
# Immortal Consequences

Written By: Steven Sterup Jr.

Copyright 2018 Steven Sterup Jr.

Legal Disclaimer - This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author's imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

Book Cover Design by 100 Covers.

Special thanks to my wife, Tammy. Without her support none of this would have been possible.
Table of Contents

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

Chapter 22

Chapter 23

Chapter 24

Chapter 25

Chapter 26

Chapter 27

Epilogue

#

# Chapter 1

Pain woke Kal Johnson as he lay face down on the cement. Pain like this was something he wasn't accustomed to. Not that he couldn't be harmed, it just took a lot more than it did to hurt a human. In his human form, Kal was susceptible to the normal hazards of human skin, but in his gargoyle form, he could be hit by a car and walk away with a headache. Whatever, or rather whomever, had hit him while he was in gargoyle form was at least as strong as he was.

The cold, wet surface of the concrete confused Kal as he tried to get his bearings, it hadn't rained in weeks. He wasn't entirely sure what had happened and why he was face down in the alley. It was all still a little fuzzy. Then he realized why the cement was wet. It wasn't water soaking his clothes and face. It was human blood. The scent assaulted his nostrils, and he was overcome with a gagging sensation. The smell of human blood to his kind was similar to the reaction humans had to rotten food. He glimpsed the disgusting scene as he painfully pushed himself off the street then looked down to make sure of what he had seen. The site was gruesome, but the smell was much worse.

Kal rushed over to the nearest dumpster and deposited his supper. That was when he noticed the policemen walking up to him. They were at the far end of the alley. The lights on top of their squad car were flashing, but there were no sirens. The closest one yelled to him while shining his flashlight directly in Kal's face, but he couldn't make out the words. The savage beating he had just survived, coupled with the nauseating stench of blood, clouded his mind.

"Sir! Are you ok, sir?!" the middle-aged police officer yelled to him again. The officer's other hand was on his gun, but he hadn't pulled it yet. The man's partner was using the radio attached to his shoulder, but he was speaking too quietly for Kal to understand him.

"Sir?" the officer asked again. He was closer now. "Are you hurt?"

"I think someone hit me over the head with something," Kal said. His accent was from the Midwestern United States even though he had been born in Egypt over two thousand years ago. Long ago, Kal had learned to hide his Egyptian accent. He was very proud of his heritage but, having lived in the United States for over three hundred years. It was just simpler to speak like Americans did. America was full of many cultures. If you spoke with a foreign accent people were skeptical, but if you didn't...you were just another American.

"Do you need a hospital?" the officer asked, still not removing his hand from his weapon.

"Maybe," Kal said, though this was a lie. To facilitate his lie, he put one hand on his head while he steadied himself against the dumpster with the other. His body would heal itself quite easily, but he knew how this looked. Kal looked back at the poor dead woman and inhaled deeply through his nose. This produced another gut retching feeling, so he turned back to the dumpster and threw up once more. But this was exactly the reaction he had intended. The police would be much less inclined to peg him as the murderer if he vomited at the sight of the dead woman. Truthfully, he didn't even know the woman's name. She didn't look at all familiar.

Whoever she was, she had been brutally murdered. It looked like her skull had been bashed in. Her head was also turned at an angle that would have been extremely painful, if not deadly, had she still been alive. Her bloody body was positioned with her chest against the ground and her eyes looking away from where he had been only moments ago. It was as if someone had intentionally positioned her so he would wake up and look right into her caved in skull. This, in itself, might be a clue as to who had killed the poor woman.

Kal had been fortunate enough to see the woman being chased down an alley by someone he knew was a vampire. The more he thought about it, and the way the woman was killed then positioned, the more he realized, he had fallen right into someone's trap. Perhaps fortunate was the wrong word here, stupid was more like it. Whoever had chased this woman down the alley had intended for Kal to follow. The way the woman bled was also part of it. The vampire didn't even feed from her. This was an elaborate trap to make him look like a killer, but why? Thinking back, he couldn't even be sure if the person he chased had been a man or a woman. The quick flash he had seen told him nothing about the vampire. It was out of the corner of his eye and, truth be told, it was more of a feeling than what he had seen, which forced him to follow the poor woman.

Whoever this vampire was, he or she had to be very old. There was no way a vampire from this century, or even this millennium, could have hit Kal with enough force to knock him out. He had shifted into gargoyle form when he entered the alley. His rock hard skin would have broken the bones of a younger vampire, and he wouldn't have felt a thing. No, the vampire who did this was probably even older than he was.

For two thousand four hundred and twelve years, Kal had walked the earth. And more recently, he had been trying to protect humans from vampires. His self-appointed status as protector might very well be the reason for the trap, and this woman's death.

In his younger days, he had been bested by vampires, but those days were long gone. It had been centuries since he'd met an opponent who even stood a chance against him, but this vampire produced something he also hadn't experienced in a very long time, fear. This vampire was not only strong, he or she was smart. Framing Kal for a murder would force him to run. Serving a life sentence was not something an immortal could do without raising suspicions as to why he didn't age. Then there was the other possibility. A death sentence would raise even more concerns. The electric chair wouldn't kill him. It would likely just annoy him. And lethal injection...it might give Kal something similar to a human hangover, but that was all it would do. That was, if he let them put the needle in.

In truth, Kal knew a few vampires that could best him. But there was no way they were here in Salvon Iowa. Kal thought for a second then changed his mind. It was possible that one of the two female vampires he knew could be here, but if it was one of them and they had attacked him...he had much worse problems than someone framing him for murder. Either of these two women could kill him if he wasn't prepared. They were not just older than he was. They were stronger and more deadly than any vampire he had ever met. He desperately hoped that it was neither of these women. The police officer shined the bright light in his eyes again, and he was ripped from his thoughts.

"You don't look so good buddy," the kind officer said, and he finally removed his hand from his gun.

"I can't stand the sight or smell of blood," Kal said with the back of his hand against his mouth, trying desperately not to vomit once more. He had put on a good show, but his aversion to blood was not a lie.

"Pinch your nose and don't look at it. Breathe through your mouth," the kind officer said then ushered him to his partner.

Kal was a short man compared to the officers but, then again, when Kal was growing up five foot ten was incredibly tall. His black hair was neatly trimmed to a quarter of an inch all around, and his face was cleanly shaven. The new officer looked at him strangely. At first, Kal mistook the officer's condescending look as racism, but it wasn't. As soon as the man spoke, Kal understood the reason for the look.

"Nice suit," the officer said with disdain in his voice.

Yes, now Kal understood why. His suit probably cost more than this man made in a month.

"Not anymore," Kal said and shook the bloody sleeves of his suit.

Kal's dark skin was not the reason for the officer's look nor his comment. It was Kal's wealth that bothered the man.

"Why don't you sit in the squad car and we'll take you in for questioning as soon as more officers show up," the officer said. This time the condescension was absent.

"Am I under arrest? Should I call my lawyer?" Kal asked.

"No. Nothing like that. We just need to get your statement," the officer said then headed back to help his partner take pictures and search for clues.

Kal thanked fate as he took a seat in the back of the squad car. The two officers who had found him weren't racist and didn't even act like they thought he had done it. Things could have gone much worse but, then again, this was Salvon Iowa. The town had maybe twenty-five thousand people in it. It wasn't exactly small enough for everyone to know everyone, but in a town this size, people didn't automatically jump to conclusions based solely on the color of your skin.

# Chapter 2

An hour later Kal was escorted through the police station without cuffs on. Some of the officers gasped at his blood-covered suit while others just looked away. He felt very conspicuous as he was led to an interrogation room. He also felt very ill. He counted the minutes until he could remove his suit and the horrible stench it carried. The blood was drying, but the smell wouldn't go away.

Once inside the room, it only took a few minutes before a man in a suit walked in. He looked Kal up and down then smiled. It was a strange and cheesy smile. Although the officers that had brought him in had decided he was innocent, the man before him had decided him guilty.

"Detective Saul Krite," the man said and held out his hand to Kal.

Kal shook it politely then Detective Krite sat across from him.

The detective was an average-sized man. He wasn't thin, but he wasn't overweight. He appeared to be in his mid-forties, but Kal was never good at judging age. For all Kal knew, he might be in his twenties and had just aged badly. The detective had on a worn, blue suit that had seen better days. Even his white shirt had small stains that had probably been there for years. The detective's brown hair was short, and his face looked like he hadn't shaved for a week.

While Detective Krite was laying out a notepad and pen so he could take Kal's statement, Kal looked around the room. The room was small and, of course, had a mirror behind the detective. Kal was certain that someone important was watching from the other side. Even if that wasn't the case, there were cameras in two corners of the room. He needed to be very careful with the information he gave them. Not only did he not want to be considered a murderer, he couldn't tell a human about anything that had really happened. The vampire council took these types of things very seriously. If he told Detective Krite the truth, then Kal really would be a murderer. The council would not hesitate to kill a lone human to protect their secret, and it would be Kal's fault.

"What do you do for a living, Mr. Johnson?" Detective Krite asked.

"Call me Kal," he said and smiled at the officer.

"Ok. Kal. What do you do?" the detective asked.

"I'm...hmm...I am an investor," Kal said, not knowing exactly how to pin down what he did for a living with one phrase.

"An investor?" Krite asked with suspicion.

"Let me explain," Kal said then removed his suit jacket, put it over the arm of the chair then put his elbows on the table. He clasped his hands together and pushed them to his chin. At least his shirt wasn't completely covered in blood. Taking off his suit jacket allowed him to breathe a little easier.

"Please do," the detective said. His voice and attitude told Kal that whatever he said would be viewed as unsavory, but Kal spoke anyway. What choice did he have? There was no reason to lie about what he did for a living. The detective would probably find out anyway, if he didn't already know.

"Companies looking for money to expand call on people like me," Kal said. He leaned back and crossed his arms. "I put up the money, so they don't have to get a loan from the bank. This is especially true when they can't get a loan from a bank due to bad company performance or bad credit."

"So, you're a loan shark?" the detective asked. His scowl and the tone of his voice told Kal that he wanted it to be true.

"No. I don't make loans. I invest in their company. That is...if the company looks like it will make a profit," Kal said and grinned back at the man. "I spend quite a bit of time vetting the company beforehand."

"So, you never get the money back?" the detective asked. His skepticism was holding steady. It was clear that he was just looking for a reason to hate Kal.

"I do. When the company starts turning a profit, I get part of that profit as a shareholder," Kal stated.

"And this is legal?" the detective asked.

"People do it all the time. Yes, it's legal," Kal explained.

"How many companies do you have a stake in?" the detective asked.

"I don't know exactly. Twenty or thirty," Kal said. Something was strange about the way the detective was asking the questions. The look on his face was also strange. Kal felt like he had just walked into another trap.

"So, you would say that none of the companies are more important than the others?" the detective asked.

Suddenly Kal understood the reason behind the questions. It was a trap. Something in the back of his mind told him that he should know the dead woman. Then there was the gloating on Detective Krite's face. All of it pointing to one conclusion.

"Who was that woman?" Kal asked, and his apprehension grew.

"You tell me," the detective said.

"I have no idea. I've never seen her before," Kal replied.

"Does the name Laura Olen mean anything to you?" the detective asked. Kal could see the wheels in the detectives head turning. He needed to answer this one very carefully.

"Yes. Is that who she was?" Kal asked, full of surprise. In fact, most of his surprise wasn't even faked. He had no idea what Laura Olen looked like, but it made sense that whoever had framed him used someone he knew. Even if it was only by phone.

"You didn't know?" the detective asked, then before Kal could answer, he added. "You've never met the owner of the newest company you 'invested' in." The detective used air quotes to emphasize his point.

"No," Kal answered. "I never meet any of them in person. It's all done with phone calls and through bankers. I never have to leave my apartment if I don't want to."

Kal's answer didn't satisfy the detective. In fact, it seemed to make him more upset. Why was Detective Krite so determined to prove him guilty?

"If you never have to leave your apartment, what were you doing at fifteenth and Sutton? It was nearly nine PM." The detective was fishing, but it wasn't his question that produced a look of fear on Kal's face.

"Holy hell! My wife!" Kal shouted. "Can I have my phone call?! My wife is going to kill me!"

"Why is that?" detective Krite asked.

"Because I was on my way to meet her. She is either worried sick or about to chop my nuts off. Maybe both," Kal said emphatically. "Can I please call my wife?"

"No cell phone? A suit like that and you don't have a cell phone?" the detective asked.

"Whoever bashed me over the head must have taken it," Kal said. He opened his suit jacket then pulled out the inside pocket. "I always keep it right here."

"Wallet and cash all intact?" Detective Krite asked, but Kal could tell he already knew the answer.

"I already told the Officers this when they picked me up. I have about a thousand in cash in my wallet, and my cell phone was the only thing taken," Kal explained.

"That's very strange, don't you think?" Detective Krite asked.

"Yes it is, but it's the truth. I have no idea why someone killed that woman then smashed me over the head. I also have no idea why they took my cell phone but left my cash. I saw someone suspicious following that woman, so I followed them into the alley and got blindsided."

Kal was lying about this part but saying he was following a vampire was not going to make this go any easier. Actually, mentioning anything about vampires or gargoyles would put every human in this police department in grave danger. The council might just kill them all to be safe. It was hard to say. They rarely killed this many humans at once but then again, five policemen knowing about vampires might be a little too much to risk.

Then a thought occurred to Kal. "Wait. I know why they took my cell phone. I had it recording. I was going to record my wife's reaction when I told her we got the deal. I must have caught the killer on it."

"Mhmm," Detective Krite said skeptically.

"Can I please call my wife?" Kal begged.

"Fine. You can call your wife but don't leave town," Detective Krite said as he stood. He put his notepad, which he hadn't written a word in, into his suit pocket then did the same with his pen. It was like Detective Krite didn't care about the truth at all. He had already made up his mind and probably had a pretty good idea of what he was going to put into his report.

Kal pulled out a card from his pants pocket and set it on the table.

"Obviously I'll need a new cell number, but you can call my home number if you have any questions," Kal said.

"Strange that someone actually has a landline nowadays," Detective Krite said. "Also. Your record lists your name as Kal. Is that short for something."

"No. Just Kal," he said then shrugged his shoulders. "I had strange parents. Also, I have to have a landline for my work. My wife helps out quite a bit. Sometimes we have my cell, her cell, and the landline all going at once."

"Mhmm," Detective Krite said, clearly not buying this part of the story either. The man was determined to find Kal guilty of something. What had he done to piss off Detective Saul Krite? Before tonight, he had never even met the man, though his name did sound a little familiar. A problem for another time. Kal's wife was waiting, and he didn't want to waste another second.

After Detective Krite left, a uniformed officer led Kal to a phone, so he could call his wife. Thankfully he knew his wife's cell phone by heart. Many of his other contacts, the one's in his phone, he would have to find a way to get.

The phone only rang once before a pleasant, yet worried, voice picked up.

"Hello?" she asked. She was kind, and her voice was soft, but it was clear that she was terrified.

"Honey, I'm fine," Kal said and cringed.

"Then you better have a damn good reason for this. You are two hours late, and the first call I get is from the Salvon Police Department. Do you have any idea what was going through my head?!" Her words started out quiet, but by the end, she was practically yelling. Kal could hear the fear in her voice.

"I'm ok, honey. I'll tell you everything. I just wanted you to know I'm ok. I'll be home in about thirty minutes or so," he said calmly.

"Oh, hell, no! I'm coming down there!" she yelled.

"I'll be released by the time you get here. I'll just call a cab," Kal explained.

"You better not! I'm heading out the door now! You better not move!" she commanded.

"Yes, dear," he relented, and he heard the click.

"A real ball breaker?" the man behind the desk asked.

Kal smiled and leaned over the desk.

"Actually, quite the opposite." When he saw the man's confusion, he explained. "When she finds out why I was here and that you didn't take me to the hospital." He paused and smirked. "You're probably going to need those cuffs."

At first, the officer behind the counter laughed then he realized Kal was serious. He quickly got back to gathering up the paperwork for Kal to sign so he wouldn't have to face a furious Mrs. Johnson.

# Chapter 3

The car ride back to their apartment was nearly silent. Kal's wife, Brianna Johnson, hadn't even said a single word in the police station. Kal knew he was in for the verbal lashing of his life. His beautiful wife was loving, kind, and caring most of the time. When she wasn't,...she was the most stubborn and vicious person he had ever met. People didn't want to get on Bree's bad side and, right now, that's exactly where Kal was.

After he walked in the door and switched on the lights, he turned to watch his lovely wife shut, then lock the door. In that instant, he was very aware of how angry and how beautiful she was. He had never, in over two thousand years, seen anyone who looked so gorgeous when they were furious.

Her bright green eyes and her sandy brown hair still made his stomach quiver. Her hair was almost blonde but a shade darker. Though he couldn't see it right now, her smile was his favorite attribute. He had always heard the saying 'Her smile could light up a room' but had dismissed it as poetic musings until the day he met Bree.

Kal clasped his hands in front of himself while he waited for Bree to prepare whatever speech she was clearly assembling in her head. To say he was terrified was an understatement. He'd gladly have gone back to the alley and faced the ancient vampire rather than face the wrath of Bree. As he thought this a smile formed when he realized. Bree was the most terrifying person he had ever met, not because she was strong and fast. It was because she could do something no one else in the entire world could. She could break his heart.

Bree's short, slender frame pushed by Kal and he allowed himself to be moved. She was a good four inches shorter than he was, but that made little difference. He wouldn't have pushed back even if he had been angry with her, which he wasn't. His eyes followed her as she stormed over to the tan, plush couch where she plopped down, and her expression changed. The anger had vanished, concern, and sadness filled it now.

"Why did you go into that alley?" Bree asked.

Kal cleared his throat then cautiously walked until he was standing right in front of her. He thought about kneeling or bowing, but the images in his head all looked ridiculous. Instead, he decided to remain standing and take his punishment like a man.

"I saw someone following her. I thought..." Kal stammered.

Bree stood, and her anger returned.

"You thought 'Hey, I'm a big strong man. I can just go get myself killed.' That's what you thought. Not a single care for the wife you would leave behind nor..." She scowled up at him, and slowly, the expression eased. Her fury, in this case, was to hide her vulnerability. She was worried.

"I'm sorry," Kal said and looked at his hands, which were still clasped in front of him.

Bree slid her hands under his arms and hugged him around the waist. After a few seconds, Kal put his arms around her and hugged her back.

"Don't do that to me," she said, and it sounded like she might be crying.

"What's wrong?" Kal asked. Even for Bree, this was more emotional than normal.

After another fierce hug, she released him, took a step back, and looked at him guiltily.

"Now I know there's something wrong," Kal said, his fear was back.

After a few agonizing moments, Bree spoke.

"I'm pregnant," she said.

Kal froze for a second then was filled with anger.

There are moments in life where people say the wrong thing and would give up almost anything to take them back. Kal's moment was now. What came out of Kal's mouth was a sentence that would haunt him for the rest of his life, and a moment he would always regret.

"You cheated on me?!" Kal asked, his voice and face showed his fury, then the realization of what he had just said, to the person he cared about most, hit him like a truck. Before he could say another word, Bree's anger eclipsed his.

"WHAT!? I tell you I'm pregnant and you accuse me of cheating on you?!" She stared at him, and he suddenly forgot how to form a sentence.

"I...umm...we...I..." Kal stuttered as his hands motioned to himself, then her, then back at himself.

"Spit it out, JACKASS!" she shouted, then put her hands on her hips and just stared at him.

"I'm sorry," Kal said meekly.

"You're going to have to do better than that," she scolded.

Kal's mind raced. If Bree was telling the truth, and he was inclined to believe her, then this presented a huge problem. Vampires could get humans pregnant, but it was very rare, one in a million rare. With a gargoyle, it was impossible. He stopped and pondered it a little more. Apparently it wasn't impossible. Kal decided to start out slowly. Find out if Bree could be mistaken. If not, she was in for a revelation that would change how she viewed the world. But if she really was pregnant with his child, she deserved to know the truth.

"I told you I couldn't have children," Kal said. Bree was still furious, but her anger seemed to be waning slightly.

"Apparently whoever told you that was wrong," she said angrily.

"Oh, this is bad," Kal said. He put both hands on the top of his head and sighed then saw the anger rise on Bree's face.

"I tell you I'm pregnant and you accuse me of cheating on you. Then you tell me it's bad?!" Bree asked. He could hear the anger in her voice and the tears she was desperately trying to hold back. "Fine! I'll just get an abortion then!"

"You can't do that!" Kal yelled.

"I can do whatever the hell I want!" Bree screamed back.

"No, no. You don't understand." Kal's voice was quiet and caring now. "It will kill you."

"What are you talking about?" Bree asked, her anger faded to confusion.

"You should probably sit down for this." Kal gently grabbed her elbow and tried to escort her back to the couch.

"I think I'll stand. Thank you very much," she said angrily and removed her arm from his grip.

Kal paced back and forth. He had never done this before. In fact, it was against the law to tell a human. A law punishable by death, her death, not his. But luckily Bree was covered by an obscure bylaw that said telling a life partner was within his rights, so long as she never told anyone else. Bree wasn't some acquaintance nor was she his friend. He planned on staying with her until the day she died, a situation for which this law was created.

As Bree grew older, Kal would not. This was the reason it was permitted. He had considered it before, but now, with her being pregnant, he couldn't put it off any longer. Her pregnancy put her in danger, not only from the unborn child, but from vampires wanting to kill her and the child she carried. There was no certainty that the child would be a gargoyle, being that a gargoyle had never gotten a human pregnant, but it was very likely. Also, it was his child, Kal the scourge of vampires. There were very few vampires who wouldn't want his child dead.

"This is going to sound crazy, so please just let me explain." Kal looked at Bree, and she was still furious. "And you can never tell anyone. Not your mom, not your dad, not your sister, not even your best friend. No one. Ever." Kal stared at her waiting for confirmation.

"Well? Get on with it," she ordered. She didn't exactly agree to the terms, but Kal could worry about that later.

"Oh, boy. Where do I start?" he asked rhetorically while he paced. Bree started to look worried, so he began with the most obvious. "I am two thousand four hundred and twelve years old."

Bree looked at him strangely.

"My name is not Kal Johnson. It's just Kal. Back when I was born, there were no last names," he continued.

Bree's look changed to worry.

"I...I am a gargoyle, and I sort of...police vampires," he said with a cringe.

Bree laughed at first then when she saw how serious he was. She let herself fall onto the couch.

"Oh, boy," Bree said and stared at her hands while she picked at her nails.

"Say something please," Kal urged her.

Bree looked up at him.

"Is it hereditary?" she asked, full of worry.

"Being a gargoyle? I think so. No one is really sure. A gargoyle has never..." he started, but she interrupted.

"No. The insanity. Is it hereditary?" she asked, and now it looked like she was going to cry.

"I'm telling you the truth," Kal said.

"Oh, Kal," she said with pity. "Do I need to call someone?"

"We've been married for five years. Don't you think you'd know if I was nuts by now?" he asked, hoping this would convince her.

"Maybe the news of my pregnancy flipped a switch or something," she rationalized. "Maybe it was too much, and it sent you over the edge."

