing stayed astride his bike as well, arms crossed, observing for the moment, simply an escort for an ally. Thompson noted Talera's two pets in the mix. The Asian, very obviously now a Dark Succubus with her violet hair and eyes, sat behind Pershing. The black sylph sat behind Kevin Alderman, dark eyes sparkling, face pinched with anger and hurt. 

The supernaturals looked on with vague amusement as the entire compound of Hunters assembled all around them, guns drawn. Talera crossed her arms as if waiting patiently, glancing at Pershing, who shrugged minimally. 

After they'd had a moment to settle, Talera vanished, then returned, holding a small, blonde woman aloft by the back of her collar. Thompson's eyes widened as he realized Talera had discovered the spy they'd been wondering about. The Alderman kid raised his chin in challenge, clenching those giant fists. 

"Morning, Jobias. Did you lose this?" Talera called, deep throaty voice carrying across the stillness. 

"No, Lady Talera," he replied, shaking his head and coming down the steps. Tolbert's aim never wavered as he came down behind his leader. 

"Just checking," she replied, smiling sweetly, baring her top fangs. 

"Whose is she? NSA?" the Hunter asked, coming to a stop a few feet from the vampire, looking up at the girl, who whimpered softly, terrified eyes darting about, though she seemed otherwise paralyzed.

"FreakOps," the immortal snorted, now baring all her fangs, which, Jobias noted, numbered at eight. She let the girl drop.

"You broke her?" Jobias asked, squatting next to the prone captive. He lifted up one sleeve of the girl's camo jacket, seeing the solid black line, two inches wide that encircled her wrist. Slave Mark.

"Little bit," Talera said, smirking. 

"Well, she knew better when she got into it," the Hunter sighed, standing, looking at the vampire intently. "You're out awfully late."

"Working on my tan."

"Right," he chuckled. "We heard you'd been Turned, but information is sparse. You're surprising me."

The vampire simply shrugged, brows lifting, lips curving faintly. 

"What do you want me to do with her?" the Hunter asked with a shake of his head. "Most of your kind would have killed her."

"I respect the talent. It's hard to deceive me, and she did exceptionally well. If her people get ahold of her again, they'll finish her for me."

"So you're gifting her to me? Wrapped up with a neat little black bow around the wrist?"

Talera bowed her head in a chuckle, hair falling over her eyes.

"I'm not letting her off with no repercussions. The Mark is a reminder."

"That you can snuff her out with little more than a thought at any time for the rest of her life? I've seen that Mark before. It's a little more than a reminder."

"Everyone's past catches up with them sometime, right?"

Several of the Wolves snorted in laughter behind her as she said the last, baring their fangs in grins. The vampire looked down at the girl, lifting one finger slightly. The broken agent immediately climbed to her feet, peering with terror at her new Master. 

"Nicolette Cassidy," the demon said, voice flat. "I release you from my side, but never from my service. Even think about harming me or mine again, and your life is forfeit. Do you understand?"

"Yes," the girl whispered, blue eyes trembling with tears. 

Thompson felt a fleeting stab of pity for the girl as she looked over at each of the friends she'd betrayed, pleading and remorse in her gaze. The Alderman boy and the Dark succubus stared back with heat in their eyes. The human stared back for a moment, then buried her face into the tangled waves of Kevin's hair, her arms tightening around his waist.

With a nod to Jobias, Talera turned and got back on her bike, graceful as air. And with a roar, they were all gone, the rumble of their Pack echoing through the mountains for several minutes more. 

"Shit," Tolbert muttered again.

*

"What did you get from her?" Thompson asked a few hours later, barely looking up from his computer screen as Tolbert came back into the office, rubbing his temples. 

"I don't know what that thing did to that poor girl, but her head is...something else," the big man grumbled, dropping to the couch. "I get nothing other than terror and...I keep seeing just blackness. Pure black. And then...the biggest damned pair of eyes, full of...I don't even..."

Thompson looked up sharply, eyes narrowed. 

"Black and crimson fire?" the lead Hunter asked, standing and coming over to his second.

"Yeah, actually. How did you know?" the big man asked, looking up at his boss in confusion. 

"Show me," Jobias demanded, closing his eyes. 

Frowning, Tolbert took his hand, closing his own eyes. After a few seconds, Thompson drew back, eyes wide, hand over his mouth. Very slowly, he turned and moved to the window, looking outside, but seeing nothing beyond his own thoughts. 

Tolbert knew better than to try to read Thompson's mind, but the jumble of emotions coming from the man was nauseating. Several minutes later, the lead Hunter returned to his desk, still rubbing his chin.

"Pull all surveillance on her and her Line," Thompson said softly. 

"What? All? Are you serious?" Tolbert stammered, standing up, coming to the desk, putting both hands on the wood to bend down and look his boss in the face. 

"I am," Jobias said with a solemn nod. "Do it."

"Why?"

"She's not a threat, and I'm not going to irritate her. Leave her be." 

"What the hell did you see? What is she?"

"She's a...Guardian."

"A what?"

"Just do it, Tolbert. Everything gets shut down now. Send teams out to collect equipment at first light tomorrow. Maintain surveillance on the House, but drop her friends and familiars. Drop Pershing too. If she approves of them, we don't need to watch."  

"Are you—" Tolbert began, then shook his head, moving to the door. "Okay, I'll have it taken care of right now."

*

"You up?" Kev murmured, sticking his head into the cabin, seeing nothing in the darkness. At a mumbled, unintelligible response, he stepped inside, trying to let in as little light as possible before he closed the door. 

A candle popped to life in the bathroom, casting a faint, but helpful light into the main room of the little cabin, giving his sun-blinded eyes an extra boost.

"Overdo it?" he asked with a sympathetic chuckle.

"A little," Talera muttered into the tops of her bare knees from her position in the center of the bed, arms wrapped around her legs, head bowed, shaking uncontrollably. "If I could vomit, I'd be best friends with the toilet right now."

"The term 'sun poisoning' comes to mind," Kevin said wryly, sliding onto the head of the bed, wrapping his long legs around her, pulling her back into his chest. "I don't know if you're aware of this, but you're a vampire. That means daylight is bad."

She just moaned something four-lettered and leaned her icy forehead against his chin, tremors coursing through her muscles. 

Bringing his arm up, he made just enough of a nick in his wrist to bring blood, then pressed the wound to her lips. With a relieved sigh, she sank her teeth into his burning skin. He held in a gasp, closing his eyes, his arm around her shoulders and across her chest gripping tightly. 

She relaxed back against him, breath stopping as she let go of the façade of humanity. He kissed her hair, breathing in the faint remainder of her scent. Idly, he wondered when it would fade completely, when the last of her physical humanity would leave her forever. 

He was nearly lost in the Trance, seeing the stars and sparkling lights rise up when the room was flooded with real light.

"Oh, sorry," Sarah yelped, turning to rush out.

"Get back in here!" Kevin barked, pressing his wrist back into Talera's face when she went to pull away. She squawked something indignant-sounding, but her words were smothered against his skin.

"You, drink," he ordered the vampire, then looked at Sarah, who was a blinding silhouette of embarrassment in the sunlight. "You, get in here and close that door."

"I didn't think," the girl muttered, coming to sit gingerly on the side of the bed, looking at Talera, who had relaxed back into the Wolf's chest once more. Her eyes were closed, but peaceful, her throat working slowly as she drank.

His eyes threatened to roll back in his head and he shook it hard, hair flying. 

"Turn off the Trance, please," he requested through his teeth. She mumbled something, but he shook his head again. "I know it'll hurt; I'm a big boy. I can't focus with you in my— thank you. Ow! Fuck! That does hurt."

Reaching out with one hand, Sarah lightly touched the hair at Talera's temple, smiling tenderly when the other's face softened. She jerked her arm back as Kevin growled something threatening in Lycan at the vampire.

"Keep going," he ordered. "You're not going to hurt me, and I'm not letting you go until you stop shaking."

"I can come back later," Sarah said, looking at them both.

"What's wrong with now?" Kevin asked, lifting a brow, wincing slightly to himself.

"Well, this is kind of an intimate moment" the girl laughed.

"Oh, yeah, you've never seen anything like this before," he deadpanned, stroking Talera's shoulder. 