"Fine. I didn't want to do this right away because it's a little scary, but I need you to understand," Kal said. Kal walked to the center of the room and took a deep breath. He had never shown a human before, and he was a little nervous. Mostly because of who the human was. What if she was scared of him? What if she left? He had no choice now. Kal would have done anything to protect Bree and, right now, her ignorance was her greatest enemy.

"Kal...it's ok," she comforted. She stood and almost started toward him then saw his skin turning grey, and he was increasing in size.

"I'm going slowly so you can get used to it. I usually change much faster than this, but I wanted to ease you into it," he said. His voice was still calm.

Kal's eyes slowly turned red while his skin continued to change to a grey hue. Soon the sleeves of his shirt filled out until they were almost bursting, as did his pants.

Bree covered her mouth and fell onto the couch once more while Kal continued to change.

Large, canine looking fangs descended from his upper jaw, and smaller ones came from the bottom. His fingernails turned black then elongated and came to sharp points. Even the bones in his face changed, they protruded until the bones of his skull were visible, just underneath the smooth grey skin that now covered his body.

"I'm telling you the truth," Kal said and stood in front of her.

Bree's mind could barely reconcile the voice of the man she loved, coming from the monster in front of her. She blinked a few times, then stood and put out her hand. Kal didn't move. Bree gingerly touched the skin on Kal's face and was astonished that, although it looked cold, it was warmer than hers.

"Does it hurt?" was the first thing that came to her mind.

"No. It's just part of who I am," Kal explained.

Next Bree moved her hands down his arms and continued until she felt the sharp, knife-like, claws at the tips of his fingers.

"Careful. Those are very sharp," he warned.

"And you hunt vampires with these?" she asked. Her mind was still reeling, but she could hardly deny what she saw and what she felt.

"Something like that," Kal stated. "Vampires hunt humans. I try to stop them. Well, some of them do. Long story."

Bree continued to walk around Kal, astonished by the size of her husband. He had to weigh at least another hundred pounds, maybe more. His arms and legs, even his chest were huge compared to what he had looked like a minute ago. He was also much taller now. He had to be at least six foot two.

"Is this why you insist on wearing such baggy clothes all the time?" she asked. Her mind still wasn't coping well, but some semblance of reality was seeping its way in.

"Yes. That's why my clothes are always two or three sizes too big for me,' he said with a grin.

"I guess that makes sense," she said, but she was clearly still lost inside her own head.

"I'm going to change back now. Ok?" Kal asked.

"Sure," Bree answered. She was squeezing his shoulders and marveling at how she couldn't even dent the skin. It was like he was made out of concrete or steel, but he was warm to the touch.

Kal eased his way back into human form, and when he was himself again, Bree walked to the couch and sat down. The look on her face was still the look of a woman lost.

"My kind is very sturdy. That baby," Kal said while pointing at her stomach. "It won't let you have an abortion. It will kill you first."

"Oh," Bree said, but she still looked like she was trying to decide if she was dreaming.

"I'm really sorry, Bree. I didn't think it was possible," Kal said solemnly.

"I know," Bree said.

Kal's heart went out to her. She was trying, she really was, but human minds were not ready to admit that his kind existed.

Bree slowly moved her arms over her stomach, and it looked like she was hugging her unborn child.

"Will it kill me to have this baby?" Bree asked. Her mind was starting to work again.

"I don't think so," Kal replied. "Humans have given birth to vampires. Although this has never happened before, I don't see why a gargoyle baby would be any different."

"But you don't know," she said. "You're not a vampire, so this might just kill me."

"Actually," he said and cringed. "I sort of am a vampire."

"What?" Bree asked, and her terror returned.

"Gargoyles are a mutation of vampires," Kal said.

"But blood makes you sick," Bree said.

"Exactly. I can't even stand the smell of blood," Kal replied. "But genetically, I'm still a vampire. They're faster, I'm stronger, but we're both vampires."

"Oh," Bree said, and once again she looked lost and confused.

Kal started toward the couch to sit by his wife and answer more questions when a loud knock came at the door. He looked down at Bree, then at the door, then back at Bree.

"I'll get rid of whoever that is," Kal said.

"Please," Bree said.

Kal made his way to the door, and the loud knocking rang out once more. When he opened the door, he was shocked at first. Then anger took its place. He shifted into gargoyle form in seconds then growled down at the small Egyptian woman.

The woman at the door was even shorter than Bree. Her long black hair and olive skin resembled Kal's. Even her facial features and nose looked like Kal's. She smiled, patted Kal on the chest then pushed her way inside.

"Calm down, little brother," the woman said with a laugh.

"What the hell are you doing here, El?!" Kal asked angrily. Was it Elyssa who had assaulted him in the alley? It couldn't be her, could it? She was the kind to play games, after all. Even though he knew his sister's propensity for manipulation, would she really just show up at his door afterward? At the very least, if she had been the one to attack him, wouldn't she want to gloat about it?

Elyssa stopped when she saw Bree on the couch. It was clear that Bree had been crying. Then Elyssa took a deep breath through her nose and smiled.

"Congratulations," she said, then looked at Kal. "This is a surprise. You tell her yet?"

"About five seconds ago," Kal exaggerated.

"That explains the crying," Elyssa stated then walked over and sat down beside Bree. She stuck out her hand and looked at Bree strangely. "I'm Elyssa. His big sister," she said while looking at Kal.

"You said you didn't have any family," Bree said and ignored Elyssa's hand.

"Ok. I lied about that because my family is very..." Kal paused, and Bree interrupted.

"If you say complicated," she warned.

"I was going to say dangerous," he corrected.

Elyssa looked at Bree and grinned.

"Guilty as charged," she said.

"But you're a gargoyle. You wouldn't hurt me, right?" Bree asked.

"I'm a vampire," Elyssa said, and her teeth slid into place. They looked more vicious than Kal's teeth. They were longer and, although Bree was probably imagining this part, they looked sharper.

Bree scooted away quickly to one side of the couch, and Elyssa laughed.

"You're perfectly safe. For one," she started and looked at Kal. "My little brother would rip the teeth out of my head if I hurt you. I can smell it on him. He loves you. And for two. I don't hurt humans anymore. Little brother's idea."

"It wasn't exactly my idea," Kal said.

"Your's and father's," Elyssa said, and Bree could see the sadness on both of their faces as their eyes locked, and a secret was shared. One Bree was not a part of.

"What was that look for?" Bree asked.

Kal looked at the floor and, although Elyssa looked just as uncomfortable, she spoke.

"Our older brother, Rasheed, killed our father." Then another look came over Elyssa, a look of pride. "But Kal killed him."

"So, why don't you hurt humans anymore? Let's get back to that," Bree said. She knew there was more to the story of Rasheed, but it didn't look like either of them were in the mood to talk about it.

"Damn. I see why Kal can't take his eyes off you," Elyssa said with a laugh. She looked at Kal and smiled. "She's got a spine. She just found out you're a gargoyle, your sister's a vampire, and she just keeps on asking questions."

Kal smiled to hide his embarrassment.

"Well. About four hundred years ago. Kal and dad came up with an idea. They decided that hurting humans wasn't necessary. It was cruel. We could just as easily survive off of blood that was given voluntarily. Some vampires, including my brother, saw this as blasphemy. I mean, really? Blasphemy? Do humans go around worshiping hamburgers? It's blood. It's just food. If there is a better, more efficient, way to procure it, then why not do it? Someday we might even be able to come out in the open and live at peace with humans." Elyssa looked very sure of herself, and it put Bree at ease.

"So, how many vampires believe what you believe?" Bree asked.

Elyssa looked a little concerned, but she answered anyway.

"Not enough," Elyssa replied.

"That reminds me," Kal said, his look turning cross. "Why were you at my door after nearly four hundred years?"

"Damn. I almost forgot. The smell of a pregnant woman threw me for a loop. It smelled like you and her. I needed to make sure." Elyssa looked at Bree with kindness. "Congratulations. That baby is one of a kind."

Bree's rage returned and caught Kal off guard.

"See. I didn't cheat on you!" Bree said angrily.

"He accused you of cheating on him?" Elyssa asked with amusement. When Bree nodded, Elyssa looked at Kal. "You'll have to excuse my little brother. He's not very good with women."

"How many have there been?" Bree asked and gave Kal a devious look.

Kal looked frightened and cornered. This was getting out of control.

"Should I tell her?" Elyssa asked Kal with a grin.

"Don't, El," Kal begged.

Bree crossed her arms and looked at Kal but spoke to Elyssa.

"Please, El. Do tell," Bree said while raising her eyebrows and grinning from ear to ear.

Elyssa looked at Bree with all seriousness and waited until Bree was looking back at her.

"One," Elyssa said.

"One?" Bree asked, astounded. "He's over two thousand years old, and there was only one?"

"El, come on," Kal begged once more.

"Who was she?" Bree asked, ignoring her husband's pleas.

"That's the thing," Elyssa said and grinned devilishly at her brother. "The one is you."

"Really?" Bree asked with astonishment.

"Yep. I mean, he's not a monk. I'm sure he's had sex, but never a girlfriend, and certainly not a wife," Elyssa stated.

"Can we please get back to why you're here?" Kal asked, but it sounded more like begging to the two women.

"Ok. Before Bree and I get to talking about all the embarrassing moments in your life, I do need to tell you why I'm here." Elyssa winked at Bree and Bree smiled.

"Well?" Kal asked impatiently.

"Mom has been getting wind of a very old vampire. One as old as we are. This vampire wants to get rid of all human sympathizers." She paused for a moment then stared at Kal, and he knew what she was going to say before she said it. "He, specifically, wants to hurt you."

"What do you mean hurt me?" Kal asked.

"You're not just a sympathizer. You're Kal. The one who started it all. If he can hurt you, not just kill you, but hurt you first. Then, in his mind, it will prove that the old ways are better. It might even prove it to the others, ones that aren't so fond of humans. Kal. It's the start of a civil war." Elyssa looked at her little brother with compassion.

Kal laughed and seemed to take this news very well. He even looked relieved.

"Well, my first thought was wrong at least," he said.

"Wait. You thought it was me?" Elyssa asked. She looked a little hurt by his assumption.

"You or mom," Kal admitted.

"I took your side all those years ago. How could you even think that?" Elyssa asked.

"I haven't even spoken to you in centuries. I thought you were...I don't know...mad at me?" Kal asked.

Elyssa stood up and put her hands on her hips. Suddenly Kal was struck by an uncomfortable truth. His big sister was just like his wife, perhaps the other way around, but still. Had he picked out a wife because she had his sister's personality? It didn't change the way he felt about Bree, but it was something that deserved a little thought...then again. Perhaps it was better not to dwell on it too much. He loved Bree for Bree. The similarities to his sister were undeniable, but it was still Bree he was in love with.

"We've been governing two hundred vampires. Just because we're busy, doesn't mean we're mad at you," Elyssa said angrily. "Besides. You didn't bother coming home, now did you? You fought Rasheed then just left. Is a phone call too much to ask for? You didn't even bother to find out what we thought...you just left." The discomfort in her eyes worried Kal. He had seen his sister upset many times, but this looked different.

"To be fair, there weren't phones back then," Kal said with a grin, trying to hide his guilt. "And I had just killed our brother. What was I supposed to think?"

"It's clear you didn't think. Those are just excuses," Elyssa said, and she started to grin.

Bree stood up, and Kal was outnumbered.

"Why don't you run out and get us some supper while El and I talk?" Bree asked, but it was more of a command, and Kal knew it.

"What would you like?" Kal groveled. The full weight of all the stupid things he'd said this evening and all the mistakes he'd made had yet to be counted. Groveling and doing everything Bree said was the best way to convince her to forgive at least some of them.

"Oh. You know what I'm dying for?" Elyssa asked.

"I'm not getting you blood," Kal said.

"Don't be daft. I'd never ask you for blood," Elyssa said. "You'd probably faint or puke." Elyssa laughed then went on. "I walked by a Greek restaurant about two blocks before I got here. I can't get that smell out of my head."

"You can eat real food?" Bree asked.

"Of course. Can you imagine what it would be like if your taste buds and sense of smell were ten times more sensitive? Human food is amazing! What am I saying? You're carrying his baby. In about a month, you'll know exactly what I mean." Elyssa smiled, and Kal took this as a sign that he should get out while he still could.

As Kal headed to the door, Elyssa stopped him.

"Skip the wine," Elyssa said.

"Ok," Kal replied. He looked at Bree, and she looked back with a look that solidified the idea that the punishment for his mistakes had not even begun.

"None for you either. I don't get wine. You don't get wine," Bree said sternly.

"Yes, dear," Kal replied, then headed out the door.

After Kal was gone, both women laughed then sat on the couch.

"Damn, I guess what they say is true," Elyssa said.

"What's that?" Bree asked.

"Take the strongest, most stubborn man in the world. Put him in front of a woman, and he will melt like butter," Elyssa stated.

"I suppose," Bree said, thinking back on the start of the evening. Kal had accused her of cheating on him, and it had hurt more than she was willing to admit.

"But it has to be the right woman," Elyssa said. "Believe me. You're the right woman for Kal."

"I hope so," Bree said.

"I know so. I've never seen him like this. He's terrified," Elyssa explained.

"Of me?" Bree asked.

"Not like that. He's not afraid of you. He's terrified that you'll realize he isn't good enough for you," Elyssa said. She raised her eyebrows then grinned.

Elyssa's clever words made Bree feel better and the rest of the evening, even after Kal returned with their food, was spent talking about the baby and about the many lifetimes of Kal. Kal, the slayer of vampires. Kal, the scourge of the bloodthirsty. The man even ancient vampires feared. And Kal, the man afraid of a woman half his size. Of all the foes he had faced in his lifetimes, her leaving was the one thing he feared the most.

# Chapter 4

In the morning, Kal drove his black sedan while Bree sat in the passenger seat. Elyssa had left at a little after three in the morning to head back home and talk to their mother. Kal, of course, slept on the couch.

"You sure you want to see a human doctor?" Kal asked.

"Where were you born?" Bree asked. Not only had Elyssa helped her cope with her new situation, Bree had completely accepted her new life.

"Egypt," Kal replied.

"Where at?" Bree asked.

"A small village. It didn't even have a name," Kal replied.

"Where does your mother live?" Bree asked.

"Cairo," Kal replied.

"That's where El was going?" Bree asked.

"Yes," Kal replied. "You sure you want to see a human doctor?" Kal asked again.

Again Bree ignored the question.

"How many gargoyles are there? I mean in total." Bree had a strong desire to completely understand everything.

"I think there are like ten or eleven, counting me," Kal answered.

"So, it's rare when a gargoyle is born?" Bree asked.

"Yes," Kal answered. "What if the doctor sees something funny? What if the blood tests come back and he realizes there's something different?"

Bree continued to ignore Kal's questions.

"So, your assumption that you couldn't get me pregnant was based on a pool of ten people? I think that's a little short-sighted don't you think?" Bree asked.

"I see what you mean," Kal replied with guilt.

"So, you might say that your other assumption. The one where you accused me of cheating on you was also short-sighted?" Bree asked.

"No," Kal stated.

"No?" Bree asked, and Kal could see how hurt she was, but he knew what he was doing this time.

"No. It wasn't short-sighted. It was stupid, plain, and simple. I was just stupid," Kal said.

Bree smiled at his admission.

"And to answer your question. I'm going to tell the doctor I will only consent to an ultrasound. No blood tests. Religious beliefs and that kind of thing." Bree leaned back and crossed her arms.

"Ok," Kal replied. He wasn't quite sure how else to answer.

"What about sunlight? Crosses? Holy water?" Bree asked as she leaned forward and looked at Kal curiously.

"None of it is real. Made up by humans to help them sleep at night," Kal explained.

"Then how do you kill a vampire?" Bree asked. "You're the great vampire hunter."

"El exaggerates," Kal said with a laugh.

"So, you're not the most feared gargoyle in the world?" Bree asked with a grin.

"That's not fair," Kal said. "You already know the answer to that."

"So, El doesn't exaggerate," Bree said with a self-satisfied smile.

Kal ignored her comments and decided to answer her question.

"Shoot or stab them in the heart or the head. You can also remove their head," Kal explained.

"What about drowning? Suffocation? Bleeding to death?" Bree asked.

"Yes. Anything that would stop a vampire's heart from pumping blood. Although they can hold their breath a long time and bleeding to death would be difficult. Vampires heal very fast," Kal replied.

"So, what can kill a gargoyle?" Bree asked.

"Why? You planning on getting rid of your insensitive husband?" he asked in reply.

"Just wanting to know how likely it is that this ancient vampire will kill my husband," Bree said. She was serious and worried.

"Don't worry about it. I've lived a long time. It will take more than an ancient vampire to kill me off," Kal laughed.

Bree stared at him angrily and crossed her arms again.

"So, help me if you lie to me or even hide anything from me again. I'll leave," she threatened.

"Ok, I'm sorry," he pleaded. "They can kill me the same way, but if I'm a gargoyle, it's a lot harder. You felt my skin. I'm pretty tough to kill."

Kal could see the hospital a few blocks ahead. Traffic was bumper to bumper, but they would be there in a few minutes. He turned to Bree and smiled.

"Anything else you want to ask before we are surrounded by nosey humans?" he asked with a smirk.

"Hey, now. I am one of those humans," she chastised.

"Yes, but..." he started.

Then, as he turned his head to catch Bree's lovely smile, a smaller car came flying toward the intersection at Bree's door. A car was right in front of them and one behind them. There was nowhere he could go. Without a second thought, Kal threw himself on top of Bree and transformed. He encircled her with his arms as the car smashed into theirs. Their car slid sideways along the street until it hit a garbage truck that was waiting to turn. Kal's car was sandwiched between them. When everything came to a halt, Kal shifted back to human form and frantically grabbed Bree's face.

"Are you alright?!" he yelled.

"I'm fine," Bree smiled up at him. "A little shaken, but Kal the Destroyer is my husband."

Kal couldn't help but smile back then he scolded her.

"No one ever called me that." He still couldn't wipe the smile from his face.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the vampire again. He quickly searched the car that had smashed into them, but there was no driver. This wasn't an accident. The vampire, whom he still hadn't seen clearly, had thrown the car at them. Kal remembered the words Bree had said to him only moments ago. She wanted no more secrets.

"This wasn't an accident," Kal stated.

"What?" Bree asked, and her smile vanished. Her brow furrowed and she looked at the car that had hit them then back at Kal, begging for answers.

"The vampire threw that car at us," Kal said.

"Seriously? They can do that?" Bree asked.

"If I can throw a car, he can. Or she," Kal corrected. He still wasn't sure if it was a man or a woman he had seen. The way the vampire moved was quick and strange. Both times he had only seen it for a second, at most.

"You can throw a car?" Bree asked. The mixture of pride and surprise on her face felt good, but her safety was more important.

"Hold on," Kal said then started pushing Bree's door. Soon the metal screamed in agony, and the door's hinges broke. It fell to the ground with a loud crash as the car pinned against it was pushed backward. Then Kal stepped out and picked up Bree.

"You ARE strong," she commented.

Kal was about to take off after the vampire when the police arrived, followed by an ambulance. There were too many humans, and it was the middle of the day. He would have to wait. The vampire had planned this out, but how? How did it know they would be at this intersection? His thoughts returned to his sister. She had known where they were going in the morning and only her. It was possible the vampire had followed them, but it was much more likely that it had known beforehand.

Kal leaned in and whispered to Bree as the paramedics were approaching.

"Only Elyssa knew where we were going," he said quietly.

"It's not her, Kal," Bree urged.

"How can you be so sure?" Kal asked.

"A feeling. Besides, she called your mother as she was leaving last night. What if someone was listening in?" Bree asked. She looked up at Kal, and the expression told him that he was on the verge of making another huge mistake. Accusing his sister, really accusing her, would be yet another moment he could never take back.

"Before I go doing something stupid again, we'll go with your theory," he said with a grin.

As Bree was about to commend him for his choice, the paramedics started shouting anxiously.

"Are you alright?! Sir, can you put her down?!" one of them shouted.

Kal obliged and set his wife on the ground. It took nearly five minutes to convince the men that they were fine. Despite this, both Kal and Bree were compelled to ride in the ambulance the three blocks to the hospital.

# Chapter 5

Kal sat nervously on the exam table while he waited for the doctor to come in. He and Bree had been separated when they arrived. It had been over an hour, and Kal's nerves were shot.

Surely the vampire wouldn't try again in the middle of a busy hospital. Telling or showing one human would mean the death of the human, but if a vampire showed itself to multiple humans, it would mean the death of the vampire. Killing multiple humans would only raise more questions. The police station had been five. The hospital...? Twenty, thirty, maybe more. There was no way the vampire council could come up with a story to cover that many deaths. It was just simpler to kill the vampire.

This vampire was smart. Using an empty car to fake an accident was proof of that. He or she wouldn't attack in the middle of a hospital. Then it hit him. His sister's words rang out in his head, and he was terrified. The vampire wanted to hurt him first. That was the reason behind Laura Olen's death. And the vampire hadn't been aiming the car for Kal. The car was meant to kill Bree!

Kal shot up from the exam table and rushed to the door, but as he reached it, a doctor greeted him.

"Going somewhere, Mr. Johnson?" the elderly woman asked.

"My wife. Is she ok?" Kal asked.

"She's fine," the older woman comforted. Her grey hair and glasses, even her slightly overweight frame, added to her look of compassion. "The baby is fine too." She smiled, and Kal's worry faded.

"How soon can I see her?" Kal asked.

The doctor looked out into the hall and motioned to someone. Soon Bree walked up to the doorway.

"Why don't you come inside Mrs. Johnson? I think I'll get a little more out of him if you are here to set his mind at ease," the doctor said with a grin.

Kal hugged Bree then the doctor ushered him to the table while Bree took a seat in one of the chairs. The doctor started asking the standard questions, and after she was satisfied that Kal had no damage, she headed toward the door. Before she left, she felt the need to add something.

"You two have to be the luckiest people I've ever met. I've seen the condition of your car. This is one for the history books. How it didn't crush the both of you, I'll never know. I'll be back in a minute with your discharge papers." She looked at them with disbelief one more time, then left.

When the door was shut, and Kal was certain no one could hear them, he felt the need to tell Bree his suspicions. He walked over and sat beside her in the empty chair.

"I think the car was meant to kill you. You heard what El said. He or she wants to hurt me first." Kal looked worried and upset, but Bree was calm.

"I figured as much," she replied.

"Why are you not upset?" Kal asked.

"You're my husband. You'll take care of it," Bree replied with confidence.

"What if I can't? What if I miss something?" Kal asked more urgently.

Bree put her hands on her stomach and looked at Kal.

"I trust you to keep us both safe," she said with a smile.

"I need to find out who is doing this," Kal said more to himself than to Bree, but she answered anyway.

"Do what you need to do. Just make sure you come home when you're done," she said with a glare that made him smile.

"You take a cab straight home. I'll see what I can find out and meet you there for supper. Deal?" Kal asked.

Bree stood and looked down on her husband with a loving smile.