"For a creature that's supposed to go up in flames in the daylight, you sure spend a lot of time in the sun," Sarah said finally, sighing and sliding further onto the bed. Absently, she reached out one hand and held Talera's ankle, feeling that the other still shivered.

"Age doesn't always bring wisdo—OW!" Kevin began only to be cut off by the pop of all eight of Talera's fangs sinking into his arm.

"Shit," Sarah chuckled. "That even sounded like it hurt."

She just looked between the two of them as the vampire drank, wondering at the closeness of their bond despite the gulf of differences now between them. The sight sent an odd pang of loneliness through the girl, a fleeting shadow of pain across her face.

After a few minutes, Kevin sighed and let Talera pull back, shivering slightly as she licked the wounds she'd made in his wrist. They were both silent, the Wolf kissing the vampire's cold hair tenderly, murmuring something in her ear. 

"That's better," he murmured, laying a hand over Talera's chest to feel her pounding heart. She smiled, but her eyes were so heavy, she couldn't do much more. Chuckling, he lifted her out of his lap and let her stretch out on the bed beside him, nuzzling into a pillow like a little kid, smiling faintly in satisfaction. Her wings popped into view suddenly, rising, then settling back over her body like a heavy blanket. Snorting, Kevin flipped the edge of the nearest one closer to her body when it drifted towards him.

"And she's out," Kevin announced with a shake of his head. "I don't think she'll ever learn her lesson."

"She wouldn't be her if she did," Sarah sighed, smiling softly.

"What's on your mind?" he asked, squinting at her in the darkness. "Something's troubling you."

"I just...um...after all this..." Sarah stuttered, shaking her head. "I just need to go home for a day or two. See my parents."

"Why? I mean, I understand," Kevin said, face gentle. "What can I do to help?"

"I think you're the problem," she replied with a wry smile. "When you're around...I just...I want impossible things...I need to see if normal life...I don't know."

He was silent, letting her sort out her own thoughts.

"This whole trip...I learned so much about this world," she continued slowly. "The Wolves, they're amazing. I never realized how much of a family they are...impossible things." 

He just nodded, reaching out and pulling her to him, stretching out beside her as she lay back, nuzzling into his hot chest. 

"Sarah, whatever you want. I'll understand. We all will."

"Thank you."

**

Jobias Thompson leaned back in the booth, sighing deeply, closing his eyes for a moment. He let the muted chatter of the patrons, the clink of glasses and beer bottles, the faint muffled murmur of a baseball game on a distant television, the clump of footsteps on the ancient wood floors, wash over him. The first time he'd come to this bar, it was little more than a shack perched on the side of a mountain, serving the few indefatigable loggers, miners and refugees from city slums determined to make a life in these old hills.

At the time, he'd stood out. Now he blended into the walls, just another local amidst the rush of spring tourists seeking their own kind of refuge. Footsteps came to his table in the corner and he smiled without opening his eyes.

"Thanks, Connie," he murmured, taking the offered beer without so much as looking. He'd known the perky blonde waitress since she was eight, so they'd passed the point of pleasant conversation. He was here to drink, she was here for support and said drink.

"Two Greek gods disguised as men walk into a bar," came a gentle voice, deep enough that it wasn't immediately identifiable as male or female. "A wise man in the corner says, 'you shouldn't drink, it only invites Death that much faster.' The first man replies with a snort that Death is more interested in a stiff drink than souls that night."

He sighed a chuckle, finishing the story.

"And the second remarks that there will always be Death, Time needs a beer right now. Then the wise man realizes who he's talking to, loses his mind, and a good night was lost once again because you were always showing off."

Thompson sat up, taking a swig of the beer before looking up at the young woman who stood next to his booth, shaking his head at her. 

"Where the hell have you been, Erebes?"

"Chronos, I thought you'd be happy to see me," she chided, grinning at him, hiding her teeth admirably. 

"Shit, no one's called me that in... couple thousand years," he laughed faintly, moving his feet and motioning her to sit across from him. She slid in gracefully, waving for a drink for herself, smiling as a bottle of deepest red local wine and a glass were brought over. 

"It is you isn't it?" Thompson asked, leaning forward to stare into her eyes, seeing the echoes of the crimson flames deep behind the stunning green irises. "I didn't think I'd ever see you again after the whole god thing got old."