"I trust you, Kal." She paused, and a devious look came over her. "Even if you think I cheated on you."

Kal stood and looked distraught.

"I don't think that. It was a knee jerk reaction. I'm really sorry," he apologized.

"And you're going to make up for it for a very long time," she said with a smirk that lifted his spirits then she left. He was going to pay, sure, but she wasn't going to leave. He could deal with the punishment, whatever it was, as long as she stayed.

After Bree left, Kal sat thinking about what to do next. There were no gathering places for vampires in this town, it was too small. He had seen maybe half a dozen vampires in the ten years he had lived here, not counting the one trying to kill his wife. He needed a clue, but he also didn't know where to start. As he was pondering where to begin, the exam room door opened, but it wasn't the doctor entering. Detective Saul Krite walked in with a condescending look on his face.

"No driver? How exactly does that happen?" Detective Krite asked.

Great! Just what Kal needed. A detective with an unknown grudge, looking into vampire business. If this petty human kept pushing, he might find out something that would get him killed. As much as Kal disliked the man, he didn't want him to die.

"Detective Krite. I'm glad you're here. I was actually going to see you after the doctor released me," Kal lied.

"Why is that?" Krite replied snidely.

"I think someone is trying to hurt me. After they killed Laura and tried to frame me for her murder, they decided to go after my wife," Kal replied. It was a mundane explanation that left out many details, but it was the truth.

"So they sent an unmanned vehicle toward your car? How?" Krite asked, full of skepticism.

"That's what I can't figure out," Kal said and watched the detective's face as he continued. "I'm not even sure why they want to hurt me."

"Do you have any enemies? Are you into something unsavory?" Krite asked.

"Not that I know of, and no. I'm just an investor," Kal replied.

"We found your cell phone, by the way," Krite said. He looked at Kal like it would frighten him and was surprised when it did the opposite.

"Good. Now, if they haven't erased everything, I can prove my innocence," Kal replied.

"You sure seem confident," Krite stated.

"I told you. I was recording everything when I walked into that alley," Kal said. "I must have caught them on my phone. I just don't understand why they didn't destroy it."

"Why don't we head down to the station and you can show me. We couldn't get through your password," Krite said. He looked a little surprised but wasn't ready to give up his suspicions about Kal.

As Kal followed Detective Krite to the desk, to finish signing all the paperwork, he couldn't help but wonder why Krite seemed to hate him. Krite wanted him to be guilty of something. He was desperately trying to pin anything on him. Had Kal done something to Saul Krite and forgotten about it?

These thoughts plagued him for the whole trip to the police station. Kal scoured his mind for anything that might serve as an explanation for why Saul Krite hated him, but he found nothing. The man was not familiar to him and, as far as he knew, he had never done business with anyone named Krite. Still, he couldn't shake the feeling like he had heard Saul Krite's name before.

Kal watched the detective's expression carefully as he put in the password to his phone and showed him the recording he had made.

It was shaky since Kal had been running, but Laura Olsen was clear as a bell. She was walking casually down the alley, staring at her phone. She turned, put the phone to her ear then with a strange smile on her face said. "This is silly. Where are you?" Seconds later a figure flew by the camera and Laura fell to the ground. Her glassy stare and the blood coming from her head made it clear that she was dead. Then the camera flew from Kal's hand, tumbling so quickly that it was not able to focus on anything. After a few nauseating seconds, the image was steadied and Kal's face was visible only inches from the screen. His eyes were shut, and he wasn't moving.

Kal secretly thanked his lucky stars, because the image was of human Kal. Getting knocked out must have immediately shifted him back. Then the camera shut off.

"Pretty convenient," Detective Krite said.

"I don't understand why the killer didn't destroy the phone? Did they not know I was recording?" Kal asked. Then he answered his own question. It had nothing to do with Laura nor what he had filmed. It had everything to do with Bree. He shot up from the chair. "It's because they want me to see my wife die! If I'm in jail, I can't see it!"

"You're serious, aren't you? Bree really is in danger," Krite said, and for the first time, he didn't look at Kal suspiciously. He actually looked worried. That was when Kal realized who Saul Krite was and why he hated him. He HAD heard the name before, but it had nothing to do with him. Just like the cellphone showing up and proving his innocence, it had everything to do with Bree.

"I know why you hate me now," Kal said angrily. "But it's your fault. Not mine."

"Oh, really?" Krite replied angrily and stood to face Kal.

"You are the reason Bree doesn't talk to her sister anymore," Kal added.

"Hey. I was set up," he replied, his anger growing.

"Oh, yeah. Leanne forced you to take off your clothes and kiss her," Kal said, unconvinced.

"I wasn't naked. And...she tricked me. She never intended to have sex with me," Krite admitted.

Kal stared back, his anger growing as well.

"You were engaged to Bree. There is no excuse for sleeping with her sister!" Kal shouted. Saul Krite looked back, and something in Kal's face terrified him.

"What's wrong with your face?" Krite asked.

Quickly Kal looked in the mirror and saw that the bones of his face were enlarged. His eyes had a faint red tint to them, and his skin was looking a little grey. He calmed himself, and all the effects of his transformation faded.

"Quit trying to change the subject," Kal evaded. He desperately hoped the cameras hadn't been on for that, or at the very least, they didn't have a good angle on his face. He had never made a mistake like this. He had nearly changed in front of a human, and he didn't even know he was doing it. This vampire was succeeding in its quest to harm him. He was so unnerved by everything going on, and the threat to Bree's life, that he was letting his emotions get out of control. The vampire was getting exactly what it wanted.

"I made a mistake," Krite said with sadness.

"A mistake? The way I hear it, that was just the last one in a long list," Kal replied. He tempered his anger and forced back his loathing of the man.

"So, I was a little promiscuous. We weren't married yet. I fully intended..." Krite explained but Kal cut him off.

"She left you because of it. Face it. You screwed up. She'll never want you back. She won't even talk to her own sister," Kal said. "Besides. She's my wife. I have never and will never cheat on her."

Krite flopped down in his chair and was silent for a moment then relented.

"You're free to go," Krite said as he looked down at his hands, deep in thought.

"You going to tell me not to leave town?" Kal asked with condescension.

"No. The video proves your innocence. If we have any more questions, we'll call you," Krite stated.

"Good. And let me know if you find out who is trying to kill my wife," Kal said angrily then stormed out.

He had little hope that the police would find the vampire trying to kill Bree, but it was what humans would expect him to say. Not saying it would seem more suspicious, so he played his part.

The police would be useless, and the vampire was clearly winning. Kal had no idea where to search and no clue who the vampire really was. It was up to him to save his wife, but it seemed like the vampire was at least five steps ahead of him. If Kal didn't find something soon, he would lose the person he cared about most. He had been wrong before. Bree leaving was not nearly as terrifying as the thought of Bree dying. Kal realized what this meant. After centuries of being nearly invincible, a vampire had finally found his weakness. His weakness was a small sandy-haired woman and the child she carried.

# Chapter 6

After a very long day of searching the streets of Salvon and finding absolutely nothing, Kal returned home. This vampire wasn't just good. This vampire was possibly the best he'd ever encountered. He had tried to find evidence at the crime scene, even coerced someone into checking Laura Olen's phone records, but there was nothing to find. The crime scene was completely devoid of anything, and Laura's phone records only showed a call to a burner phone with a fake address and name. Despite his failure, Kal was happy to be home.

As he walked into their apartment, he noticed the broken lock on the door, and his heart pounded in his chest. He thrust the door open to find the place a mess. The fridge door was wide open, milk was spilled out on the floor, and the living room furniture was flipped over.

Kal ran through the apartment. He checked the bedroom and bathroom, but Bree was nowhere to be found. Then the house phone rang. Kal stopped dead in his tracks and stared at the phone. What if the vampire was on the other side? What if Bree was already dead? Then anger filled Kal. He shifted involuntarily, and the back of his suit coat tore from the pressure. Kal grabbed the phone with his clawed hand and waited.

"Don't look so upset, Kal," a muffled and garbled voice said from the other side. "I want you to see her die. She's perfectly safe as long as you come alone. You'll get your chance to save her, but I won't make it easy."

"What do you want?" Kal asked through gritted teeth.

"Meet me at fifteenth and Sutton. You know. Where Laura died? Think you can find it?" the voice asked. He couldn't tell if the voice came from a man or a woman, but he recognized the hatred it held. This vampire didn't just want to hurt Kal. This vampire hated him, loathed him. What had he done to this vampire?

"I'll be there in ten minutes," Kal said.

"Be there in five!" the voice shouted back, then hung up.

Kal didn't bother to shift back to human form. He didn't have time to get there like a human. He ran to the bedroom window and shot through it, throwing glass to the street below. He landed on the opposite apartment building and scaled it like a spider. The five floors below him didn't even phase Kal. Even if he had fallen, the sidewalk would have been in more danger than his rock hard skin.

When Kal reached the top of the building, he took off at a sprint and lept to the next. Within a few minutes, he stared down at the empty, dark alley and at his wife. Bree was tied up against what used to be a light pole but had been long forgotten in the abandoned alleyway. The vampire was nowhere in sight. As Kal was searching the dark alley for the vampire, something hit him from behind. He went careening off the side of the building and landed with a loud crash at Bree's feet.

Kal got to his feet, whatever had hit him hurt worse than hitting the pavement, which now had a Kal sized dent in it. He peered into Bree's terrified eyes and saw the joy which now replaced it. She was gagged and bound but otherwise unharmed.

A steel beam came flying at Bree, so Kal did the only thing he could think of. He threw himself in the way. His momentum shot the beam sideways, and it missed Bree by inches, while he was thrown against the side of a nearby building.

Kal shook off the confusion and got to his feet once more to see a shadowy figure at the far side of the alley, Bree was between them. There was no way he could traverse the distance and save Bree. This vampire was faster than he was. He had no options. The beam! Kal quickly bent over and picked up the beam. Although he could not reach the vampire in time, he could throw the beam much more quickly. As he pulled back his arm to throw the beam, a gunshot rang out through the alley. The vampire screamed in agony as the shot hit it in the leg, but Kal still couldn't determine if it was male or female, then the vampire vanished.

Out of the corner of his eye, Kal saw Detective Saul Krite and his revolver walk into the alley. Kal dropped the beam and swiftly changed back to human form then ran to Bree's side. Once he reached her, he pulled down the gag then started working on the ropes that held her to the light pole.

"Did you get a good look at him, Bree?" Detective Krite asked as he peered down the alley where the vampire had disappeared.

"No, Saul. He or she wore a mask," Bree explained. When Kal had her arms free, she turned and threw them over Kal's shoulders and squeezed as hard as she could. She whispered quietly. "I knew you'd come. It said you wouldn't, but I knew better." Then she turned her head and addressed Detective Krite. "How did you know I was here?"

"I...umm...I spoke to Kal and decided to trace your phone," he admitted with much embarrassment.

"You and Kal spoke?" Bree asked and gave both men a condescending look.

"I was going to tell you, but when I got home..." Kal trailed off.

"Ok. I'll let that one slide," Bree said then turned to Detective Krite. "I know I said I never wanted to see you again, but I'm glad you ignored me."

Detective Krite looked down at his shoes and smiled.

"The least I can do after...you know," he said. "I'm sorry, Bree."

Bree walked up to Detective Krite and smiled. She stood on her toes and kissed him on the cheek.

"Despite everything that happened, you saved me, my husband and," she put her hands on her stomach. "Our baby. I think I can let that one slide as well."

"Are we going to need to come down and fill out a statement or something?" Kal asked.

"I'm not going to report this," Detective Krite said then a funny look came over him. "Not sure how I would explain you picking up that beam." He looked at Kal then quickly added. "And I don't want to know. Just get her somewhere safe."

"I will and in case there is a next time. Aim for the heart," Kal said with a smirk.

"You're telling me. I hit, whatever that was, in the leg and it still ran off like a bat out of hell. And no, I don't want to know that either," Saul said.

"Good, because I'm not allowed to tell you even if I wanted to," Kal replied.

With that, Detective Krite headed out of the alley and back to his car.

Kal walked with Bree and anxiety set in. He knew what he wanted to ask but was afraid of the answer.

"Oh, don't give me that," Bree said.

"You know what I'm thinking, don't you?" Kal asked.

"You can't ask that," Bree replied.

"You just talked to Saul," Kal said.

"But he was just a guy. She's my sister. I can't forgive her," Bree said.

"We need somewhere with very few people. Somewhere we can see this vampire coming. It's perfect," Kal urged her.

"But then I'll have to talk to her," Bree argued.

"Is that such a bad thing?" Kal asked.

"She tried to sleep with my fiancé. What if she tries that with you?" Bree asked with a smirk. She didn't look serious, but Kal knew better than to pass it off as a joke. Bree's deep-seated fears were no laughing matter.

"I'll turn her down," Kal replied with all seriousness.

"You obviously haven't met my sister," Bree replied with a laugh that hid her pain.

"Your sister never met me," Kal replied.

"That's what I'm afraid of," Bree said with a sadness in her voice that tore at Kal's heart.

# Chapter 7

Back at their apartment, while Bree was packing, Kal called his sister's phone. Although he had never called her, he had known her phone number all along. It wasn't opportunity that kept him from calling, it was regret.

After a few rings, Elyssa picked up.

"Kal?" she asked, and it was clear she had been crying.

"What's wrong?" Kal asked.

"Mom's dead," Elyssa replied.

"What?!" Kal shouted.

"What's wrong?" Bree asked impatiently as she rushed from the bedroom.

"It's my mother," Kal replied. Bree put her arm around him and hugged him while he continued to speak to his sister.

"That means there's more than one of them," Kal said. His tone was emotionless, but Bree could see it on his face. The news hit him harder than he was letting on.

"No, it doesn't," Elyssa said. "Mom died last week while I was searching for you. I called to tell her I was coming home, but I had to leave a message. I told her about you, Bree and the baby. I thought surely she would call back. When she didn't, I knew something was wrong, so I tried again before I caught my flight. This time one of the council answered." Elyssa started sobbing, and Kal struggled to hold back his own tears.

"We're heading to North Dakota to a bed, and breakfast Bree's sister runs. Why don't you come with us?" Kal asked. His voice was cracking so Bree squeezed him tighter which only made things worse.

"I have to return home. My flight is in twenty minutes. I need to get mom's affairs in order. Then I'll join you. Text me the address. I won't be more than three or four days," Bree said. She was no longer sobbing, but Kal could hear the grief.

"Before you go," Kal said then waited for the response.

"Yes?" Elyssa asked.

"Who is going to take mom's place?" Kal asked.

"I don't know. I'll be in charge temporarily, until another vote can be held. After that? Who knows?" Elyssa replied. "See you in a few days."

Kal hung up the phone and just stared at the wall blankly. Bree didn't move and clung to him. After a few moments, she spoke.

"Take your mom's place as what?" Bree asked.

Kal wiped the tears from his eyes then looked at Bree and smiled.

"Mom was the president of the vampire council," Kal explained.

"Sounds important," Bree said.

"Yeah. They make the rules we live by. Without mom, Elyssa will have to step in until there can be another election. Not easy when we're spread all over the world. There hasn't been a vote since...well, since my dad was murdered." Kal stared at the wall once more and new tears formed.

"So, it's for life?" Bree asked, trying to keep her husband talking.

"No. Just until someone opposes her, which no one ever did," Kal explained.

"Why?" Bree asked.

Kal smiled at Bree, he knew what she was doing, but he answered anyway.

"Because she was fair. She wasn't nice, but she listened, and she was fair," Kal replied then hugged Bree back. "I just wish I'd gone home to see her."

"Yeah, would have been nice to introduce her to her grandchild someday." Bree put her arms around Kal's head and pulled it onto her chest. They were in a hurry to leave the city, but they could take a moment for Kal to grieve.

# Chapter 8

It took Kal and Bree nearly a week to drive from Salvon Iowa to Malone North Dakota. They could have taken a plane, but Kal didn't trust his wife and child to the whims of a metal tube flying that high in the air. All it would take was a suicidal vampire, or a very smart one, to send it crashing to the ground. Kal could protect Bree from a lot of things, but gravity was not one of them. Their leisurely drive took them through tourist attractions and many thematic hotels. During the trip, Kal got the distinct impression that Bree was wasting time. Having not spoken to her sister in eight years, she was in no hurry to stir up the painful memories.

As they pulled up to the small town where her sister lived, Kal was taken in by the town's _massive_ population of twenty-seven people. He had not been in a town this small since he was a child. His smiles and excitement were not shared by Bree. She had dozed off a few miles ago, and when he turned to wake her, to let her know they had arrived, he saw that she was no longer asleep and she wasn't happy.

"Maybe we should just keep going. We could go to Canada. It's what, fifty miles? Canada is nice this time of year, isn't it?" she asked. Her expression was not quite what Kal expected. He assumed she would be angry, but it was fear that he saw.

"What's wrong?" Kal asked. He could see the bed and breakfast in the distance.

It wasn't large. It looked like it could house ten couples at most. Its position along a highway, just shy of the Canadian border, was probably its biggest draw. The place didn't look very modern. Smoke billowed from what Kal took as a wood-burning stove. The massive forest behind it looked serene and peaceful. The more Kal looked at it, the more he understood. Not being modern was also one of the draws for this place. There were no signs which said 'Pay Per View' nor a sign touting 'Free Wi-Fi'. At the 'Lazy Inn', another cute quality of this place, all you had was the partner you brought with you.

"Umm. I've changed my mind. This is a bad idea," Bree said, and she squirmed in her seat. "Let's go home. I miss home." Her eyes begged Kal to turn around.

"Is it really that bad?" Kal asked. He slowed the car and pulled over on the side of the road, maybe seventy-five feet from the entrance to the Lazy Inn.

"I told her I wished she'd never been born. I told her I hoped mom and dad would say I was adopted, so I wouldn't be related to her." Bree paused, and Kal knew the worst was still coming. "I told her the next time we would be in the same room would be at her funeral." She paused again and Kal's eyebrows raised. What could be worse? "Then I told her I would be counting the days."

Kal didn't say a word at first. This was delicate. Then he found something that was diplomatic yet reassuring.

"Your sister have a temper like yours?" Kal asked.

"Yes. That's how it got so out of hand. Why?" Bree answered.

"Maybe she understands. You were mad, and rightfully so. Maybe she's been waiting for you to make the first move. She's the one who messed up. Maybe she wants you to come," Kal offered.

Bree's fear eased, and she smiled at Kal.

"Don't talk like that to her or you'll be sleeping out in the snow," Bree warned, but Kal could tell she was teasing. Still, he decided not to test it. She was pregnant. Her emotions could turn on a dime, and it would be his fault.

"I'll be polite, but I have no desire to freeze my nuts off tonight," Kal joked. Internally he cringed as he waited.

"Ok, Mr. Peptalk. Let's get this over with." Bree grabbed the dashboard like they were going to go slamming into the place. Kal almost laughed at the way she looked, almost, but he knew better.

Kal eased back onto the highway and continued the short distance until he reached the driveway. Bree's knuckles were going white, and she looked like she might change her mind at any second. Kal pictured her jumping and rolling away from the car then making a mad dash to Canada.

When Kal parked the car, Bree didn't move until Kal walked around to her door and opened it for her. Her gaze was fixated on the entrance to the Lazy Inn. There were four other cars there, so it was possible they wouldn't be completely alone with Leanne, but four couples were not much of a buffer. Inevitably, the two of them would have to speak.

Kal held out his hand, and Bree took it. He helped her out of the car then grabbed their bags from the trunk and Bree followed him inside. After they went through the front doors, Kal spotted a woman who looked very similar to Bree. She was a little taller, a little bustier, but the hair color and the face were too similar for her to be anyone but Leanne.

When Bree stepped through the door, she froze at the sight of her sister. Kal found it strange, but there was no fear on the woman, who he assumed was Leanne. In fact, she seemed angry. This was a horrible idea, and it was all his. If it went as badly as it appeared to be heading, Kal was in big trouble.

The woman walked around the counter with her hands and her arms stiff at her sides. Kal wanted to say she was stomping, but there was no sound. Either way, it was clear that she was angry and heading straight at Bree. Instinct kicked in, and Kal sidestepped. He put himself between Bree and the woman, then dropped one bag and held his hand out.

"I'm Kal. You must be Leanne?" Kal asked. The woman stared back at him, her concentration broken, then she smiled, assuming he was just another customer.

"Yes. How are you today, sir?" Leanne asked with a smile she had probably practiced. One that wasn't creepy to customers but was hard for them to see as a fake, which it was.

"I'm your sister's husband," he said as Leanne grabbed his hand. She immediately pulled it away, and the anger returned.

"Tell your wife we're full!" Leanne shouted, then headed back toward the counter.

"Are you really going to turn out a pregnant woman when you're clearly not full?" Kal asked. Bree punched him in the arm and stepped around him, then crossed her arms and stared at Leanne.

Leanne stopped before reaching the counter and turned. This time it wasn't anger Kal saw. It was sadness and regret.

"Is that true?" Leanne asked.

"Yes. It's true, and my husband has a big mouth." Bree gave Kal a stare that was both appreciative and angry. He hoped the appreciation would win in the end. "I came to see if we can't work this out."

Kal was shocked. His wife, the most stubborn woman he had ever met, making the first move? She was the one who was wronged. This took guts. It took more than guts. It took humility. Kal stared back at her, full of pride. She really was the most amazing woman he had ever met.

Leanne looked at her sister skeptically. She raised one corner of her mouth, then pushed the smile away and tried to look angry again. Kal could see the tears forming in her eyes, but Leanne was just about as stubborn as Bree. But not quite.

"I suppose we have a room," Leanne said then turned and continued her walk to the counter. "King size bed?"

"Yes, please," Bree answered and headed toward the desk.

Now Kal was lost. He expected fighting or crying, maybe both, but not this. They acted like they barely knew each other. Was this how normal siblings fought? His family fights usually ended up in bloodshed, but then again, it was no more serious to his family than humans having a fistfight. Still, this was very bizarre.

"Name, driver's license, and five hundred dollar deposit," Leanne said coldly.

Bree pulled out her driver's license and slammed it on the counter. Then held out her hand toward Kal, without looking at him, for the five hundred dollars. Kal quickly pulled out his wallet then handed her the money. This Bree also slammed on the counter then leaned forward with a huge grin and said her name slowly.

"Brianna Natalie Johnson." After her show of pride, she held out her hand for the keys.

"Mrs. Johnson. I hope you have a nice stay," Leanne said then dropped the keys into Bree's waiting hands. "Oh, and by the way," Leanne said with a smug look. "Dinner is served at six o'clock sharp. There is no room service. Eat in the dining room or fend for yourself."

"I'll be here with bells on," Bree said, and Kal could hear the anger returning. Bree made a show of snapping up the keys in her hand then turned on her heels and walked with her head high. She walked right by Kal, who was still waiting for something else to happen, then turned around and gave him an angry stare.

"You coming, Kal?" Bree asked impatiently.

"Yes, dear," he replied and followed her up to their room.

# Chapter 9

Once they were in the privacy of their own room, Bree quit her act. As soon as the door was shut, she turned to Kal with fury.