"That's half the fun of living forever," she chuckled taking a deep drink of the wine, which glistened like blood in the glass. "You never get to never see someone again."

"True. But a girl? You?" Thompson huffed. "Given this the body of a tremendous witch and demon, but still...a girl? Have you ever taken the form of a female? Ever?"

"I'm used to it now," she replied with a cock of her head.

"You're completely bonded to it. This vessel. Aren't you? Amazing."

"I am this vessel."

He just watched her as her gaze flashed across the crowded bar. The bustle and flow of the other living things in the room was curiously remote, sitting across from a being who had no age.

"She's changed you."

"Who?"

"The girl inside you. She's..." he shook his head, searching for words. "I can see her looking out, not just you. There's a wonder in these eyes that I've never seen before in yours."

She just shrugged, bring her eyes back to his, appraising him in one blink. 

"I didn't think I'd come back to find you a Hunter," she said, raising a brow at him. "Bit ironic, isn't it?"

"I never took life. I live as a man. Always have," he responded, raising a brow right back. She conceded the point with a shrug, sipping her wine, eyes still on his.

"Anyway," he sighed, leaning back, running a hand through his hair. "For a couple centuries there after you left, I really thought these people had it figured out. They embraced reason, began to function as a true enlightened society. Then... same thing that always happens with humans. Fear. Greed. Hatred. Jealousy... It was bad for a while. Really bad. And whenever they get off track, so do the Others, you know that. A thousand years ago? This place was out of control. I had to do something. Superstition is as dangerous to me as it is to your kind. Someone had to stop the madness before the unwashed masses turned on us all."

She just regarded him levelly, ancient compassion in those young eyes. 

"So what's it like? What's your grand plan?" he asked after a long pause.

"I'm just gonna go with it," she shrugged, pouring vanother glass. "It's kinda fun. Being mortal. Corporeal."

"You're not mortal any more than I am."




Blood Bonds Pt. 12



"You know what I mean."

"Are you still...?"

"I'm still... who I was. Behind all this. Nothing's changed except that now I'm in this body permanently when I'm in this plane."

"And they know this, your familiars?"

"Aside from Arkon and Ash, no. They know what, but not who. My kind are all but forgotten on this world."

"Is that a bad thing?" he chuckled.

"No," she said, grinning at him. 

He lunged forward and caught her chin in one hand, holding her jaw down and looking into her mouth intently. She stared him down, one eyebrow coming up.

"Vampires fascinate me," he muttered, peering into her face, studying her skin. "Always have. How are you different?"

"Is this the place?" she mumbled, though he held her chin still, bringing one finger up and nearly touching one of her lower fangs before she jerked free.

"I know better, sorry," he managed, shaking his head at himself. "You're so full of these automatic predatory impulses. Such a combination of advanced demon and primitive human. Absolutely unlike any other creatures."

"It's a novel experience," she deadpanned, absently rubbing her upper fangs through her lip.

"They ache with Thirst, don't they?" he asked, smiling like a child. "I've noticed for centuries that your kind rub their fangs like that. Except all the others can hide theirs."

"Mine are permanent," she shrugged. "At least this set is. I have another. And they do ache. Pound in our gums."

"Does that ache drive the need to feed as much as the Thirst?"

"Does the thought of sinking your teeth into a big, warm, juicy steak make you any less ravenous?"

"You think of us as walking steaks?" he asked, horrified on a level that had nothing to do with his sudden burst of laughter.

She rolled her eyes, taking a big swallow of her wine. 

"I think I liked it better when you were scared of me. 'Lady Talera' and all that."

"Oh, I'm more terrified of you than ever," he managed, taking a deep breath, wiping tears out of one eye. "Five thousand years ago, you were just a being looking out of a human body, but still basically human. Constrained by the fragility of the body you inhabited. Now you're in a form that not only has limitless potential on its own, it can channel all you've got pushed back on some other plane without disintegrating like every other you've ever had. That's truly terrifying."

She sighed, leaning back in the booth and staring at him, expression neutral. Then she let out a soft chuckle, baring her top fangs for a moment in a grin before closing her lips, shaking her head. 

"What?" he asked, cocking his head to the side, leaning forward with his elbows on the table. 

"Everyone is so concerned about what I might do."

He leaned back, taking a deep breath. 

"And not about what you are doing," he murmured. "Which is nothing."

"No designs on humanity, the planet, the galaxy, the realm, or anything else," she said softly, reaching for her glass.

She smiled faintly, the age in her eyes shining though for a heartbeat. Then she blinked, and their green was hard, jewel-like once more, smile twisting into a smirk.

Draining her glass, she set it on the table, and with a nod to her old friend, slid gracefully and soundlessly out of the booth.

"K—Talera, please," he whispered, lunging over to catch her cold hand as she moved back. "Be careful. Even if they don't know you like I do, they're still terrified of you. Fear can turn ugly. You know that better than I do."

She stepped forward and leaning down, kissed him softly on the forehead. Then was gone.

He sighed, then ordered another beer, looking up at the waitress this time when she brought it. 

**

Sarah looked down at the car beside her, then back to the Chicago skyline in every direction. From her vantage point at the top of the tall parking garage, she could see a good portion of the city, all shiny and sparkling under the damp covering of fresh rain. A sharp wind sliced off the Lake and sent her coat to flapping, hair into her face, bringing the scents of any big city washing past. Pizza, fast food french fries, diesel exhaust, wet pavement. 

She looked over at Talera, who was scanning their surroundings surreptitiously, though only her eyes moved. Her face was set in a neutral expression, shining inhumanly in the low, inconsistent light around them.

"So, if you need me—" the vampire began, cut off when Sarah interrupted. 

"I know, just say your name," the girl reassured her, smiling ruefully. "I'll be fine. I don't think mortal danger is lurking in the shadows of my parents' house."

Talera shrugged, but smiled when Sarah reached out to embrace her, body softening into the hug. The girl stroked the vampire's long silver hair for a moment, then took a step back.

"Enjoy the car," Talera remarked with a grin. 

"Why isn't it black?" Sarah asked, turning to look over the gleaming deep blue Audi A8L. "I thought all your cars were black."

"It's not mine," Talera said with a wink, tossing over a set of keys in a high arc. "Take all the time you need."

With a rush of wind, she was gone before the keys landed in Sarah's hand.

Sarah huffed a laugh, popping open the door and sinking into the soft leather seat, inhaling the scent of new car and supernatural spice before she closed the door. A heads up display came to life on the windshield as soon as she turned the key, informing her of various things, including the current weather, traffic conditions and car status. 

"Sheesh, how do you turn on the interior lights?" Sarah muttered to herself, looking around the sumptuous interior. As she finished the thought, the interior lights came up in a deep red. 

"Are you serious?" she laughed. "Interior lights off."

The lights faded. Chuckling, Sarah ordered it back on then looked over the car, feeling slightly guilty about abandoning her old Jetta that currently sat in her parents' garage. Leaning over, she opened the glove box, finding, besides the CD changer and the new iPod plugged in and probably filled with her favorite music, the registration and insurance information. The insurance policy was unfamiliar but comprehensive and in her name, and the registration was in her name as well. 

"Man," the girl muttered. "And to think I got her wine glasses for her birthday last year."

She turned the lights off, giving herself a minute to study the driving and audio controls before she put the car into reverse and backed out of the space. The tires squealed as she stepped far too hard on the feather-responsive gas pedal, then slammed on the brakes.

"Good thing I'm the only one up here. Maybe a little music to calm the nerves."

After figuring out how to activate the iPod and setting it to play her current favorite songs, she tried again, gingerly pressing the gas pedal once more and guiding the vehicle down the ramp and onto the street, heading towards the suburbs.

*

"I didn't get a car," Ana pouted from high above, watching Sarah pull away across the street and head off into the city. The wind picked up her hair, whirling her scent into the night, making Talera, who stood at her side, shake her head a little as if to clear it. 

"Yet," the vampire grinned, flashing fangs luridly. 

"Are we going to watch her the entire time she's here?" the Dark Succubus asked, raising an eyebrow at her friend, who shook her head. 

"Awesome, then there's this club I've been dying to get into."