"Who the hell does she think she is?!" Bree asked. She didn't wait for an answer. She kicked off her shoes and started pacing. "Acting like she isn't the one who tried to steal my fiancé! What nerve! If we weren't in the middle of a public place, I'd slap that silly grin off her smug face!"

While Bree stormed around the room, Kal carefully set the bags on the bed then sat down. He wanted to say something helpful, but every time he opened his mouth to speak, Bree looked at him, and he changed his mind.

"Oh, 'dinner' is going to be fun." The way she mocked Leanne's use of the word dinner nearly made Kal laugh, but he caught himself just in time. "Did you see the look on her face when I said my name?" Bree asked, but she didn't want an answer, and Kal knew it. "Oh, I could have just punched her. Ha! She didn't have a chance to steal you, at least!"

Kal was starting to feel like a trophy. At first, it was a little emasculating then he actually thought about it. Being a trophy wasn't so bad. At least he had value. Value to Bree.

"You just wait til 'dinner', Kal." Again she mocked Leanne's use of the word. "You just wait and see. She'll make some offhand remark that is supposed to sound all innocen, but it won't be!" When she stopped, she was staring at Kal, only inches from his face. He wasn't sure how to react, so he smiled.

"Are you ok?" he asked while he stared at her.

Apparently it wasn't the worst way he could have responded. She didn't hit him and didn't yell at him, but it did send her back to her ranting.

"I'm fine! I just can't help myself! Every time I see her face, I want to slap it! My own sister! How could she do that?!" Apparently stomping around the room was wearing her out, and unlike Leanne, Bree was actually stomping. Bree flopped onto the bed and let out a sigh.

"Feel better?" Kal asked with a grin.

Bree grinned up at him.

"Much better." She grabbed his shoulders, pulled him in, and kissed him on the lips. "Don't worry. I'm not nuts. I'm just working my way through it."

"Yelling about her, not at her. Right?" Kal asked. He saw the grin on her face grow wider, so he leaned in and kissed her once more.

"You're a good husband..." the devilish grin on her face warned him that something was coming. "When you're not accusing me of cheating on you."

Kal smirked. He knew she wasn't serious this time.

"What can I do to make it up to you?" he asked playfully.

She cringed and closed her eyes, then opened one of them.

"Foot massage? My feet shouldn't be swelling this soon, should they?" Bree asked and quit with her fake cringing.

Kal got down on his knees and grabbed one of her feet then started massaging it.

"You're asking me? I've never been pregnant," Kal said with a laugh.

"I wish I could call mom," Bree whined.

"Not yet. Give me a week or so to find out what's really going on. Ok?" Kal pleaded.

"I know. I know. They live in Salvon. The vampire will listen in on our calls. I get it. It's just frustrating. And why the hell do I suddenly want pickles? I'm not that far along. The doctor said six weeks, at most." Bree huffed and sounded perplexed.

"You're asking the wrong guy." Kal stopped massaging and pointed at his chest. "Guy who thought he couldn't have children, remember?"

Bree lifted her head up, laughed then let it flop back down.

"Get back to the massaging mister. This is all your fault," Bree said while she grinned at the ceiling.

# Chapter 10

Dinner went surprisingly well. Kal and Bree met three of the other couples at the bed and breakfast but, strangely, Leanne was absent. Perhaps it was why dinner went so well. Without her sister present, Bree was relaxed and kept bugging the other couple's wives about pregnancy. The one she asked the most questions of was an elderly woman, probably in her late sixties. This woman was not only the mother of four. She had three grandchildren and one on the way. By the time dinner was over, Bree was quite content with staying at the inn. After dropping Bree off at their room, Kal decided he needed to take a look around for security purposes and, although Bree wasn't entirely happy with the idea, she did understand the reasons why.

Kal walked casually around the outside of the building and noticed it had decent security. Not that this would stop a vampire. None of the second story windows had locks, but then again, no one expected someone to leap that far up. Kal knew better, but there was little he could do about it. He made a mental note to put a dresser or maybe pile the chairs in front of the window, then went on with his inspection.

When he came around the back, he noticed a sunken hot tub. In the twenty degree weather, the tub produced quite a lot of steam. With a smile on his face, he walked up to it. He pictured how pleased Bree would be to find out that she could soak in here. Then he remembered reading something that said pregnant women shouldn't be in hot tubs. His hopes sank, then his musings were broken as someone pulled themselves out of the hot tub, completely naked. He had been so preoccupied with thoughts of Bree and the baby, that he hadn't noticed Leanne.

"Care to join me, Kal?" she said in a seductive tone.

Kal quickly stared up at the sky while he spoke.

"Sorry. Didn't see you there," he said and tried to make his way to a door he was sure was on his right.

"Don't you like what you see?" Leanne asked.

Kal had no choice but to think about it. He had seen everything, then a smile slowly spread on his face. Yes, Leanne was attractive. Better than most, but his first thought upon seeing her naked was 'Bree looks better'. What a strange thing to think. Leanne was naked and clearly hitting on him, and his first thought was how much better his wife looked.

Kal's pride swelled. This was what a husband should think. He couldn't wait to tell Bree. Then the rest of how that conversation would go, also played out in his head. It would be hard for Bree to believe at first, she would believe eventually, but at first? She'd probably strangle him then regret it later. If it had been just this that worried him, he probably would have told Bree, but there was something bigger which worried him more. Leanne. This would crush Bree. Her own sister was doing it again. He knew exactly what he needed to do. Kal got angry.

"How could you do this to your sister?" Kal asked indignantly, he looked her in the eyes and his eyes didn't drift, not even a little.

Leanne's shock and amusement confused Kal.

"You're the real deal, aren't you?" Leann asked and put her hands on her hips. "You're not even tempted to look."

"Wait. You're not offended?" Kal asked.

"Offended. I'm impressed. Saul folded in seconds. I didn't even have to take my clothes off," Leanne laughed.

Kal's mind raced. He thought about everything Bree had told him, as well as what Saul did. This was wonderful!

"This is a test!" Kal exclaimed.

"Yep. And you passed," Leanne said then slid back into the hot tub.

"How did you even know I'd be out here?" Kal asked.

"Saw you head out the door. My boyfriend said you were a little overly protective of her," Leanne explained.

"You're boyfriend? How would he know? And you knew she was married?" Kal asked. He felt he was asking too many questions at once, but something about this all seemed very strange.

"Yeah, Rasheed told me all about your marriage and stuff. He didn't know about the baby. That was a shocker. But he said you would be coming out here. I figured I might as well test you. She's my little sister. Don't want her ending up with another Saul." Leanne sipped some wine from a glass and looked like she didn't have a care in the world. "Rasheed says he knows you from when you were little. Close friends or something?"

Kal didn't know how to answer. He couldn't answer. Kal rushed inside and sprinted up the stairs. He flung open the door to their room, which startled Bree. She shot up in bed.

"What's wrong, Kal?" Bree asked, her face full of fright.

"Rasheed is alive! He's the one who's trying to kill you!" Kal blurted out.

"How? Didn't you kill him?" Bree asked, confused.

Kal shut the door then hurried to the bed and sat beside her.

"I thought I did, but I didn't stick around. Elyssa said he was dead. She took the body away and buried it. Maybe she was wrong?" Kal asked, hoping for Bree to save him from this horrible nightmare.

"Ok. Calm down," Bree said and pulled his hands onto her lap. "Why do you think Rasheed is alive?"

"Leanne was down in the hot tub. After she tried...." Kal froze. The one thing he didn't want to tell Bree had just fallen out of his mouth.

"WHAT?! What did Leanne try to do?!" Bree asked and shot straight to her feet.

Kal stood and put himself between Bree and the door. She tried to push by him, but he didn't budge.

"Just hear me out. Then you can go kill your sister if you still want to," Kal begged.

Bree realized that she was never going to get by Kal, so she crossed her arms and looked up at him with fury.

"After you tell me. Then I get to kill her. Right?" she asked with her teeth gritted.

"If you still want to kill her after I explain, I'll get out of your way. I'll even help you get rid of the body," Kal said with a grin. He then realized Bree was in no mood for jokes. Her anger intensified, and it was now directed at him.

"Tell me or move!" she said in a low growl.

"I was checking the inn to make sure it was safe. She was in the hot tub...umm...naked." Kal cringed. If looks could kill Bree would have burned him alive by now. "Nothing happened. She tried. I turned her down. Then she told me it was just a test. Like with Saul."

"Wait, what?" Bree's anger faded. "A test?" Bree started pacing with her hand on her forehead. "You saw my sister naked and turned her down?"

Kal's pride returned, and although he probably shouldn't have smiled, he did.

"I turned her down," Kal said and stood up a little straighter.

"But you saw her naked?" Bree asked. She didn't seem as angry as earlier, but she was agitated.

"It wasn't a big deal," Kal said.

"It wasn't a big deal?" Bree asked. She stepped closer to Kal and fixated on his eyes.

"It's not like it was you naked in that hot tub," Kal said. He felt like he was hanging off a cliff, and every finger hold was crumbling.

"You weren't tempted in the slightest?" Bree asked. She cocked her head to one side and put her face closer, searching for lies.

"Funny story," Kal said nervously.

"Will I find it funny?" Bree asked.

"I sure hope so," Kal said with a gulp. "So, I see her naked, and the first thing through my mind is. Honest truth. This is what I thought."

"What did you think, Kal?!" Bree interrupted.

"Bree looks better," Kal said and cringed.

Bree patted Kal on the shoulder.

"Good answer," she said, then continued toward the door. Kal didn't try to stop her this time. He was in enough trouble as it was.

When she reached the door, she looked over her shoulder at Kal.

"Bring the shovel, Kal," Bree said as she pulled open the door. "And she better have the same story, or I'll be burying two bodies tonight."

# Chapter 11

Bree stormed into Leanne's room without knocking. The door smacked against the wall from the force of her throwing it open but Leanne didn't even flinch. It was like she knew Bree would be coming.

"The boy scout told you, didn't he?" Leanne asked. She had no clothes on, and she was lying on her bed with her arms under her head.

Kal quickly stared at the ceiling and Bree stared at him.

"Yeah. You better look at the ceiling, buddy!" Bree shouted then slammed the door, nearly catching Kal's shirt in the process. Then she turned her anger toward her sister. "Put some damn clothes on! I know you're a slut, but you could at least pretend to be my sister!"

"So, he didn't tell you the whole story?" Leanne asked and slowly sat up. She pulled a towel from beside the bed and wrapped it around herself.

"Oh, he told me! I just want to hear it from you!" Bree turned and looked at Kal, who was still staring at the ceiling. "You can look now, but don't you say a damn word!"

Kal stared at Leanne, who seemed pleased with herself.

"Well?! Tell me!" Bree demanded.

"It was just a little test," Leanne said. She seemed amused with herself, but Bree was not amused in the slightest.

"You threw yourself at Kal and Saul just to see if they would cheat on me?" Bree asked. Her voice was quieter, and Kal heard a hint of desperation in her voice. She wanted to believe it, but she had believed the worst for so long.

"I have to watch out for my little sister. Don't want her ending up with a cheater," Leanne said. Her amusement was fading. "I tried to tell you after Saul, but you wouldn't even listen."

"Because I thought you were taunting me." Bree walked over and sat on the bed. Kal didn't move.

"The boy scout here wouldn't even look at me. To tell the truth. If he hadn't gotten you pregnant, I'd think he was gay. Not even a peek," Leanne said with a laugh, then raised her eyebrows at Bree. "You're lucky."

Bree shot Kal a caring smile then returned to grilling her sister.

"Why did you do it? And don't say because I'm your little sister. Tell me the truth," Bree said, and Leanne seemed to get uncomfortable.

"I tried to warn you about Saul, but you wouldn't listen to me. You never listen to me." Leanne looked at Kal and saw the grin he was trying to hide.

"I can be a little stubborn sometimes, but this is your solution?" Bree asked. Then she noticed Leanne looking at Kal. She turned and shot a scowl at him. "I'm sure Leanne has a couch somewhere in this place. You sure you want to do this?" Bree asked. Kal quickly wiped the smile from his face. He saw Bree's smile starting as she turned back to her sister, and he let out a sigh of relief.

"Ok. I can be very stubborn," Bree relented. "So why, Kal?"

"That was a little over the top. I'll admit that," Leanne said and gave Bree a warm smile. "But at least he passed."

"Still. Naked? What if he had said yes?" Bree asked.

"Hey, now!" Kal interjected.

"We're talking about you, not too you," Bree said with a caring look that told Kal everything was fine between them.

"Yes, dear," Kal replied with a grin.

"I don't know," Leanne replied then a devilish grin spread on her face. "He is kinda cute."

"You slut," Bree said then slapped her sister playfully.

"Seriously, though. I would have come running to you," Leanne admitted.

"No more tests. Got it?" Bree asked.

"Got it," Leanne agreed. "I just hope Rasheed is as good a man as Kal is."

Kal got nervous. He wasn't sure how to broach the subject.

"About Rasheed," Kal started, but Bree interrupted.

"I got this, Kal," Bree said and gave him another caring look. She turned back to her sister. "So, what is this Rasheed like? Can I meet him?"

Kal got nervous. There was no way Bree was ever going to meet Rasheed. Not if he could help it.

"He's nice. We've been seeing each other for a month now. Not sure how serious it is yet. He's on a trip right now. Had some business in Salvon, but he should be back in the morning." Leanne looked at Bree then, out of the blue, she hugged her. "I've missed you so much. I thought you'd never talk to me again."

"If it wasn't for Kal, I probably wouldn't have," Bree admitted.

"What does Rasheed look like?" Kal interjected.

"You don't know?" Leanne asked while she hugged Bree.

Bree pushed away from Leanne and looked at her seriously.

"Rasheed was the name of Kal's brother. But Kal's pretty sure he's dead," Bree explained.

"Dead? Hmm. Come to think of it. Rasheed does sort of look like you. A little shorter, a little thinner but yeah. You could be his brother," Leanne said. "Why would you think he was dead?"

"Long story," Bree said before Kal could. "We'll just have to meet him tomorrow." Bree stood and headed toward Kal with a look on her face that told him not to say anything else.

"Don't you want to stay and talk?" Leanne asked. "We haven't talked in eight years."

Bree turned, full of anxiety.

"Umm...tomorrow. We'll be here for a week, at least. This pregnancy. It's got me so tired all the time. One minute I want pickles and my feet are swollen. The next minute I just want to take a nap." Bree was lying about some of it, but she had a good reason, and Kal was pretty sure he knew why.

"Ok. Talk to you tomorrow. I've missed you," Leanne said, and she looked sad.

"I've missed you too," Bree said then ushered Kal out of the room as quickly as she could.

On the way back to the room, Bree whispered.

"You're brother isn't just going to kill me. He's going to kill her too. Isn't he?" Bree asked. Although she was whispering, it was the loudest whisper Kal had ever heard.

"I honestly don't know. I thought he was dead until about twenty minutes ago," Kal explained.

Bree stopped, and she was no longer commanding him. She looked desperate. Kal looked into her eyes and knew what she was going to say before she said it.

"Please. You have to save her too." Bree stared at him, waiting for an answer then got uncomfortable. To cover her fear, she made a joke. "That is if you can get the image of my sister's naked body out of your head."

"Hey. That's not fair," Kal complained as Bree pulled him along toward the room once more. As they were opening the door, he answered her. "Yes. I'll save your sister too."

Bree looked up at him and kissed him on the cheek.

"And I don't want you sleeping on the couch again. I feel much safer when you're beside me," she said.

"Safer? Is that what you call that?" Kal teased.

"Are you complaining?" Bree asked with a smirk then pulled him into the room.

# Chapter 12

Long after Bree was asleep, Kal sat in their inn room with the lights off. He jumped at every sound outside, as well as the time one of the cleaning staff walked by their door. Ra was alive. He could have sworn he stabbed him through the heart. How had he lived? Kal remembered staring down at the lifeless body only moments before he ran. Ra wasn't breathing, and he had no pulse. Elyssa had checked.

Kal had no idea why he took off, but once he ran, he couldn't turn back. He just left Elyssa there with his dead brother and got on the first boat to the new world. He regretted this decision several times over the years, but his guilt kept him away. He would have loved to visit his sister and his mother, but he couldn't face them after what he'd done. Ra had killed their father, but Kal's big brother had always been their mother's favorite.

When the sun rose, Kal was still lying beside Bree, wide awake. She was curled up against him and her cute noises, even her occasional snoring brought him comfort when everything else was tearing him apart. If his brother really was alive and he was coming after Bree, Kal would make sure he was dead this time. There would be no half measures. This time Kal would take his head.

Bree put her arm across Kal's waist and smiled up at him. She saw the look on his face and knew he hadn't slept.

"Maybe it's not him," Bree said, still half asleep.

"Maybe," Kal said, but he was doubtful. Why would anyone pretend to be Ra? Everyone hated Ra. He had killed one of the vampire world's most beloved leaders. Even the hard-line believers in the old ways had respected Kal's father. It was very doubtful that even someone with a grudge against Kal would stoop to using Ra's name.

"We'll meet Leanne's boyfriend, whoever he is, and figure it out from there. Worrying won't help," Bree comforted.

"Staying alert and worrying might be the only thing keeping you alive," Kal argued.

"I appreciate that," Bree said then sat up and yawned. "But you can't stay awake forever."

"I can stay awake until he's dead," Kal replied.

Bree leaned over and kissed Kal on the cheek.

"You won't be much good if you can't keep your eyes open," she stated.

"I suppose," Kal yielded.

"Why don't you take a quick nap? Ra or Rasheed or whoever he is won't be back for a while. I'll take a shower and spend the day with Leanne trying to figure out what to do about her. You'll just be bored. I'll come get you if he shows up." Bree looked down at Kal who was still in bed. She could see the bags under his eyes. Despite his arguments, he looked exhausted.

"I suppose. It's daylight, and there are several humans around. Even Ra wouldn't be stupid enough to let all these humans see him taking you." Kal smiled up at her and, once again, she could see his exhaustion.

"You take a nap..." She leaned in and got within inches of his face. She stared at his lips and smiled. "And I'll wake you up with a nice surprise."

"You mean like last night?" Kal asked, smiling back at her.

"Better," she said then kissed him on the lips.

"Oh, there's better? You've been holding out on me?" Kal teased.

Bree stood up and winked.

"Only one way to find out," she said then pulled off her shirt and headed toward the shower.

"Maybe you could wear me out so I can sleep better!" Kal yelled after her.

Bree peeked her head around the corner and smirked.

"Not until you've slept. I don't want you falling asleep in the middle of it," Bree said then vanished into the bathroom.

Kal laid back with a huge grin on his face and shut his eyes.

"I highly doubt I'd ever fall asleep on you," he muttered, mostly to himself then, before he knew it, he was asleep.

Kal woke to the sound of screaming. His heart raced; it was dark outside. Why hadn't Bree woken him up?! Without putting on a shirt, nor shoes, all he had on was the shorts he had slept in. He burst from their room and rushed downstairs to find out what the screaming was all about. When he arrived in the entryway there was no one around. Then he heard the screaming again and rushed into a side room. When he opened the door, Bree was sitting on the couch with Leanne. A much embarrassed Kal, stood in the doorway as Leanne, Bree, and two other women he had met at dinner last night, all stared at him.

"Is this payback for last night?" Leanne asked with a wink. "Because it's working."

Bree slapped her sister on the arm, on her way to rush Kal out of the room of ogling women.

"Just joking, Bree," Leanne said with a laugh.

When they were outside, and as Bree was ushering her half-naked husband back to their room, Kal tried to explain himself.

"It was dark. I heard screaming," Kal explained.

"Well, you nearly succeeded in giving Mrs. Anderson a heart attack. I could hear her pacemaker trying to keep up," Bree laughed. "I don't think any of them have seen a man who looks like you in a very long time. If Mrs. Harper divorces her husband, I'm blaming you."

"So, what was all the screaming about?" Kal asked while Bree practically shoved him into the room.

"I had a video of our wedding. Leanne and Mrs. Harper are criers and screamers. Every mushy kiss, they cry. Every time they get excited, they scream," Bree explained.

"So, are you and your sister getting along?" Kal asked. He wanted to ask why he hadn't been woken up, but he figured he knew the answer already. Bree and her sister were too busy catching up. He didn't blame Bree, as a matter of fact, he was happy for her.

Bree smiled before answering, a good sign.

"It was going great until you walked in to give her a free show," Bree complained.

"I'm wearing shorts," Kal argued.

"Yeah, they don't leave much to the imagination," Bree said with raised eyebrows. "Get some clothes on." She headed out the door and gave him a smile before she closed it.

After Kal was done getting dressed, he walked down to meet his wife and find out how well her reunion with her sister was really going. Brianna was a complicated woman. She was stubborn and emotional, but if something was bothering her, really bothering her, she told no one and hid it well. He had gotten good at recognizing the signs, and he hadn't seen any yet, but he wouldn't exactly call himself an expert. It was possible Bree was keeping it from him. In her mind, it was to stop him from worrying too much, but the truth was, it only made him worry more.

As Kal reached the bottom of the stairs, he laid eyes on the man he never wanted to think about again. The man who still plagued his nightmares, his brother, stood beside Bree and Kal nearly lost it.

The anger he felt made him clench his fists to control himself. He could feel his claws taking shape, his fangs were dying to come out, and he could even feel the bones in his face screaming to be let loose. But there were too many humans present. Kal wanted nothing more than to rip Ra's head from his shoulders but, by doing that, he would endanger them, as well as himself. There were five humans, besides Bree, who was exempt. Who knew which way the council would lean? Maybe they would kill the five humans, maybe they would try to kill him. Either way, fighting Ra here put Bree at risk, and that was not a risk he was willing to take, not even to kill Ra.

Kal steadied himself then continued on toward his wife. He grabbed her arm a little too brusquely and, at first, Bree looked at him angrily, but when she saw the pure hatred on Kal's face, she was terrified. The charming man dating her sister really was Ra, Kal's brother.

"Rasheed. This is my husband, Kal," Bree said. She wasn't sure what to do. Would they admit to being brothers? Would they start fighting? From the look on Kal's face, he would have loved to tear his brother apart.

"Yes. I know," Ra said. His accent was pure Egyptian. While Kal tried to blend in, it seemed Ra didn't bother. "Hello, brother."

Kal stared at Ra angrily. He could still feel his gargoyle side struggling to come out, but he kept it at bay, barely.

"Long time," Kal said, his voice clearly upset. "I thought you were dead."

"An exaggeration, little brother," Ra said with a laugh, but his stare was full of hatred, just like Kal's.

"So, Kal is younger?" Leanne butted in. She wasn't aware of the burning hatred between them, but even she could sense the tension.

"Yes. When Kal was born I was already a man," Ra said and gave Kal another condescending look.

"To be fair. Our father called him a man, but he was still a boy," Kal replied.

Ra stared at Kal, and now everyone could sense the tension in the room. Bree grabbed Kal's arm and wrapped hers around it. She couldn't stop these two if they were determined to kill each other, not physically, but that didn't stop her from trying.