* 

"So much for laying low while I'm here," Talera muttered, looking down from high above at the entrance to the club. "You realize Terpsichore is the hottest supernatural club in the Midwest."

"Why do you think we're here?" Ana grinned, flexing her wings, feathers fluttering in the wind. 

"At least the local council head is here tonight. Saves me a trip."

"You really have to present yourself when you come into another city?" Ana asked skeptically. 

"Yup. It's a territory thing. And just polite besides. Come on, let's get changed. 'Twould not befit my rank if I strolled in there wearing jeans."

*

"Sarah!" Marybeth Phillips exclaimed, rushing into the kitchen when she heard the door alarm chirp. She caught her daughter up in a crushing hug, her tall, willowy frame taught with surprise and joy. "I had no idea you were coming home! I didn't even hear the taxi drop you! Conrad!"

"Where'd that Audi in the driveway come from?" Conrad Phillips asked as he came in from the living room, then froze when he saw his daughter. "Sarah! When the hell did you get here?"

"Hi, Dad," she smiled, coming over to hug him, noting her arms had a little trouble getting around a midsection that was expanding comfortably with age. "I, uh, borrowed the car from a friend."

"Nice friend," he humphed, hugging his daughter back, pecking a kiss on her forehead, though he was a good three inches shorter. 

"What brings you all the way up here, honey?" her mother asked, smiling brightly. "Is everything okay with school?"

"Yeah, mom. Everything's fine. I'm taking a break this semester, but I already have my classes lined up for next one. No worries. I was just a little homesick. Thought I'd drop in for a couple days or so."

"Taking a break?" her dad asked, lifting a stern brow. 

"I said don't worry, dad," Sarah said with a glare. 

"Okay, I said I wouldn't push," he conceded. "Just be sure you know what you're doing."

She cocked her head as she heard footsteps from the living room, felt the floor rumble as if there were a crowd in the house. Looking around, she smiled faintly, wondering idly if her parents were having some sort of party, though there had been no cars outside the house.

An odd whistling sound pierced the silent air for an instant. A sharp sting in the side of her neck. Another burst of tiny pain in her tricep. 

"Mom?" she gasped, pulling the empty dart out of her arm and looking down at it in her hand, though the world started to spin hard. 

"I'm sorry, baby," her mother sobbed, starting to come forward, arms out. "They told me it was what was best! They told me they could help you!"

"How could..." 

Sarah gasped as she realized she was surrounded. She felt the panic rise in her throat, felt her stomach turn over, a deep shiver running through her entire body. She wanted to scream. To yell. To fight back. But she was so tired. She could barely keep to her feet. 

The world tipped on its side. The floor rushed up to meet her face.

-Talera-

She felt the Mark on her arm spark. Once. Twice. Then nothing. Only the barest of warmth from her forearm. 

-Kevin-

Nothing. 

-Ana-

Nothing. 

The world was silent. Only movements around her. She saw what seemed to be dozens of pairs of feet rushing forward. Saw guns pointed in her face. Saw chains slash across her field of vision. Blackness. 

*

"Talera!"

Ana heard the call inside her head, undiluted by the pounding bass and flashing lights of the club. Swaying to the beat in front of her, Talera froze, head jerking up, hair flying as she turned. 

Ana saw fire flare in the vampire's green eyes, then she vanished inexplicably, screams rising from around the dance floor. Several people were knocked backwards as Talera was literally tackled by at least five brawny vampires. Ana rushed forward, purple light building in her eyes as one pulled a giant syringe from his pocket. The Dark Succubus was caught from behind, a thick arm surrounding her neck, crushing her windpipe. She kicked viciously, trying to thrash her head backwards, but was held immobile. She felt a sharp, medical sting in the side of her arm.

"Don't try it, demon!" snapped a rough voice right in Ana's ear, carrying over the music and shrieks. "Make one move, and I'll snap her neck!"

Through tears and increasingly blurry vision, Ana saw Talera relax, rage and something dangerous burning in her green eyes. The vampire holding the syringe stabbed it into Talera's arm, eliciting a chuckle from the others. She sagged immediately, eyes rolling back in her head, out cold. 

Ana tried to growl something threatening, reaching out with her power, but another sting touched her arm. Then she was out.