"Did you hear the good news, Rasheed?" Bree asked. She beamed up at Kal, and his anger faded. He was letting his anger get out of control. Bree was here, carrying their baby. Even Ra wasn't worth it. Kal had far too much to lose.

"No. What good news?" Ra asked. He smiled pleasantly at Bree, and Kal could swear it was sincere.

Ra had never been the kind to mislead people. His mother and sister, on the other hand, they were quite good at it. Ra had always been truthful and straight forward. It was this quality that led to the argument which ended in his father's death. Ra said what was on his mind no matter who was offended by it.

"Kal and I are expecting," Bree said with more happiness than Kal had ever seen from her.

Kal lost the urge to murder his brother and just stared at the joyful woman who had picked him out of the countless men she could have had. What kind of husband would he be if he attacked his brother in front of her, putting Bree in more danger than she was already in? Ra was faster than Kal. If Ra really was trying to kill Bree, he could kill her before Kal had time to stop him. Kal would win, of that he was sure, but he would lose Bree in the process. He needed to get his brother alone and far away from Bree.

Ra's look of shock could not have been faked. Not unless Ra had gotten considerably better at lying in the four hundred years they had been apart.

"But...my brother can't," Ra stated. He looked at Kal, and instead of anger, there was confusion. "How is this possible?"

"I have no idea," Kal replied.

"This certainly deserves a celebration. I'm going to be an uncle," Ra said and put his arm around Leanne then led the way to the bar. The bar was just off the side of the dining room and, although it wasn't large, it was stocked quite well.

The small group fit, but just barely. Once they were all inside, Ra opened a bottle of champagne. Then he looked at Bree and Kal could have sworn it was a look of compassion, from Ra, the most evil person Kal had ever met.

"I'm so sorry, Bree. Leanne, do you have any sparkling cider or something? I completely forgot. Pregnant women can't drink," Ra said, and he still looked very sincere. Perhaps Kal was going crazy after all. His brother, the warrior, the killer, was actually worried about a pregnant human?

"Neither can their husbands," Kal added.

Bree leaned in and whispered.

"It's ok. Have a drink with your brother. I don't mind," she said with a smile.

What was she hoping would happen? One drink couldn't erase the fact that Ra had killed their father. It wouldn't make Ra forget that Kal tried to kill him. One drink would solve nothing. In fact, drinking often made things worse, but the look on Bree's face melted Kal's resolve.

Despite all his objections and all the things, he wanted to say. "Ok, dear," were the words Kal actually said. And the smile it brought to Bree's face made it all worthwhile.

"I'll take a beer if you have one," Kal said to Leanne. She eagerly grabbed a bottle from behind the counter and tossed it to Kal.

"A beer man? I never would have guessed," Ra said, and this time the anger was absent. What had changed? His wife being pregnant was enough to wash away the past? This was an act. It had to be. This couldn't be the bloodthirsty killer he had known four hundred years ago. That man cared for no one, least of all, the woman married to his brother.

After removing the cap, Kal lifted his bottle, and Ra lifted his glass. They both nodded but neither said a word to the other. The anger and hatred was still there, but, for one night, they could put it aside. There were too many humans around and, more importantly, they were celebrating the unlikely creation of another family member. Tomorrow would be another story.

# Chapter 13

After the celebration, and quite a few dirty looks exchanged between the two brothers, Kal and Bree headed back to their room. Bree slipped off her shoes the second the door was shut and sighed with relief as she sunk into the soft bed.

"This is going to be a long nine months," Bree complained then put her hands on her stomach and smiled.

Kal knelt at the foot of the bed and grabbed Bree's left leg. He started at her calf muscle while she grunted and sighed. As he worked his way down to her foot, she sat up and looked at him.

"You sure he killed your father?" Bree asked.

Kal stared at her, and the anger from earlier was gone. She could see the truth on his face. He didn't want to hate his brother.

"I was there. He did it," Kal said then switched to her right leg.

"What was he like? Before all this happened?" Bree asked. She was genuinely curious, but it was also a ploy to find out what was on Kal's mind. She could see the torment on his face, but he wouldn't share it easily. She just had to be creative. She could force him to speak, that was an option, but tact would give her more.

Early on in their relationship, the roles had been set. Bree was in charge, as she was with everything else in her life, and Kal didn't mind one bit. She could easily order him to tell her everything but, despite this, Bree loved Kal just as much as he adored her. She had always prided herself on being independent and needing no one but, in the five years they had been married, Bree found something she wasn't looking for and never wanted. She depended on Kal being there every day, more than she was willing to admit, even to herself.

"When we were young, he was pretty awe-inspiring. They based a religion on him," Kal said. Bree could see the sadness in his eyes.

"How did that happen?" Bree asked.

Kal couldn't stop the smile as he told the story.

"You have to understand Ra. This is a story Ra told me. He is quite a bit older than I am. You see vampires are lucky to have a child at all. My parents were extremely old, beginning of time old, but they kept trying and had three. Ra is the oldest, older than me by a long ways." Kal looked pleased by this admission. "Ra used to love to tell me this story. He found it amusing. Anyway. One day Ra was walking home. He had picked up some supplies our village needed. You see, Ra didn't give humans much thought. They were just food, but he had a soft spot for children." Kal beamed with pride and Bree could see the love he once had for his brother. "He noticed a young, human boy who had gotten his foot trapped in a rock slide. That boy was bleeding pretty badly. Ra could smell the blood, and it took every ounce of his willpower not to drink the boy, but he didn't."

Kal released Bree's leg and sat beside her on the bed. Bree leaned against his shoulder.

"Keep going," Bree urged him.

"Well," Kal said with a laugh. "It just so happened that the boy wasn't alone. His father and uncle were standing on the other side of the rockslide, trying desperately to find something to move the heavy rocks. When they came back around, they found a man holding a boulder over his head. The one that had the boy's leg trapped." Kal chuckled again, remembering the way his brother had told the story. "You have to understand how odd my brother was. He used to wear this ridiculous hood. In the desert, it's better to cover your head. Even vampires get dehydration. It's why Ra was so hungry. Anyway. This hood. It looked like a falcon's head. It had beady eyes and even a curved beak, right at the bridge. So, as you can see, the two men came around the rock pile to see Ra, The Sun God, saving the little boy. It just escalated from there. Ra tossed out his stupid hood, but it was too late. The story spread, and soon people started worshiping a likeness of him."

"All the vampires knew the truth?" Bree asked.

"Oh, yeah. Ra never lived that one down. If he had just kept his mouth shut. Maybe they would have come up with a different name but no, not my brother, he introduced himself." Kal's smile was joyful and loving.

"How about after that? You knew him a long time," Bree prodded.

"I know what you're doing," Kal said with a smile. "If it was just that simple."

"Maybe it is," Bree offered.

"He killed our father," Kal said, and his joyful smile faded.

"Did you actually see him kill your father?" Bree asked.

"He was pulling the sword out of my father's chest when I walked in. They had been in that tent for hours arguing. He did it," Kal said.

"I'm just saying. It wasn't guilt I saw on his face. Are you sure you saw what you think you saw?" Bree asked.

Kal stood and looked down at his wife.

"They were the only two there. I didn't see him plunge the sword into my father's chest, but I highly doubt father was committing suicide," Kal said seriously.

"Elyssa was there," Bree interjected.

"She came in after I fought Ra," Kal explained.

Kal's head turned to the window. He heard a snapping sound like a tree branch being broken, only louder. He started toward the window and heard it again. As he reached the window, his eyes grew huge when he saw a full-grown tree flying toward the window, trunk first. The tree slammed into Kal's chest, and he was thrown across the room, through the closed door, and into the hallway. Luckily the branches caught in the window and the tree stopped before it could keep pushing him. Kal teetered off the edge of the balcony and slowly pulled himself up.

"Kal!" Bree shouted and rushed to the door, which was blocked by the trunk of the tree. Bree's anxiety rose when she saw her husband's face. He wasn't scared. He wasn't in pain. He was furious. Kal angrily grabbed the tree trunk and shoved it back through the window with one hand. "Kal wait!" Bree shouted as Kal stormed downstairs. She could see his skin changing color. His eyes were bright red.

By the time Kal got to Leanne's door, he had reversed his transformation, but the fury was still there. He dented the door as he knocked loudly. Leanne opened the door, and it was clear that she was terrified.

"What the hell was that noise?!" Leanne asked.

Kal's fury softened as he spoke.

"Where is my brother?" he growled.

"He went to town to grab something special for supper tomorrow. What was that noise, Kal?" Leanne begged.

"Did he walk?" Kal asked, struggling to contain his anger.

"Yes. You know Ra. He said it was only half a mile. I tried to tell him it was snowing pretty heavily, but he insisted," Leanne answered. "What's going on? What was that noise?" Then Leanne looked out the door. She could see that the door to Kal and Bree's room was smashed outward. She looked up at Kal with confusion.

"Ask Bree," he said then turned and headed out the front door of the inn.

As Kal made his way through the heavy snowfall, he fumed. There was two inches of snow on the ground already, and soon there would be a lot more. Kal could barely see twenty feet, but he followed the road. At a brisk pace, he would catch his brother soon.

When Kal reached the small town, with the single store, he saw his brother walking out. Kal watched carefully. Ra wasn't acting agitated, nor was he acting suspicious. He carried a bag that appeared to have groceries in it. Something strange was going on. Kal decided to follow Ra instead of confronting him.

Ra took off through the snow after waving goodbye to the man who was closing up his shop for the incoming snowstorm. Kal kept pace with Ra, just far enough away that he could barely see his brother. It appeared that he was heading back to the inn. Ra was acting like nothing was wrong, like he hadn't just thrown a tree through Kal's window. Then Ra stopped dead in his tracks. Kal also stopped.

"Did you want something, Kal? No humans around if you want to try killing me again," Ra said.

Ra was right. They were halfway between the small town and the inn. There were no cars driving during this storm. They were all alone.

"Why do you want to hurt me? Can you really justify hurting Bree and an unborn child?" Kal asked.

Ra turned and set his bag on the ground.

"What the hell are you talking about, little brother?" Ra asked. For a second Kal was confused. Ra looked sincere. Then he remembered his father. Ra had seemed sincere then as well.

"Just like you didn't kill father?" Kal asked and walked forward slowly.

Ra looked annoyed by Kal's question.

"I didn't kill him! You did!" Ra shouted, then his voice got quieter. "Though I can't figure out why."

Kal took off at a sprint. Ra's annoyance turned to anger, and he sprinted toward Kal. When they collided, Kal transformed, but Ra didn't. Ra's fangs didn't even come out. Ra bounced off him like he had hit a brick wall. He fell a few feet away, so Kal rushed to him, picked him up, and threw him at a nearby tree. Ra slammed into the tree and snow fell down from the branches around him.

After shaking off his confusion, Ra got to his feet. He could see Kal running at him, and he realized he wouldn't win in a contest of strength, but he was faster than Kal. Ra waited until Kal was almost on him, then dashed to the side. Kal couldn't stop himself and slammed into the tree. The large tree groaned from the impact then started to fall. While Kal was distracted by the falling tree, Ra made his move. With incredible speed, he zipped to Kal's side, hit him in the jaw, then moved to the other side and kicked Kal's feet out from under him. Kal fell flat on his back but was able to roll out of the way as Ra thrust his fist through the frozen ground.

Once he was back on his feet, Kal kicked Ra like a football and his brother went flying until he was stopped by another tree. The sound of Ra's bones breaking brought an evil smile to Kal's face. He rushed to the tree but found no sign of Ra. As he turned around a tree branch, thicker than his waist, smashed into his face. His head slammed against the tree behind him, and Kal fell to the ground, dizzy.

Kal watched as Ra walked slowly up to him, but he didn't move. Ra was faster, much faster but he was limping now. Kal had broken the bones in his leg at least, probably more. He needed to catch Ra off-guard, and all he had to do was wait.

"Finally!" Ra shouted triumphantly. "I knew someday you'd mess up and I could finally find out why you killed father. I'm not angry anymore, I just don't understand why. Why kill father? Why did you try to kill me?"

Ra reached down and grabbed Kal by his shirt. He lifted his brother up, then realized his mistake. Kal put both hands around Ra's neck, and no matter how hard he struggled, he couldn't overpower his brother. Kal had always been the strongest. Not even he could match Kal's raw power, and there were few vampires left as old as he was.

"Do it!" Ra shouted indignantly. "Mom will have no choice but to believe me now."

"Mom is dead," Kal said with confusion. His grip lessened on his brother.

Kal could see the sadness on Ra's face. This could not be faked. Ra hadn't known about their mother's death.

"You killed mom?" Ra asked, and his voice sounded weak. "You were her baby. She was always on your side. She didn't even believe me when I told her you killed dad. She couldn't imagine it. Why would you kill her?"

Kal released his grip.

"You spoke to mom?" Kal asked. Something was very wrong with all of this. Suddenly Kal believed his brother. "You really didn't kill dad?"

"No! I didn't kill dad!" Ra shouted indignantly while he rubbed his neck.

"You didn't kill mom?" Kal asked.

"Why would I kill either of them? I loved them!" Ra shouted. Kal could see the tears in Ra's eyes. He was telling the truth.

"But El said you and dad hated each other," Kal stated. None of this made any sense.

"That's your problem right there," Ra said. "Since the moment you could speak you've been eating out of her hand."

"El has always had my back. She even helped me explain all this to Bree," Kal said while he opened his arms widely.

"The only one El cares about is El," Ra said with anger.

"You don't think she...?" Kal started to ask.

"Now that I've had a chance to finally talk to you, it's pretty clear that you didn't kill dad. That only leaves her," Ra said without a second thought. Then a look of understanding spread over Ra. "Why didn't I see this before? She played us. Made you think I killed dad, made me think you killed dad. It's just like her."

"And mom?" Kal asked.

"El hated mom. To mom's face, she was sweet and innocent, but every chance she got, she undermined mom." The look on Ra's face was pure disgust. Kal wasn't sure what to believe. "Am I the only one who can see what El really is?"

"What is she?" Kal asked.

"She's psychotic!" Ra exclaimed.

"She was so happy that Bree was pregnant," Kal stated. He was grasping at straws now, and he knew it, but it was his big sister they were talking about. She had always been there for him.

"Of course, she was. She probably had some plan to use Bree or your baby against you. That's what she does. Wake up, Kal," Ra said, and he saw the fear on Kal's face. "What is it?"

"Someone has been trying to kill Bree," Kal said. "They threw a tree through our window tonight."

"Oh, shit!" Ra shouted, then took off sprinting toward the inn.

Kal took off after him. Ra was incredibly fast for someone with a broken leg. It was probably already healing, but Kal couldn't keep up. In minutes, Ra was at the inn and up in Bree's room. A minute later Kal raced in, winded. Ra sat on the bed and stared at the floor, which was covered in bark and branches. He had his head in his hands, and after a moment Kal realized what Ra was staring at.

On top of the pile of bark and branches was a note written in blood.

I assumed you two would figure this out centuries ago. Just goes to show you. I gave you too much credit. I have Bree and, when I'm ready, I'll make my demands. Have a happy reunion in the meantime.

Love,

Elyssa

P.S. Yes, this is Bree's blood. Tastes like shit but it does make good ink.

Kal couldn't stop his transformation if he had wanted to. He slammed his gargoyle fist through the wall. When he pulled it back, half the wall fell around him.

Ra stood up and slowly walked toward Kal. He looked peaceful and calm. He put his arm on Kal's shoulder and spoke softly.

"Do you really want to get Bree's sister killed?" Ra asked. He raised his eyebrows and stared at his little brother. "Because that's what's going to happen. She is going to run in here to see what made that noise, see you, then the council will have her executed."

Kal looked at Ra with guilt. He transformed back, and seconds later, Leanne came flying into the room.

"What the hell is going on?! It looks like a bomb went off in here!" Leanne shouted. "First, Bree takes off with your sister and doesn't even bother to explain. Then..." Kal cut her off. He grabbed her shoulders and shouted at her.

"Did she say anything?! Did my sister say anything?!" Kal was losing his mind. There had to be some clue. He couldn't just sit around and wait for Elyssa to make a move.

Ra walked up to them and put one hand on Kal's shoulder, then one hand on Leanne's.

"You'll have to excuse my brother," Kal said. He wanted to sound calm but firm. Kal's level of urgency was not helping. Kal removed his hands then put them on his head and paced over the mess on the floor. "Bree has been abducted. What did you hear them say?"

"That woman?" Leanne gasped and put her hands to her mouth.

"That woman is our sister. That's true, but she's unstable," Ra explained.

"Will she hurt Bree?" Leanne asked, full of fright.

"Maybe. That's why we need to find her as quickly as possible," Ra stated.

"Oh, shit! Oh, shit! What did they say?" Leanne asked herself while she crossed her arms, deep in thought.

"Take your time. El is unstable, but she won't hurt Bree right away. We need to do this correctly." Ra shot a scornful look at Kal. "No rushing into anything."

Kal waved Ra's suggestion away to show that he was paying attention but continued to pace nervously.

"Bree told me...umm...she said she was heading home to grab some things," Leanne said proudly.

"Let's go!" Kal said and headed toward the door. Ra put out his arm and stopped him.

"Let's hear everything first," Ra said to his brother who went back to pacing. "Anything else? Did Elyssa say anything?"

"Oh, Wait! Yes! She said something under her breath to Bree as they were leaving!" Leanne looked so proud of herself, so Ra gave her a comforting smile. "It was a little strange. Maybe I didn't hear it correctly."

"Just tell us what you remember," Ra urged her.

"She said, 'You will bring Kal to his knees. Something no one has ever done before.'" Leanne shifted uncomfortably. "I thought they were joking around. I didn't think..."

"And why would you?" Ra asked and brushed his hand across her hair. "It's ok, Leanne. Our sister is certifiable. It's not your fault."

"Please bring her back," Leanne said then looked at Kal. "I'm so sorry, Kal. I can't even imagine."

"It's not your fault, Leanne," Kal said, though he struggled to control himself. Despite his anger, it really wasn't Leanne's fault. It was El's!

Ra escorted Leanne out of the room, his arm across her shoulders.

"Just board up the door. Kal and I will worry about how to pay for it," Ra comforted.

"I don't really care about the room," Leanne said. "We'll worry about that later. You need to find Bree."

Kal walked out of the room and handed Leanne a check.

"This should cover most of it. If you need more, just let me know," Kal said then headed down the stairs, deep in thought.

Leanne looked at the check, and her eyes grew huge.

"Fifty thousand dollars?! There's no way it will cost that much! I can't take this!" Leanne shouted after Kal, but he wasn't listening.

"Use what you need. You can always return the rest. Apparently my brother has done well for himself," Ra said with a grin then followed Kal.

When Ra caught up to his brother, Kal was getting into his car.

"You really going to drive in this?" Ra asked as he held his hands out. The snow was coming down faster. There was nearly six inches on the ground, and there was no sign of it letting up.

"What's the worst that will happen? I get in a car wreck?" Kal asked then got in and slammed the door. Kal tried to turn over the engine, but it was now below zero. His car wasn't used to this weather, and neither was his battery.

Ra knocked on the window, so Kal opened his door.

"Wait until the snowplows come. We'll find our way to the airport and beat her to Salvon. You're not helping anyone if you have to walk." Ra could see that he wasn't getting through to Kal, so he changed tactics. "She can't risk taking Bree on a plane. She can't risk her being seen by anyone. But..." he paused and smiled. "She will not risk harming Bree. Not until she has a way to stop you. I can't even beat you. She's crazy, not stupid."

"What are you saying?" Kal asked and popped the hood. He got out, made his way to the front then opened the hood. Ra could tell by the way Kal stared at the engine that Kal had no idea what he was looking for.

"The battery is dead because it's cold. It has to be twenty below out here. You just can't feel it," Ra explained.

Kal turned and looked at his brother full of desperation.

"Bree is out in this. What if..." Kal started.

"El isn't stupid. If Bree dies. You'll tear her apart. She has a plan. A plan that ensures Bree is completely safe until she can trap you somehow." Ra's confidence was contagious. Kal loosened up a little.

"What if El didn't plan on the snow? What if they are stuck in a car somewhere? Bree isn't like us. She'll freeze to death." Kal was adamant but so was Ra.

"You can hate me if you like. I don't blame you, but I will not be a part of getting Bree killed. She has done nothing to deserve this besides love you. And don't get me started about my nephew or niece. I can't stop El on my own. She's nearly the same age as I am and much sneakier. So, I will not be a part of you running off with a head full of steam and half a stupid plan." Ra looked at Kal and could tell that his little brother was still ready to race off into a snowstorm blindly.

"Fine! You want to go running off on your own?! Which way did they go? Did they go north or south? Did El drive a truck or a car? Did El stop at a hotel because it's too cold for Bree? Did El try to trip us up by heading east to a town and wait us out? Did she head west to end up in a different state before she headed to Salvon?" His questions finally made Kal see reason. They had absolutely no idea where El was. Walking around blindly in a snowstorm, which was nearly a blizzard, would only waste time.

"Fine," Kal relented.

Ra put his arm over Kal's shoulders and ushered him back inside. At the doorway, Ra stopped and grinned.

"El is right about one thing," Ra said.

"What's that?" Kal asked.

"That hundred and ten-pound woman is the first person who has ever been able to bring you to your knees. Someday I hope I find that," Ra said and continued inside.

# Chapter 14

Elyssa drove slowly behind the snowplow. The car she had stolen wasn't a newer car like Kal's, but it also wasn't equipped for weather like this. In fact, she wasn't sure the heater was working correctly. Bree looked like she was freezing, but she couldn't pass the snowplow because her tires couldn't handle the slick roads. Following it was her only hope of making it to a hotel or even someone's house. Bree wouldn't last long in this freezing weather, and that would seal Elyssa's fate.

The heater was going full blast, but Bree was still shivering. Although Elyssa couldn't feel the cold, one look at Bree told her that there was very little heat coming from it. Every few seconds, Elyssa looked over at her passenger nervously.

"Stay awake, Bree," Elyssa urged her.

"Why are you doing this?" Bree asked, but it was clear she was freezing.

"Let me tell you a story," Elyssa said. "Just don't fall asleep."

"I'll try," Bree said and squeezed her thin jacket around herself while she shivered.

"I was once a princess. My mother and father were king and queen of the world. They took their power, and I loved every minute of it. Our family was a force to be reckoned with. No one dared defy us. But then my parents decided a monarchy was archaic." The way she said parents enforced her hatred for them. "They gave away their power. My father, one of the most feared men in the entire world, just gave up."

"So, you're going to kill me because you have daddy issues?" Bree asked with a laugh. She pulled her jacket tighter and shivered again.

"No, you idiot! Just listen!" Elyssa chastised. "Eventually my father was voted president, but it was just a title. Leader of a large council. It had power, but nothing compared to what we used to have. I was a damn princess!"

Elyssa reached over and slapped Bree on the face.

"Stay awake damn it!" Elyssa shouted, but the fear in her voice was evident. "Now pay attention. Not only, was my father now the leader of an ineffective group of elderly vampires, I was nothing. No one cowered at the mention of my name. People smiled and waved at me. Me. Elyssa! They fucking waved at me!"

"So?" Bree asked as her eyes drooped and her body shivered.

"That was just the beginning. All this indignity, then HE was born!" Elyssa said with disgust. "That little brat. The baby. Kal."

"So, it's not daddy issues, it's abandonment issues," Bree said, her eyes could barely remain open.

"No! You're not understanding! He took everything that belonged to me. People feared him from the moment he was born. But that's not all. Even though they feared him, they respected him. Kal brought this man to justice. Kal killed this rogue vampire. Kal the terrible. Kal the beloved. Kal. Everything was Kal!" Elyssa ranted while Bree sunk deeper into unconsciousness.

Elyssa saw that Bree wasn't going to make it much longer, then she saw the lights in the distance.

"Hold on, Bree. Don't you die on me," Elyssa said and floored it. She slid precariously by the snowplow and headed straight for the lights. She didn't care if it was a gas station. It had heat. Heat Bree desperately needed.

In minutes Elyssa slid her car into the parking lot of a hotel and sideswiped a car, but she didn't care. She threw her door open, grabbed Bree, and busted through the door of one of the rooms. She quickly deposited Bree, fully clothed, into the tub then started the water running. The water felt warm to Elyssa's hand, but she couldn't be sure. Vampires didn't feel temperature like humans did. Maybe it was too hot.

A man came rushing to the broken door with a shotgun. He pointed at Elyssa, and she smiled back at him. Soon her smile turned deadly as her fangs descended.

"Just what I was looking for. A thermometer," she said and lunged at the man. He managed to get one shot off, which hit Elyssa in the stomach, but it didn't stop her. She grabbed the poor man and ripped his coat sleeve off. When she had him in the bathroom, she thrust his arm under the running water.

"Is this too hot?" she asked.

"What?!" the man screamed in terror.

"IS THE WATER TOO HOT?!" she shouted at him, and he cowered.

"It's cold," he said fearfully.

"Fix it!" she said loudly.

The man adjusted the nobs until the water was sufficiently warm. He shook from fear, but he had no choice. He had just shot this monster, and it didn't even phase her.

"Will that warm her up?" Elyssa asked the cowering man, and he nodded fearfully.

"I thinks so," he stuttered. "Who is she?"

"More important than you are," Elyssa said angrily.

Elyssa paced just outside of the bathroom while the man watched over Bree for several minutes. He desperately wanted to run, but there was nowhere to go.

"How did this happen?" the man was finally brave enough to ask.

"I don't know," Elyssa said. "Humans are fragile."

"She seems to be ok now. Should I get her out?" the man asked. He reached for Bree.

"Don't you fucking touch her!" Elyssa shouted, and in a flash, she had her hands on the man's throat.

"I was just going to wrap her in blankets and get her dry. Her lips aren't blue anymore. That's a good sign," he groveled.

Elyssa released his throat and thought for a second then an evil grin spread.

"Where do you live?" she asked.

"I'm the manager. I live in the house over there," he said and pointed out the door. Elyssa could see a small house at the edge of the string of hotel rooms.

"Keys," Elyssa demanded.

"What?" the man asked.

"KEYS!" Elyssa shouted. After the cowering man handed her the keys, Elyssa smiled. "Are you hard of hearing or something?"

"No," the man admitted.

"Do you have blankets and a heater in your house?" Elyssa asked calmly.

"Yes. I can make sure she is well cared for," he offered.

"That won't be necessary," Elyssa said then picked him up by his throat and sunk her teeth into his artery.

She could feel the gunshot in her stomach healing as she drained the man's blood. He tried to struggle, but it was useless. In less than a minute, the only evidence she had been shot was her bloody clothing. She tossed the dead man, his lifeless body hit the wall then slumped in the corner.

Elyssa drained the water then grabbed blankets from the beds in the room and wrapped Bree up. As quickly as she could, she rushed to the dead man's house and up the stairs to his bedroom. Then Elyssa removed all of Bree's soaking wet clothes and placed her gently in the man's bed, then piled blankets on top of her.

While Bree lay on the bed sleeping, Elyssa watched over her like a hawk. She was exhausted, but she couldn't sleep. Not until she was sure Bree was safe. This fragile creature was the only thing stopping her little brother from tearing her limbs off. And now that her plan was underway, she was certain he would do just that, if he got the chance.

# Chapter 15

When Bree woke, it was morning. She was naked and in a strange place. Then the events of the previous night came rushing back to her. She pulled the covers up to her chin and peered around the room. Was this situation to keep her from running? No sane person would run out into the middle of a blizzard while completely naked. As her eyes adjusted to the light in the room, she noticed Elyssa slumped in a chair, partially covered in shadows. She was covered in blood, and there was a hole in her shirt the size of a softball.

Bree peeked out the window and noticed that the snow had stopped, but the scene outside was both blinding and worrisome. The hillside out the window was covered in snow. It must have snowed at least a foot. Running wasn't an option. She'd freeze to death before she got anywhere. Not that anywhere was safe. The only place safe from the lunatic sleeping in that chair was by Kal's side, and she had no idea where he was.

A phone. That was it. She could call Kal. Then she pushed the idea aside. What good would it do to call him? She had no idea where she was. Elyssa was clearly unstable. It would only aggravate her and scare Kal. A phone call without knowing where she was, would solve nothing.

Bree continued to scour the room for anything that might help then she heard the chair creak.

"Good morning sunshine," Elyssa said. She was standing at the side of the bed, and Bree hadn't even heard her cross the room. "That's what humans say to someone who's important to them, isn't it?"

"I'm important?" Bree asked.

"You have no idea. You are the most important person in the entire world. Well..." Elyssa said and turned around to survey the aftermath of the blizzard outside. "You and that brat you're carrying."

"What are you going to do to us?" Bree asked frightfully. She continued to scour the room while Elyssa's back was turned. There had to be something here that could either tell her where she was or help her escape.

Elyssa turned around, and Bree fixated on her gaze.

"You're too slow to be sneaky. Quit that," Elyssa warned. "And as to what I'm going to do to you..." Elyssa leaned in and grinned, her fangs descended, and Bree was terrified. "I'm going to treat you like a queen." Elyssa laughed then stood up straight and walked to the foot of the bed. "That is, until Kal is dead. Then I'll kill you. Can't have that little brat trying to avenge its father's death."

"Why? I still don't understand what you get out of all this," Bree said. "You're upset with Kal, but how does this help you?"

Elyssa leaned on the foot of the bed and smiled. Her fangs were gone, but she looked no less menacing.

"I get to be a princess again." She pushed herself off the bed and started searching through the dresser. She tossed out several pieces of clothing, then turned back to Elyssa. "Ok. Fine. I won't be a princess. I'll be a queen. Close enough."

"What about the other gargoyles? Kal said there were about ten." Bree tried to get Elyssa to see reason, but Elyssa's evil smile told her it wasn't working.

"Those pathetic wannabe Kals?" Elyssa forced a laugh then looked at Bree seriously. "I'll snap their necks like....well...like a human. There is no one like Kal. The other gargoyles will cower at my feet."

Bree could see the pride Elyssa had for her brother. It was distorted by her insanity and desire for power, but it was there. Also, there was something off about Elyssa's story and her supposed motivations. Bree couldn't put her finger on it, but somehow Elyssa's story sounded...too convenient, too easy.

"I know what you're thinking," Elyssa said then tossed a long-sleeved sweatshirt and pants on the bed. Next, she pulled out some long underwear and tossed those on the bed as well.

"What am I thinking?" Bree asked when it was clear Elyssa wasn't going to speak until she did.

"Eww, men's clothes." Elyssa made a childishly disgusted face and held her hands up like she was throwing a fit, then swiftly returned to her anger. "This isn't a beauty contest, sweetheart. These will make sure you don't almost die on me again."

"That's not what I was thinking," Bree said as she grabbed the long underwear bottoms, stood and pulled them on, then did the same with the top that matched them. She stood wearing just the long underwear and glared at Elyssa. It was her turn to force a question.

"Oh, what were you thinking then?" Elyssa asked.

"I was wondering how Kal is going to kill you. Will it be slow and painful..." she started but before she could finish Elyssa had her hands around her throat.

Bree could feel Elyssa's sharp nails digging into her skin. Bree tried to show bravery, but she was terrified.

"Cute. You think that because I need you alive. I can't hurt you. That's where you're wrong. Treating you like a queen was one option...there is another." Elyssa released Bree's neck, grabbed her left wrist then pulled back her pinky finger until she heard it snap.

Bree screamed in pain and fell to the floor.

"Shit! Shit! Shit!" Bree shouted as she tried to pull her finger straight once more, but she couldn't manage to overcome the pain.

"Quit whining!" Elyssa shouted, then grabbed her finger and straightened it.

"FUCK!" Bree screamed and cradled her hand.

"Now that we have an understanding, I expect you to be much more courteous to me in the future," Elyssa said.

Bree looked up from her position on the floor with malice.

"Don't count on it," Bree replied.

"Don't do anything stupid," Elyssa warned.

Bree screamed and lunged at Elyssa, who stopped her easily, then laughed.

"Damn! You are a feisty one." Elyssa tossed her on the bed, and when Bree tried to get back up, Elyssa flashed her fangs and growled. "Stay down."

"I'm going to enjoy every minute of watching my husband tear you to pieces," Bree said.

"You just don't quit, do you?" Elyssa asked with amusement.

"Nope. If you're expecting me to bend over and kiss your ass, you're sorely mistaken," Bree said with hatred. She hadn't tried to get off the bed again. She knew she was no match for Elyssa, but Bree enjoyed the glimmer of fear in Elyssa's eyes every time she mentioned Kal. "You can break all my fingers, and I'll still flip you off."

"You're kind of amusing. Just get dressed. I'll bind and gag you if I have to, but we're going to Salvon," Elyssa said and walked out the door.

Now was Bree's chance. Elyssa was downstairs rummaging through the kitchen for some reason. Bree grabbed the rest of the clothes from the bed and scoured the room once more. She even stared out the window, but there was nothing to tell her where she was. There was also no phone in sight. Then Bree saw it. A small pocket knife on the nightstand beside the bed. She wouldn't be able to do much to Elyssa with this, but it might help her escape if her captor was serious about tying her up. Bree shoved the knife into one of the overly large pockets of the enormous pair of pants she was wearing then headed downstairs.

"Do you have a belt or a rope?" Bree asked.

"A little large?" Elyssa asked with a laugh.

"I won't be moving very quickly if my pants fall down," Bree replied. She made her way down the stairs. She could be polite, if only to keep Elyssa off-guard. But when she found a way out, Bree would certainly take it. She sneered at Elyssa when her back was turned. She hadn't been kidding upstairs. She would enjoy every second of Kal tearing Elyssa apart.

"I saw a rope in the drawer over there," Elyssa said and motioned toward a cabinet with drawers going to the floor.

The style of the kitchen, as well as the rest of the house, reminded Bree of a picture she had seen of a country home in the nineteen sixties. Everything was wood and stained with dark colors. Even the refrigerator looked like it belonged in a sixties catalog. The stove was dirty and white, just like the rest of the appliances.

When Bree opened the drawer, Elyssa had directed her to, she saw her salvation. Inside the drawer was a small revolver. She pulled on the rope while she tilted the revolver, then her hope sank.

"It's not loaded," Elyssa said with a laugh.

"Damn, was hoping I could save Kal the trouble of killing you," Bree shot back.

"See? Isn't this fun? Two sisters bantering back and forth? I wish I'd had a sister when I was younger," Elyssa said. Bree looked, and Elyssa hadn't even turned around. She was not scared of Bree in the slightest.

"It wasn't that great," Bree said. She continued to search through the drawers for anything else she might use. Hopefully something Elyssa hadn't seen or hadn't considered useful to her.

"Did big sister pick on you?" Elyssa asked and, although Bree didn't turn around, she was certain Elyssa was faking a pout.

"Not for long, but she did make sure I never got to do anything fun. No sneaking out. No boys after ten. I was a virgin until I was eighteen," Bree said. She moved to the next set of drawers but still nothing. Not unless she was going to somehow use an oversized fork to facilitate her escape.

"Boohoo," Elyssa taunted. "You had it so rough. My father barely knew I existed. My mother hated me. My big brother ignored me. And then there was Kal."

"What exactly are you looking for? Maybe I've seen it in these drawers? I found the rope, by the way," Bree said. Maybe being friendly was a better option. Antagonizing Elyssa wasn't getting her to let her guard down at all, no matter how much fun it was.

"I'm looking for the keys to that pickup out there. I really hope it has a heater. I do not want a repeat of last night," Elyssa explained.

"Maybe we should wait until the roads are clear." Bree looked out the kitchen window and saw the truck she assumed Elyssa was referring to. It was old and rusted. It had chains on the tires, but it didn't look like it would make it anywhere. "I'm not so sure I trust that truck."

"This guy lived here. His truck will be a lot better suited for driving in this than the stupid car I got from the tourists," Elyssa replied.

Bree stared out beyond the truck and saw the car Elyssa had been driving. It was smashed against another car, and it didn't look like it was going anywhere.

"I'm going to find a coat or something. Maybe some boots and socks," Bree said.

"You're attitude sure did change. Trying to butter me up?" Elyssa asked skeptically.

At the bottom of the stairs, Bree turned and looked at Elyssa with hatred.

"No. I just want to stay alive until Kal rescues me. Pissing you off is counterproductive right now," Bree said then headed up the stairs.

"Right now? So, pissing me off will become useful later?" Elyssa asked with a laugh. "See. That's why I like you. It's too bad you're pregnant with my brother's brat. I think we could have been friends."

Bree ignored Elyssa's taunts and continued upstairs. While Bree found socks, boots, and a coat, Elyssa finally found the keys.

"Got em!" she yelled up the stairs. "You got five minutes, then we're leaving!"

After a few minutes, Bree came down dressed in layer after layer of clothing, and Elyssa laughed.

"Well. At least no one will recognize you," Elyssa said with amusement.

"I told you. I just want to live until Kal rescues me. That's all. I'm not going to freeze to death because you can't tell when it's cold out," Bree snapped back at her.

"Works for me," Elyssa replied then opened the door for Bree. "After you."

In minutes, Bree and Elyssa were on the highway and on their way back to Salvon. The lack of heat was no longer a problem for Bree, but she still hoped Kal would find her soon.

# Chapter 16

Ra and Kal traveled along the same highway as Bree and Elyssa. Had they left five minutes sooner they would have been right behind them, though neither of them would have recognized Bree nor the truck Elyssa was driving. Had they kept driving on this same highway, they would have followed the two women all the way to Salvon. Instead, thirty miles down the road, Kal and Ra turned off, then headed to an airport.

Ra had been right though. They reached Salvon long before Bree and Elyssa did. Although they had beat the two women home, Kal's apartment provided him with little comfort. Kal pushed the button on the answering machine and listened to the droning messages from prospective companies wanting his money. Then, the third message renewed his anger for his sister.

"Kal? Little brother? I hope you are the one who finds this. By now, I have your precious Bree and the brat she carries. Don't try to find me. You never will. I'm a million times smarter than you are. When I'm ready, I'll let you know where to meet. If you haven't killed Ra yet, bring him along. We'll have a family reunion." Elyssa didn't even bother to disguise her voice.

Kal threw the machine across the apartment, and it shattered on the front door.

Ra just waited with his arms crossed, looking as disapproving as he usually did. Kal remembered all the times as a little boy when Ra had this very same look. Kal never seemed to be able to please his big brother.

"What's the look for, Ra? I'm not living up to the standards set by Ra the Immortal, The Sun God, whatever else they used to call you?" Kal asked with disdain.

"No. You are not living up to the standards of Kal," Ra said matter-of-factly.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Kal asked angrily.

"You were always better than me. You don't get tempted by the smell of blood. You've never killed a human because you couldn't control yourself. You've never woken up covered in the blood of a village and had no idea how you got there. You were better than me the day you were born, and you still are." Ra was serious, and Kal was a little awestruck.

"But..." Kal started, but Ra wasn't finished.

"I'm not saying you don't have your faults," Ra said with a laugh. "I mean, you have a serious temper. And your naïve devotion to our sister. I was never envious of that."

"I'm done with that now," Kal replied. Ra could see the anger boiling just below the surface.

"But you still have that temper, and it might get Bree killed." Ra walked over and picked up the broken pieces of the answering machine then deposited them in the garbage. He noticed the strange look on his brother's face. "What? Bree is my sister-in-law. I'm not going to leave her house a mess. When she gets home, I don't want her yelling at me. I've met her, remember?"

Kal looked at his brother and smiled. Ra still had hope. Kal was losing his quickly, but his brother wasn't.

"What do we do now?" Kal asked.

"I know a guy," Ra joked.

"Seriously?" Kal asked.

"Actually, I do know a guy that might be helpful. But first, you're going to help me clean up the mess you made. I'm not going to let you screw this up, brother." Ra stared at Kal until he laughed, then Kal proceeded to help clean up the broken pieces of the answering machine.

When Kal and Ra arrived at a seedy-looking bar hidden in a back alley, Kal looked skeptical.

"I know what you're thinking, but he's here. Been here for a few hundred years," Ra explained.

"How come I've never noticed him?" Kal asked. He pushed his way through the rough-looking crowd of drunks, and not one of them would look him in the eye. As he looked around the bar, he realized something. They were all vampires, and they weren't drunk. This was a feeding bar.

"Perhaps you weren't really looking, Kal," Ra said and made his way to a door in the back marked private.

"Have you been here before?" Kal asked.

"I come here once in a while," Ra admitted. "Check up on you. Watch Bree for a while. This last time I was satisfied, so I left and didn't intend to return."

"Satisfied?" Kal asked.

"You seemed happy with her, and you weren't looking for me, so yes, I was satisfied," Ra stated then opened the door and held it for Kal. Kal walked in, and the man sitting in the chair was sucking blood from the wrist of a half-naked woman. She was sitting on a table facing the man, and when he recognized Kal, he nearly had a heart attack.

"Kal! This isn't what it looks like. She's consensual, and she's an adult," the man said. He had a full beard and a balding head. Kal always found it strange that even vampires were susceptible to baldness. One of the mysteries of nature. Perhaps it was an adaptation to help the predator fit in with its prey.

The woman looked at Kal. She looked like she was on something. The half-naked woman stumbled and grabbed Kal's face.

"You're cute," she said with a slur. To humans, a vampire's bite was similar to being drunk but without the hangover. Something in the saliva produced a feeling of euphoria and the lightheadedness that accompanied blood loss added to the effect. The woman held out her wrist, and Kal watched as the balding vampire's eyes grew huge. "Want a taste?" she asked seductively.

Kal transformed. His grey, boney face, with its red eyes, stared back at the woman. She screamed, then ran out of the room.

"Do you know how many laws you're breaking?" Kal asked. He still hadn't changed back, and this only intensified the balding vampires fear.

"Kal. This is the guy," Ra said as he patted his brother on the shoulder.

"This is the guy who is going to help us find Bree?" Kal asked and returned to human form.

"Wait a minute. Ra. I never signed up for this," the man said.

"Shut up, Hodge. Or would you like me to leave, so you and Kal could discuss your violation of the law?" Ra asked with a smirk.

"Shutting up," Hodge replied.

"This weasel knows where to find Bree?" Kal asked. He motioned to the cowering man full of skepticism.

"No. But. He will help us find El. He's been living under your nose for years. He knows where vampires hide from you and how they do it." Ra looked confident, so Kal took him at his word.

Kal leaned over the table and stared at Hodge. Hodge twitched, and his eyes kept darting to Ra for help.

"What do you want?" Hodge asked.

"My sister," Kal said angrily.

"Elyssa? That sister?" Hodge asked, trying to be helpful.

"I don't have another," Kal said angrily. "Where do I find her?"

"Oh, that's hard to say," Hodge evaded.

"Hodge," Ra warned.

"She'll kill me," Hodge pleaded.

Kal shifted to gargoyle form and growled.

"My brother is going to kill you unless you tell us," Ra explained.

"Decisions, decisions," Hodge said. "Die now or risk Elyssa torturing me? I'm gonna have to go with die now." Hodge shut his eyes and looked at the ceiling, exposing his neck.

Kal grabbed Hodge around the throat, lifted him up, and slammed him against the wall.

"Which hand should I start with?" Kal growled.

"What do you mean?" Hodge asked, terrified.

"Never mind. I'll start with your toes." Kal stuck out his index finger and his long black, razor-sharp claw, was the focus of Hodge's gaze.

"Wait! Wait! Maybe there's a compromise," Hodge said.

"Let's hear it," Kal said angrily and slammed Hodge back down in his chair.

"So, I think there's a way we can both come out of this winners...and I won't end up someone's plaything," Hodge offered.

"Well? I'm waiting," Kal replied.

"What if I don't tell you where she is," Hodge started. Kal slammed his fist through the table, and Hodge held up his hands. "Let me finish." Kal stood up straight and crossed his arms, so Hodge continued. "What if instead of telling you where she might be, I tell you how you can find her yourself? If you go snooping around and find her. I didn't help you, did I?"

"What's that supposed to mean?" Kal asked. He shifted back to human form. The small room was a little snug when he was six foot two and over three hundred pounds.

"She uses several names to hide her properties. Even vampires own property. We can't, very well, have humans walking in and risk being the current target of the council. That would be stupid. But when you own the property, humans keep their distance." Hodge looked like he had just told them the location of a buried treasure. He looked so proud of himself until Kal sneered.

"Ok. Ok." Hodge started writing down several names as quickly as he could. He picked up the napkin and handed it to Kal.

"This all of them?" Kal asked.

"As far as I know. I'm not saying I know every name she has ever used, but this is a good list to start with," Hodge said.

Kal leaned forward and gave Hodge a menacing stare.

"If I ever hear of humans coming here involuntarily. I'll shut you down...permanently," Kal warned.

"Hodge. I'd listen to him. He doesn't make idle threats," Ra said.

"Thanks a lot, Ra," Hodge said sarcastically.

In a flash, Ra had his clawed hand on Hodge's throat.

"Kal is a by-the-book kind of guy. I might just come back for fun," Ra warned.

"Just joking, Ra," Hodge said nervously.

Despite being outdone by his baby brother Kal, Ra was one of the two oldest and most feared vampires on the planet, Elyssa was the other.

Kal led the way out of the bar and stuck the napkin in his pocket. Ra followed and grabbed a cup of blood on the way out. Kal didn't have to turn around to know what Ra was doing.

"I almost threw up in there, and you bring that stench with you?" Kal asked.

"You did a good job of hiding it," Ra said with a laugh, guzzled the last of the blood then tossed the cup at the door.

"That was sort of fun. Reminded me of when we were younger," Kal said. Ra caught up to him and patted Kal on the back.

"We were quite the pair before El happened," Ra added.

"Was it all El? Sure, she killed dad but..." Kal trailed off.

"You tried to kill me because you thought I killed dad. It's that simple. Would you have even considered killing me before that?" Ra asked seriously.

"I suppose not. I looked up to you," Kal admitted.

"I always strived to be more like you," Ra said. He smiled and jogged ahead. He hailed a cab, and when Kal caught up, Ra gave him a funny look. "I don't walk everywhere. We need to head to the county offices and see if we can't find some of the properties these aliases own."

"You're a little old fashioned, Ra," Kal scolded. "I can probably do it faster on my laptop."

"Ok, Mr. Smartypants. Let's head back to your place then." Ra got in the cab followed by Kal, and soon they were back at Kal's place to begin the search.

# Chapter 17

Bree's eyes adjusted to the dim light as the sun went down. The temperature was warm, and she knew she was in Salvon, but she had no idea what basement, of which building, Elyssa had hidden her in. She was tied with rope to a metal pole. Her hands were behind her back, around the pole, and the place smelled horrible. Perhaps it was her pregnancy or the fact that she was pregnant with a baby gargoyle. Either way, she doubted the stench would have been this bad if she wasn't pregnant.

She smelled dead animals and garbage. Then she sniffed the air again. Spilled whiskey and mold. Where the hell was she? Bree struggled with her ropes and realized the front pocket of these pants was about the worst place she could have stashed the pocket knife. Then she realized, nope, the shirt pocket would have been worse. Not that it mattered, there was no way she was getting either of her hands anywhere near the knife.

Bree slumped down and tried to sit on the floor. Her shoulders were killing her. She had been here for hours. Bree had tried yelling for help, she had tried breaking the ropes, she had even tried to slip her small wrists out of the bonds, but Elyssa was no slouch at knot tying. Bree was going nowhere.

Bree heard footsteps, and soon Elyssa walked into the dimly lit basement holding a tray.

"Supper time," Elyssa said cheerfully. She set the tray on the floor then walked around behind Bree. "No funny business. No running. And no more screaming, please. It just hurts my ears. No one is anywhere near this place."

"Fine," Bree yielded.

Once the knots were undone, Bree reveled in the feeling of blood rushing through her arms once more. Her shoulders throbbed, and her wrists hurt, but it was much less painful than it had been a second ago. She eagerly scooped up whatever the food was on the tray in front of her. She didn't care what it was. She felt like she was starving, which meant the baby probably was too.

"Enjoying your rat stew?" Elyssa taunted.

"Delicious," Bree said with her mouth full. She honestly didn't care. It was the best rat stew she had ever eaten.

"You're no fun. It's beef stew," Elyssa said miserably.

"Ready for Kal to rescue me yet?" Bree asked as she finished the last of her food.

"Almost," Elyssa said with a strange grin.

Bree's mouth fell open as ten incredibly frightful looking things walked up behind Elyssa. Their skin was pale, and their heads were hairless. Some were short, some were tall, but they were all bone thin.

"What are those?" Bree asked.

"The fallout of my brother living in the US," Elyssa replied cryptically.

"And what is that supposed to mean?" Bree asked.

"These poor souls would rather spend their time hiding in the dark than risk meeting Kal in person. I'm helping them rid the world of my brother." Elyssa waited for Bree's indignance and snide comments. Truthfully, it was the highlight of her day.

"So, you have a built-in following. How cute. Starting a cult?" Bree asked.

"Actually," Elyssa said and raised her hands. Thirty or forty more of the hideous creatures filled in behind her. "I have an army."

"An army of speed bumps," Bree said with a laugh.

Elyssa walked up to Bree with a smug look on her face. She bent down and grinned even wider.

"They just have to slow him down enough for me to deliver the killing blow," Elyssa taunted.

Bree had heard enough. She quickly reached in her pocket, pulled out the knife, and stabbed at Elyssa's throat. Elyssa caught her wrist only inches before the blade sunk in.

"That was brave. Stupid, but brave." Elyssa squeezed Bree's wrist until she screamed in agony then dropped the knife. Elyssa then picked up the blade and thrust it forward, stopping as the tip of the knife pierced the skin on Bree's stomach.

"I could end its life right now, if you like. All I need is you." Elyssa held the knife and Bree's wrist, but Bree didn't flinch.

"You know as well as I do that the knife will kill me long before it kills him...her? I think it's a her," Bree said with a strange smile. She leaned back and held her stomach while she grinned.

"How would you know?" Elyssa spat then turned and waved her army away. The sickly vampires took off, leaving Elyssa and Bree alone.

"I'm not sure. I just know," Bree said and her face filled with joy.

"Oh, you just so happen to be the only human to ever get pregnant with a gargoyle, and then, on top of that, you are the only mother of a female gargoyle? Don't be ridiculous." Elyssa seemed rather upset by Bree's prediction.

"There are no female gargoyles?" Bree asked.

"No," Elyssa replied sharply.

"Oh, man. You vampires sure aren't good at math, are you?" Bree taunted.

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" Elyssa asked.

"Statistics. Ever hear of them? The pool of ten gargoyles isn't enough to even come to a conclusion. Maybe females are just more rare. Maybe it just hasn't happened yet," Bree said confidently and with as much smugness as she could muster.

"Eleven," Elyssa said.

"What's that?" Bree asked with a smirk.

"There are eleven gargoyles. Kal is eleven," Elyssa said as if that made any difference.

"Oh. So, sorry. Your enormous pool of eleven gargoyles still isn't enough to amount to anything. You might as well just throw darts at a board with your eyes closed. It would be just about as informative." Bree crossed her arms and leaned back on the pole. Her stomach hurt where Elyssa had stabbed her, but she knew it wasn't deep. She wasn't about to give Elyssa the satisfaction of letting her know it hurt.

"Hands behind the pole. I need to go out again," Elyssa ordered.

Bree did as she was told but couldn't help but taunt Elyssa before she left.

"Time for Kal to rescue me yet, or are you going to lookup statistics? I hear the library has a whole section on math. Maybe your pale army would do better if...I don't know...they could add?" Bree asked with a laugh.

Elyssa pulled the ropes tightly, but Bree refused to scream or even grunt. It hurt like hell, but she knew she'd never win a battle of strength. The battle of wits and willpower? She had a pretty good suspicion she was winning that battle.

# Chapter 18

Kal crept into the dark basement of the abandoned factory. Ra was coming in from the other side, but he couldn't see him yet. Something was off about this place. He couldn't smell as acutely as Ra, and although he trusted Ra's assessment, he had his doubts. Ra had said that the smell from this place was definitely from a vampire, actually a few vampires. It wasn't Elyssa, but their sister was very careful about covering her scent. Ra had also smelled Bree. Something Elyssa couldn't hide.

Over the years, Elyssa had taken great pains to learn the art of covering her scent with various herbs and perfumes that confused a vampire's sense of smell. They would not have an easy time tracking Elyssa but the smell of a human, carrying a gargoyle's baby? It would take a ton of herbs and gallons of perfume to hide that smell.

As Kal made his way cautiously toward the metal pole in the center of the room, he saw a tray on the ground. Ra came from the other direction, and his face looked horrified.

"What is it?" Kal asked quietly yet adamantly.

"Just stay calm. It's just a little blood. Who knows? Maybe she scraped her knee. Maybe the ropes were too tight. It's just a little," Ra said as calmly and confidently as he could. Truthfully, outside this room, he had feared the worst, but when he came in the basement, and the smell was no stronger, he was relieved.

"Just a little blood?!" Kal shouted.

"I said to stay calm. There's something else," Ra said with a smile that calmed Kal more than the words he spoke.

"What?" Kal asked.

"She's changing," Ra said.

"What do you mean changing?" Kal asked, his confidence in his brother fell away. How was this a good thing?

"She is less human than she was at the inn. I thought it was a little strange, but even at the inn, I could smell the gargoyle inside her." Ra's smile didn't give Kal any comfort this time.

"You mean the baby?" Kal asked.

"No. At first, that's what I thought it was, but this blood changed my mind. It's not the baby I'm smelling. It's in Bree's blood." Ra's words were cryptic, and Kal couldn't stay calm any longer.

"What do you mean?! Changing into what?!" Kal demanded.

"Remember that human girl who got pregnant with a vampire in the umm...it was like the twelve hundreds or something. No, thirteen hundreds," Ra corrected himself and leaned against the metal pole.

"So?" Kal asked.

"That girl ended up becoming a vampire. Something about the pregnancy changed her," Ra explained.

"You think Bree is changing into a vampire?" Kal asked.

"No, a gargoyle," Ra answered. "She's a strong woman. You never know. Maybe someday people will be cowering at the mention of the name Bree Johnson." Ra laughed, and Kal joined in, then rolled his eyes.

"People already cower at the mention of the name Bree Johnson," Kal added. "She can make a grown man cry if she sets her mind to it." Kal's eyes darted to the left then the right. He had heard something. He noticed Ra doing the same thing, then Ra took a deep breath through his nose and stared at Kal.

"We have company," Ra said, and his fangs came out. His claws elongated, then the bones in his face pushed out against his skin. He looked quite a bit like a smaller Kal, minus the grey skin and red eyes.

Kal transformed as well, and they waited for whatever was coming. They could hear the quiet scratches, like claws running on cement. The sounds got closer and closer, then stopped. The two men put their backs together and waited for what seemed like an eternity in total silence.

"You're early," Elyssa's voice rang out from an unknown direction.

Kal desperately searched the room, but there was still no sign of anyone. Ra's eyes peered at a shadowy form, far in the distance, which Kal's eyes couldn't see. Something was off about Elyssa's voice.

"Come closer, sister," Ra said with a sinister quality to his voice.

"Where is she?" Kal asked quietly.

"Calm down, Kal. I'm not ready to kill you yet. My plan still has a few minor...tweaks," Elyssa said with a cruel laugh.

"If you hurt her!" Kal warned.

"I'm not going to hurt her yet," Elyssa said. Kal could hear the smile on her face, though he couldn't see her like Ra could. "Oh. Did you smell it yet Ra? I doubt little brother could, but surely you can."

"Yes. You better watch yourself. She just might tear your head off for us," Ra taunted.

Kal could hear his sisters long, evil laugh that seemed to come from everywhere in the basement.

"You don't get it. I want her to change. I was hoping for it," Elyssa said.

"Why?" Kal asked.

"Because she is the perfect woman for you in every way. She might even become immortal...and I'm going to rip it all away from you!" Elyssa's voice was becoming agitated. "I couldn't have planned this better myself. Who knew the day I came to Salvon to frame you for a murder, I would find an even better plan just waiting for me to pick it up? Someone up there hates you Kal. Who haven't you pissed off?"

Kal charged at a direction he thought he heard Elyssa's voice coming from, but halted as five pale, bone-thin, vampires walked out.

"That's not me!" Elyssa taunted.

Kal charged the opposite direction and was met with five more pale vampires.

"Wrong again, Kal! Strike two!" Elyssa said with a cruel laugh. "Poor Bree. She has the most inept supernatural being in existence as her would-be savior. How have you survived this long?"

"Because despite my failings. I'm not psychotic!" Kal shouted angrily.

"Ouch. That one hurt," Elyssa teased.

While Kal was charging around and failing to find Elyssa, Ra was listening carefully to the echoes and the nuances of Elyssa's voice. He was certain it was down the hall, but it wasn't Elyssa. It was a speaker. The shadowy figure was not his sister, after all.

"Kal," Ra whispered. Kal turned and looked at his brother. "She's not even here."

"So, you couldn't even bother showing up in person?!" Kal shouted.

"No fair. Ra's cheating for you," Elyssa said and laughed maniacally.

The dark figure Ra had seen walked forward, and he could see her clearly now. It was a female vampire about the same height and body type as Elyssa, but it wasn't her. The woman was holding a speaker in front of her, and she was grinning from ear to ear.

"Every vampire in this room has exactly ONE CHANCE to run!" Kal shouted. He bent over and roared in the direction of some of the vampires. They looked terrified, but they didn't run.

"No one is that afraid of you anymore little brother," the speaker said as the woman holding it walked closer. "They're more afraid of me."

"That's their mistake," Kal said while staring at the woman who was holding the speaker. She stared into his eyes and, without warning, she dropped the speaker and took off running.

Kal let her go, but he was furious. He charged at the large metal pole where Bree had been tied up only hours ago. He slammed into it, shoulder first, and the building shook. All the pale vampires stood, horrified, some realizing their mistake, others unsure of what to do.

Kal put both hands on the pole and stared at Ra.

"Run," he said, and Ra didn't have to be told twice. Ra was out of the building before he heard the building groaning as Kal pulled out the metal pole. Then Ra heard the horrible sound and the screaming as Kal swung the pole around the room and toppled every support. The building came crashing down, and after a few moments, he saw his little brother walking angrily from the rubble.

He had never seen Kal this angry in his life. Not even when he thought Ra had killed their father. This was something completely different. Kal wasn't just angry. The look on his face told him that his little brother had given up trying to save Elyssa from herself. If Kal got the chance, he really would kill her, and worst of all, Kal would enjoy it.

# Chapter 19

Bree sat tied to yet another pole but in a different building. This pole was made of rock and much larger. She felt it's cold, hard surface with her hands and could swear it was marble. The total darkness of the room didn't frighten Bree. She was far beyond being scared of the dark. The woman sitting in the dark, somewhere in this pitch-black room, was far more terrifying than anything Bree's imagination could make up.

Bree could hear Elyssa tapping on something, and every once in a while Bree caught the sound of shoes pacing. Elyssa was nervous. As terrifying as this woman was, Bree would never show fear nor weakness to her. Bree was too proud. Elyssa might be winning in her fight with Kal, but she would never win a battle of willpower against Bree.

"Something tells me your pale minions weren't even a speed bump," Bree said confidently in the direction of the tapping. Bree heard the sound of rushing air then felt Elyssa's warm breath on her ear as she spoke softly.

"Just a diversion, sweetheart. My plan is moving along perfectly," Elyssa whispered then Bree heard another rush of air and something metal fall, far in the distance.

"Are you afraid I'll recognize this place or something?!" Bree shouted. She heard another rush of air and felt Elyssa's warm breath on her other ear.

"Nope, just building anticipation for the big surprise," Elyssa said, and Bree could hear the smile on her face.

"Well, I'm bored," Bree said with a whine. However, she wasn't bored. Something seemed wrong. Something about Elyssa's motives seemed off. Why all the production? There was more to it than revenge or a desire for power.

"I'll entertain you soon enough," Elyssa said from somewhere across the large room.

Bree could hear Elyssa's voice echoing. This room was large and empty. She had assumed it was another basement, but maybe it wasn't.

"The baby is getting hungry. How long until you bring us some food? And she's really pushing on my bladder. Is there a bathroom around here?" Maybe this would push Elyssa to show her surprise early.

"You know what?" Elyssa asked. She was still on the other side of the room. "You sure do complain a lot. Maybe I don't want to get pregnant. It sounds miserable."

"So, you've thought about it?" Bree asked. Her first attempt had failed. Maybe this would get a rise out of Elyssa.

"I've even tried. Just not in the cards for me," Elyssa said. Bree could hear her fiddling with something metal still. What the hell was she doing?

"Maybe the universe doesn't want you passing on the crazy," Bree taunted. This might do it. Elyssa couldn't help but banter with her. Bree wasn't sure why, but it seemed like Elyssa enjoyed trading barbs.

Bree heard more rushing wind and cringed as she waited for Elyssa's voice to come from somewhere near her. This time Bree could almost feel the heat coming from Elyssa's face. She had to be only an inch from the tip of Bree's nose. Elyssa waited a second then spoke.

"It's not the universe. It's your greedy husband. He took that from me too," Elyssa said, and Bree realized Elyssa really believed this.

"How?" Bree asked. This one was more out of curiosity than to get a rise from Elyssa, but it accomplished both.

"Kal was a powerful little son of a bitch. Even when he was only a few hundred years old. But, then again, that's the reason I'm having such a hard time killing the bastard," Elyssa explained. She started to walk away, not even bothering to cover her footsteps this time.

"What does that have..." Bree started, but Elyssa shouted over her.

"Shut up and let me finish!" Elyssa said with more agitation than Bree had expected. Bree had hit a nerve. She realized this might be the real reason behind what was going on now. Sure, Kal had, in Elyssa's mind, slighted her many times over the years but this...this sounded like the spark which ignited her hatred.

"Kal was about three or four hundred. I was...much older." Elyssa laughed. "We were helping some humans win a war. Both sides had vampires. This was long before anyone had heard the name Kal. Ra, on the other hand, was an icon. The side which had his support had a terrifying general. That is why the opposing side offered me something I couldn't refuse."

"What...?" Bree tried to ask.

"I said SHUT THE HELL UP!" Elyssa shouted. Now Bree was certain. This was what started it all. No question. This is what had made Elyssa snap.

"To answer the question you so rudely interrupted me with. They offered me my own kingdom...well, more than a kingdom. Elyssa, queen of the world. The condition was, I had to defeat my brothers. Kal was such a follower back then. He did everything Ra asked. Mother and father would have surrendered if Kal and Ra were my captives. I would have had it all but, of course, Kal happened."

This time Bree didn't interrupt. As much fun as it was to ruffle Elyssa's feathers, she was walking a thin line. One more push and Elyssa might actually kill her. Besides, Bree needed to hear this story. Something in it might give her the edge she had been looking for.

"Anyway. I defeated Ra. It was glorious. One on one combat and I...ME...the little sister, beat my big brother Ra. It was... My victory was short lived. I underestimated Kal. Taunted him. Flitted around him like he was standing still. The bastard just waited for me to make a mistake. He didn't even change. He sat there in human form, letting me slice at his weak flesh. He was bleeding, so I went in for the debilitating blow. I wasn't going to kill him. He was my baby brother. He was not so kind with his strike. You heard me right. His ONE strike." She could hear the agitation and frustration building in Elyssa's voice.

"I went in to stab him in the chest, not the heart, just puncture a lung and keep him from fighting. He knew I was coming and swung with all his might." Elyssa was silent for a few moments and for a second Bree thought she heard crying. Then Elyssa's voice was loud and angry once more. "HE FUCKING CUT ME IN HALF! Right through my abdomen. One swift, powerful strike and I could no longer have children. The doctors spent days trying to sew me back together. A vampire should not survive that but, somehow, I did." Again Elyssa was silent, but Bree didn't hear crying. Instead, she heard a low growl.

"That was when I knew what I had to do. My little brother was a monster. I cozied up to him and played the supportive big sister as long as I could stand it, until I finally figured out how to defeat him. I couldn't fight him. That was clear. He could outmatch anyone. No, I had to hit him where it really hurt. The humans he adored. Make them hate him. Make them think he was a murderer. Kal would either run or submit to spending decades in their prison. Either way, I would have taken what he loved from him. Taken his future, like he did mine." Elyssa's voice changed like flipping a switch. One second she was hateful and cruel, and the next she was joyful and happy. "Then, I stumbled upon you. Either someone up there loves me, or just plain hates Kal. It was perfect." Elyssa was done with her story, and Bree had the urge to push it. Something about her motives still seemed a little off. Her story was horrible, but something about the way she told it made it seem more like an excuse than a reason. She was upset about it, but like her previous story, it seemed forced. It was almost like she was trying to convince herself, as well as Bree. Then Bree had an idea. A way to test her theory.

"Let me see if I got this straight," Bree started.

"I'd watch my tongue if I was you," Elyssa warned.

"You attacked Kal. Cut him, taunted him and tried to stab him in the chest. Then..." Bree paused and waited to give her sarcastic remark more effect.

"Shut up, Bree," Elyssa said angrily

"You got angry when he fought back?" Bree asked.

"I said SHUT UP, Bree!" Elyssa yelled, but she was still across the room. This story was horrible and true, but it wasn't why Elyssa was doing this.

"Why did you wait so long? Why now? Are you sure you want to kill Kal?" Bree asked.

Bree heard the rush of wind and braced herself for what she thought was coming, but Elyssa was more forceful than she had anticipated. Elyssa's hands wrapped around Bree's neck and squeezed. Soon, Bree was feeling light-headed as she gasped for air that would not come.

"You have no idea what you are talking about," Elyssa said through gritted teeth as she strangled Bree.

Bree felt victorious as she became dizzy. She had been right. As horrible as Elyssa's story had been. It wasn't the whole truth. There was more to this. The desire to take over the world, even Kal robbing her of the ability to have children, they were good excuses, but that's all they were. She didn't actually hate Kal. Then Bree blacked out.

When Elyssa saw Bree's eyes roll up into the back of her head and felt Bree's body go limp she panicked. "Oh shit! What did you make me do?!"

Elyssa shook Bree's limp body, but she wouldn't respond.

"NO! NO! NO! This can't be happening!" she shouted.

Elyssa pinched Bree's nose then breathed into her mouth. Afterward, she pushed lightly on Bree's chest. She might have already killed her. If she hadn't, she wasn't about to break the woman's ribs. Elyssa went back to giving Bree mouth to mouth. She wasn't sure how much force it would take to break this fragile creature's weak bones.

Soon, Bree started to cough, and Elyssa backed away. Bree opened her eyes but still couldn't see anything. She had nearly been choked to death but, strangely, she felt like she had won. She had found a flaw in Elyssa's story. Bree now knew just how far she needed to push Elyssa to make her snap, as well. Perhaps she could use that later when she found out the real reason Elyssa was doing this.

"I told you not to push me," Elyssa said guiltily.

"If you wanted a kiss, all you had to do was ask," Bree laughed then started coughing, her voice was hoarse, but she ignored the pain. Her satisfaction was worth it.

Elyssa didn't say a word. Bree heard her continue with whatever she was doing with the metal parts, but Elyssa was done talking. Bree had struck a nerve and Elyssa was not about to admit to whatever it was she harbored deep inside.

# Chapter 20

Kal thrust the door to his apartment open and stormed inside. Ra followed his brother and shook his head. He was worried. Kal had never been like this. Elyssa was really getting to him. Ra carefully closed the apartment door then made his way to the couch and sat down.

Kal paced and couldn't find a comfortable position for his hands. First, they were on his hips then he crossed his arms. Finally, he grabbed his face, and it looked like he was going to let out another roar, but he didn't.

"Calm down, Kal," Ra said.

"Quit telling me to calm down!" Kal shouted.

"You're doing exactly what she wants," Ra explained.

"Maybe it's what I want!" Kal shouted in return then decided to put his hands in his pockets while he paced back and forth.

"No, it's not. You want Bree back," Ra reasoned.

"Of course, I want Bree back," Kal said more quietly.

"This is not the way to accomplish that," Ra said. He put his arms up on the back of the couch. Soon Kal plopped down beside him. Ra put one arm around his brother, pulled him in, and patted him on the chest with his free hand. "There's my brother," he joked.

Kal let a smile slip out then shot back to his feet and paced once more.

"We're not winning, Ra," Kal said.

"No, we're not," Ra agreed.

"We're so far behind her. She has this all planned out. Contingencies for contingencies. She's kicking our ass," Kal said with exasperation.

"Yep," Ra agreed.

"I'm just telling you things you already know," Kal said as he stopped and looked at his brother.

"Yep," Ra answered.

"Then help me," Kal begged. The desperation in his eyes saddened Ra. Bree really was Kal's world. Elyssa had picked the one thing Kal could not live without.

"As soon as you calm down. You remember what dad always used to tell us?" Ra asked.

"An angry man makes stupid decisions," Kal admitted then plopped back down on the couch. He took a deep breath, then stared at the wall. "What do we do?"

"That saying works just as well when it's a woman," Ra said with a smirk.

Kal stared at his brother in disbelief.

"You're a genius," Kal stated.

"No. I am just a better strategist than you are. Always was. You are more the rush in and see what happens type." Ra laughed then got up and headed to the fridge. He pulled out a bottle of wine then grabbed two glasses and returned to the living room. He held up the glasses and lifted his eyebrows. Kal nodded, so Ra poured them both a glass then handed one to his brother. He sat down and sipped his wine.

"How do we make her mad? We need her to be the one making mistakes," Kal pondered.

"Well. You usually make her mad. Especially when she can't get under your skin. But when she sees you getting angry. Like toppling a building?" Ra raised one eyebrow and gave his brother a condescending look.

"Ok. I lost my temper. She had it coming," Kal replied guiltily.

"That's the part you're not getting. You didn't hurt her at all. You just hurt all those vampires. They were cannon fodder. She didn't care one bit about them. Your anger only proved that she could make you squirm." Ra took another sip and Kal downed his whole glass.

"So, help me do this better. I need Bree back," Kal begged.

"To start with. Slow down. You're even drinking your wine like you have somewhere you need to be. Take your time. She's had centuries to scheme. This may not be her original plan, but she has a huge head start." Ra took another sip and grinned at his brother.

"Ok," Kal said and leaned forward. He put his elbows on his knees and both hands on the wine glass. Ra saw what was coming and didn't even bother to warn his brother. He could see Kal's rage bubbling up as he fumed then...the glass in Kal's hands shattered.

Ra just laughed as Kal stared at his bloody hands.

"You going to clean that up?" Ra asked.

"Yes, mom," Kal whined.

"Hey. I told you once before. I will not have my sister-in-law yelling at me because I let you trash the place." The grin on Ra's face eased Kal's mood.

"So, what do we do?" Kal asked as he rushed to the kitchen to wash the blood from his hands. He gingerly picked the glass shards out then realized how ridiculous it was. He shifted into gargoyle form, and the shards all shot out into the sink.

"There you go. Start thinking about what you are doing. Don't just react," Ra coached from the couch. He poured himself some more wine then sat back and took another sip.

"So, what do we do oh great and wise general Ra?" Kal teased.

"First, you get a broom and clean up this mess. Then you get a rag and wipe up the blood and wine from your wife's lovely solid, wood floors. Then we plan," Ra stated with a self-satisfied grin. "You're just damn lucky you didn't hit the couch. I'd have to disown you when she got home just to save my own skin."

This time Kal laughed.

"She would hurt me, wouldn't she?" Kal asked as he swept up the last of the glass from the floor then headed to the bathroom to grab a rag.

"This time we find out where Elyssa is keeping her, and we don't go rushing in," Ra said, took another sip then, as Kal walked out of the bathroom, he gave Kal a condescending, yet silly look. "Like I wanted to do last time."

Kal stopped and returned the silly look.

"Yes, general," Kal teased.

"There are three buildings left on our list. Another factory," Ra started.

"Too similar and too easy to predict," Kal replied as he wiped up the remains of the mess.

"An abandoned sewage treatment plant," Ra offered.

"Nah, too smelly for El," Kal replied then headed back to the bathroom with the ruined rag.

"And, oh this one is perfect, a church in the middle of a renovation," Ra said and grinned at Kal as he walked out of the bathroom.

Kal's face brightened.

"That is perfect!" Kal exclaimed. "Plenty of room. No one would even wonder if people came in and out. And I bet the windows are all boarded up."

"So, first we..." Ra started, but Kal rushed to the door.

"What are we waiting for?" Kal asked with a silly grin.

"You're pulling my leg," Ra sighed.

"Ok. You got me. What do we really do?" Kal asked and made his way back to the couch."

"You might not be such a bad student after all," Ra said then waited for Kal to sit. As soon as Kal was within reach, he grabbed Kal around the neck and rubbed his knuckles on his head. "Little brother."

# Chapter 21

Bree woke and, although she felt like it was night, the room was lit up like a stage. Construction lamps were all over the huge, empty space. Bree stared up at the high ceilings and understood the echo she had heard before. She was in an old church, and a very expensively decorated one, at that. The marble pillar she was tied to was not the only one in the large, open room. She tilted her head. Beside her and behind her, she counted eight columns in total, leading up to a pulpit with more marble décor.

Bree returned her gaze forward and saw Elyssa standing beside a large, metal machine. It looked like some kind of canon but different. What the hell was Elyssa planning this time?

Elyssa noticed Bree's movement and skipped over to her with a huge grin. She bent over and shouted.

"Surprise!" Elyssa's attitude and face enforced Bree's belief that this woman was crazy.

"A canon? Really?" Bree asked, unimpressed.

"It's not a canon you unimaginative simpleton," Elyssa said, and her grin was replaced with a scowl.

"Then what the hell is it?" Bree asked.

"It's a water cannon," Elyssa said with more enthusiasm than Bree thought it deserved.

"So?" Bree asked.

"It's a water cannon," Elyssa said again, hoping Bree would see its merits.

"Are you just going to hope Kal stands still long enough to shoot him with it?" Bree asked with a smirk.

"So short-sighted," Elyssa said, her excitement still not wavering. "You just need a demonstration."

"Enlighten me," Bree taunted.

Elyssa ignored Bree's attempts to dissuade her and continued toward the large machine.

"It's not just water, you know? It has sand in it. The pulse from this thing can cut through a mountain in seconds. Watch this." Elyssa grabbed the cannon and spun it around several times. Elyssa had mounted it on a swivel. The tube that fed the machine came up through the floor so it would be very easy to maneuver.

"Still not impressed?" Elyssa asked. She scrunched up her face like she was contemplating a difficult math problem then made her way to the marble pillar closest to the cannon and knocked on it. She went to the other side and lined it up with the cannon then looked at Bree. "How much do you think these things actually support?"

Bree realized what she was going to do, but before she could argue, Elissa was back at the cannon. She spun it and hit a switch. The massive machine sprung to life then Elyssa pulled the trigger on both handles, and it shot out a stream of sand and water. The marble column exploded, shooting pieces of rock all over the room. A small piece sunk into Bree's arm and she screamed in agony.

Elyssa shut the machine off and rushed to Bree's side. She carefully pulled out the chunk of marble then looked at Bree apologetically.

"I had no idea it would be that powerful," she said. Elyssa saw the blood, and her hunger made her fangs descend. She seemed to be involuntarily drawn to it then she smelled the dark liquid and recoiled violently. "You smell like him!"

Elyssa stumbled back toward the cannon and gagged at the horrible smell of Bree's blood.

"I guess you're not going to eat me then," Bree taunted with a huge smile.

"No, Bree. What I have planned will be far more entertaining," Elyssa said. When she looked at the blood coming from Bree's arm, she gagged again.

"You should go find some blood. You look like you're starving," Bree said with an evil grin.

"And leave you here all alone? Kal may underestimate me but, believe me, I know who I'm up against. Kal is strong, but you're the brains of the relationship." Elyssa didn't turn around this time. "Would you quit bleeding all over the place?"

"Come untie me," Bree teased.

"Untie me...leave me alone..." Elyssa said in a high, whiney voice. "You must really think I'm stupid."

"Nope. I just love watching you overthink every move you make. You never know what I'm up to do you? You always have to make sure I'm not leading you around," Bree said with a snide quality to her voice that Elyssa was quite aware of.

"A conversation with you is like playing chess. How the hell did Kal ever fall in love with you?" Elyssa asked. She was making a show of 'tuning up' her machine, but Bree could see it was an act. Elyssa couldn't stand the smell of Bree's blood. Looking at it only reminded her of it.

"He lets me win. He's a lot smarter than you think. He figured out right away that by letting me have my way, he wins," Bree said with a laugh.

"Isn't that sweet," Elyssa put her finger in her mouth and, this time, the gagging was for show. "Time for bed, Bree. I'll be here watching you." Elyssa walked over to a switch, flipped it and the place went completely dark once more.

Bree could hear Elyssa grumbling to herself but couldn't make out the words. She decided to get in one more jab before she tried to get back to sleep.

"Sweet dreams, El," Bree said to the darkness, but Elyssa didn't respond.

# Chapter 22

Kal and Ra snuck through the alley of one of the houses surrounding the large, empty church. It was a calm night with a full moon. It looked so peaceful and completely innocent from here, but neither of them believed the lie. Elyssa was definitely inside, and so was Bree.

"No sign of her, but what did we expect?" Kal asked.

"You're catching on little brother. To beat El, we have to play her game better than she does." Ra patted his brother on the back supportively.

"I wish Bree was here. She is so much better than me at this kind of thing," Kal said.

"If Bree were here we wouldn't be doing this now, would we? That's why El took her." Ra inched closer to the front of the house. He didn't want to risk being seen, but surely there was some clue as to what Elyssa had planned.

"What is that?" Kal asked while pointing to a large metal box on the side of the church. It looked out of place and brand new.

"Some sort of electrical station?" Ra asked. He wasn't sure either.

"Well, we can't go up and look at it. Maybe we should see what she's had delivered here," Kal offered.

Ra turned and scrunched up his face then grinned.

"The student becomes the master," Ra said with a laugh.

"Ha ha. Very funny," Kal replied. He tried to act humble, but he felt proud.

"Can that laptop of yours look up stuff like that?" Ra asked.

"Actually. I bet it can," Kal replied.

The two men crept their way back down the alley, and once they were away from Elyssa's church, they headed back toward Kal's apartment. Back at the apartment, Kal set up his laptop on the kitchen counter and got to work while Ra waited, not so patiently, on the couch.

"Your laptop is slow," Ra complained.

"What was that you were telling me about patience and slowing down?" Kal asked.

After a long silence, Ra spoke.

"Getting a little full of yourself?" Ra asked in response. He wasn't about to say the obvious answer Kal was fishing for.

"Oh...oh....oh..." Kal said, and each time his voice sounded more concerned. Ra struggled to walk slowly for the fifteen feet between the couch and the kitchen. He couldn't let his brother win.

Ra walked up casually and peered at the screen. He deliberately tried to look uninterested as he asked.

"What's so interesting?" Ra asked.

"Bree already purchased a crib. I was kind of hoping we could pick it out together....gotcha!" Kal teased.

"That's not a crib on the screen," Ra chastised.

"No. It's not," Kal said with a laugh. "It's shipments of parts, but I can't figure out what for. A high powered compressor. A voltage converter. What the hell does she need a thousand pounds of sand for? This doesn't make any sense," Kal complained.

"No. It doesn't. What else is there?" Ra asked and pushed his head in closer to the screen.

"Can't you read English?" Kal asked.

"I can read English, but your puny screen is hard to read. Would it kill you to buy a decent-sized one?" Ra complained.

"It's a laptop," Kal scolded.

Then they both saw the next page and had a pretty good idea that Elyssa was building some kind of weapon. They couldn't be sure of what it was, but all the metal parts pointed toward a weapon. The swivel base and the compressor, coupled with some of the switches and reducing pipes all seemed like they would be used for a projectile weapon of some sort.

"I have an idea," Kal said. Ra backed away from the screen and smiled at his brother.

"Good. If it's anything like mine. We might just be able to get Bree back," Ra replied.

# Chapter 23

Bree woke to darkness once more, but she was getting used to it now. She could hear Elyssa tapping her foot nervously then she heard Elyssa pacing. That was when Bree realized why Elyssa was so distraught. Sure, she was hungry, Elyssa hadn't been able to leave since Kal had decimated her army, but that wasn't why Elyssa was so upset.

"Can I have some light?" Bree asked loudly and heard Elyssa jump. "And do you have any food?" Not only was Elyssa starving, but Bree was also.

Elyssa flipped the switch, and all the lights came on. The scene looked the same as it had last night with the exception of a small pool of dried blood beside Bree. Bree saw Elyssa rummaging through several bags then she pulled out a few sticks of beef jerky and looked pleased with herself. She walked halfway to Elyssa, then tossed them to her. They slid across the floor until they were stopped by Bree's leg.

"I'm tied up. How am I going to get them to my mouth?" Bree asked snidely.

Elyssa stomped over to Bree, gave her an angry glare then walked around behind her and untied Bree's wrists. The ability to move her arms, and the resurgence of blood to her hands felt wonderful. For a few seconds, Bree shut her eyes, tilted her head to the ceiling and just savored the wonderful feeling. Then Elyssa spoke, and Bree was reminded of the conversation she wanted to start.

"Well, eat them already," Elyssa commanded impatiently.

Bree picked up one of the pre-packaged sticks of beef then opened it. Before she put it into her mouth, she stared up at Elyssa with devious intent.

"What?" Elyssa couldn't help but ask.

"I know what's wrong," Bree stated then took a bite. She couldn't chew fast enough and nearly choked as she swallowed the dry, salty meat. She may not have actually been starving, but it felt damn close.

"Enlighten me with your wisdom," Elyssa taunted. "Not like I could shut you up anyway."

"You could, but that's the problem, isn't it?" Bree taunted in return.

"I have no idea what you are talking about," Elyssa said, crossed her arms and faced away from Bree. Now Bree was certain she was right.

"You didn't think this through, did you? You had the chance to kill Kal when you knocked him out. Instead, you tried to frame him for murder. Then a much better plan showed itself to you, but you didn't realize the consequences for killing me, did you? Not at first." Bree took another bite, careful to completely chew it this time.

"What are you babbling about? Everything is going according to plan," Elyssa said, but it didn't even sound like she believed it.

"No. It didn't actually occur to you until I nearly froze to death. Then it hit you. If I die. Kal won't care what humans think. He won't care about vampire laws. He would die trying to kill you, if that's what it took. And it's doubtful anyone could stop him. That's why you HAVE to kill him first now." Bree took another bite then, with her mouth full, she looked up at Elyssa who was eyeing her once more and gave her a coy grin. "Do you have any water? This stuff is really dry."

Elyssa stomped over to a collection of water bottles then stomped back.

"You think you have this all figured out don't you?" Elyssa asked then tossed the water bottle at Bree.

Bree snapped up the bottle and gulped it down. It was the best water she had ever tasted. She didn't stop until the bottle was empty.

"But you don't," Bree replied after she was finished with the water. "How about a bathroom? Your sensitive nose wouldn't like what happens if I don't get to use the bathroom in about thirty seconds." Bree was exaggerating, but Elyssa didn't want to risk it.

Elyssa grabbed Bree's arm roughly and pulled her to her feet. Bree's knees hurt as she put weight on them. She had been sitting stationary for too long. Her back was killing her and, as soon as she was on her feet, she realized thirty seconds was not an exaggeration. Bree made a beeline to the bathroom Elyssa had let her use before and didn't bother waiting for her captor.

Elyssa waited at the door and shouted through it.

"No funny business! If you run, I'll catch you!" Elyssa warned.

"Where am I going to run?! There are no windows in here!" Bree shouted back.

When Bree emerged, Elyssa was waiting. Bree walked slowly back to the column. She wasn't ready to be tied up again. Although she knew it was coming, she wanted to extend her small amount of freedom for as long as Elyssa would let her.

"You didn't answer me," Bree said as she slowed even further on the way back to the column

"I didn't hear a question worth answering," Elyssa snapped.

"When I nearly froze to death. That's when it hit you. You were going to kill me after you got far enough away, but you didn't realize, until that very moment, what Kal would do. Come to think of it. Why didn't you just kill me at my sister's inn? That would have been easy. Kill me, run away. Ok, now I'm not so sure." As Bree went over everything, she realized the glaring inconsistencies in everything Elyssa had done. Then the truth came like a slap to the face. "I'm wrong! You never intended to kill either of us! Did you?! You had the chance to kill each of us, but you didn't take it."

"I have no idea what you're talking about." The look on Elyssa's face told Bree that she was on to the truth Elyssa was trying to hide.

"This isn't about killing anyone. This isn't about payback. And this isn't about you being unable to have a child. Kal did hurt you, but that's not why you are doing this." Bree stopped, and her shocked look made Elyssa nervous.

"Shut up and sit down. You can't possibly understand me. I'm older than civilization. What do you know?" Elyssa evaded.

Bree sat down, but the look of shock on her face was making Elyssa nervous.

"This is a temper tantrum gone horribly wrong. You don't want to hurt Kal. You just wanted his attention. But you've gone too far. You can't see a way out of it now." Bree grunted as her arms were forced around the pole then tied once more.

Elyssa walked around in front of her and stared down with a fake smugness that only enforced Bree's assumption.

"You have no idea what you're talking about. I do want to kill Kal. I will kill you and that baby." Elyssa stormed over to her pile of supplies and tried to look like she was searching for something.

"You didn't call her an abomination or a brat or whatever else you called her before. You called her a baby. You want to be part of this family. Stop this. Please. El, I can help you," Bree pleaded.

"You have no idea...what...I want," Elyssa said, and Bree could tell she was crying.

"El, please. It's not too late. Kal will never touch you. I'll make sure of that." Elyssa didn't speak, so Bree went on. She was certain she was right. Elyssa didn't actually want to hurt anyone. "At the apartment, when we first met, that wasn't an act, was it?"

"Shut up, Bree," Elyssa said quietly. She still wouldn't turn around and face Bree.

"El, please. Untie me. We'll go talk to Kal. He won't hurt you. I won't let him. I promise," Bree pleaded once more.

Elyssa turned around. Tears streamed down her face, but her face was full of anger as she spoke.

"It's too late! I killed mom and dad! They'll never let me live!" Elyssa shouted.

"That one's a little tougher," Bree agreed. "So, why did you kill them? What happened?"

"I didn't mean to kill dad! Mom figured it out," Elyssa sobbed. She put her hands over her eyes and sat down on top of a box.

"Just tell me what happened. I'll explain it to Kal. I won't let him touch you." Bree kept staring at Elyssa, waiting for her to make eye contact. She needed to show Elyssa that she was serious and sincere.

"I was nothing to dad. I just wanted to show him. When Ra walked out to get some wine to celebrate their agreement I felt..." Elyssa sobbed.

"You felt left out. Right?" Bree asked quietly.

"Yes," Elyssa admitted.

"That's also why you fought on the opposing army. You just wanted to show everyone that you mattered," Bree stated.

"Yes," Elyssa replied, still sobbing.

"Oh, El," Bree comforted. "What happened with your father?"

"I was just joking around. I put the sword up to his chest. I told him that if I wanted to, I could kill him. He laughed." Elyssa looked up, and Bree could see all the pain, all the centuries of anguish.

"And then?" Bree urged.

"I got so angry. He laughed at me! Like he didn't believe I could do it. So, I did." Elyssa looked at the floor.

Bree was scared now, more than she had been since her abduction. Elyssa wasn't evil. It was worse. She was mentally disturbed.

"And your mom?" Bree asked. Her heart went out to Elyssa. The woman was disturbed, but her pain was real. Her actions were wrong, but the torment she suffered was not imaginary.

"Mom finally figured it out. Neither of her perfect boys would have killed dad. She asked, and I confessed. After all this time. I told mom the truth about who had killed father," Elyssa said softly.

"What happened?" Bree asked, kindly.

"She said..." Elyssa looked up again, and the hatred was clear. "She said, 'I knew it had to be you. Neither of my boys would do that.' She didn't doubt it for a second. She didn't ask why. Then she slapped me."

"I think I can figure out the rest," Bree said sadly and looked away.

"No. It's worse. She was so smug. Always believing herself better than me. She told me how much of a disappointment I had been. I tore her head clean off with my bare hands. The look on her face..." Bree looked up, and Elyssa's grin was horrifying.

"Oh, El. I'm so sorry," Bree comforted.

"I don't want your pity, and I don't want theirs!" Elyssa shouted. She stood up, stormed over to Bree, and pointed at her. "I've come this far. I wanted them to love me, but I couldn't get that. So, I will take their lives as a consolation."

"It doesn't have to be this way," Bree reasoned. "I'll help you."

"I said I don't want your pity!" Elyssa shouted, turned around, and stormed off.

Bree could hear Elyssa sobbing in the next room. Now that she understood Elyssa, she felt lost. Everything Elyssa had told her was true. Losing the ability to have a child. Her mother and father ignoring her. Her two brothers not giving her attention. It was all part of the cause for this.

Bree had also been right about Elyssa realizing too late that she couldn't just kill Bree. But none of this helped Bree in the slightest. It only enforced what she now knew was true. Knowing all of this might have helped Bree if Elyssa had been what she'd assumed. Elyssa was not an evil woman to be outsmarted. Elyssa was a pained little girl trapped in an immortal body. She had the intelligence of a woman but not the emotional maturity to use it correctly. She lashed out without thought nor concern for consequence. The thing that scared Bree the most was the thing she desperately wished she hadn't been right about. This was a temper tantrum. And it was being perpetrated by one of the most deadly women who ever lived.

# Chapter 24

Elyssa pulled the gag on Bree's mouth tight then walked around in front to inspect her work. As she looked down, she realized Bree was in pretty bad shape. The woman looked dehydrated, pale from the lack of food and blood loss, but most of all, she looked exhausted.

"I'm sorry, Bree. I really think we could have been friends." Elyssa looked down on her captive with sadness then, like flipping a switch, her mood shifted. "But I can't have you spilling all your secrets to Kal. I called Kal...he sends his love. Tonight is the night!" she exclaimed with excitement. Then Elyssa turned and noticed Kal and Ra standing in the entryway of the church.

"That was fast," Elyssa said with a grin then sped to the water cannon. She grabbed the handles, flipped the switch, and turned it to face Bree before they even knew what was happening. The machine hummed loudly as it waited to be fired.

"El. Let's just talk," Ra said with his hands up.

"Get out!" she shouted.

"I just want to talk," Ra reiterated.

"Ra. Get out, or so help me." She turned her attention to Kal. "If he doesn't leave, Bree will have a hole through her the size of a cantaloupe."

"It's fine, Ra. Just wait outside," Kal said. The look he gave Ra confused and angered Elyssa.

"Quit with the signals," Elyssa ordered.

Without another word, Ra turned and walked back out the doors.

"Now I want you over there," Elyssa said and motioned to the pillar she had destroyed as a demonstration. "You see what it did to that column? Bree isn't that tough."

Kal held up his hands and walked over to where Elyssa had pointed. When Kal was in position, Elyssa turned the cannon to face him.

"Before I kill you, I gotta ask. What's with the costume? We both know you don't jog," Elyssa said with a grin.

Kal had on grey sweat pants and a hoody to match, with the hood up.

"Trying to look inconspicuous," Kal lied. In truth, the outfit was to hide the metal plates he had strapped to his chest, waist, and legs. The plates even extended down his arms. Every piece of Kal that was concealed by the sweatsuit, was also covered in thick metal.

They had tried putting the metal under the suits he normally wore, but the jagged edges were too obvious. He had assumed she was using some sort of projectile weapon, and although this was similar, he wasn't sure how well metal plates would hold up to water traveling at a hundred feet per second.

Kal transformed and was nervous as the metal plates groaned. Luckily the machine pumping water to the canon was too loud, and even Elyssa's acute hearing didn't pick up anything suspicious.

"Yes. Go ahead. Get comfortable, Kal. It won't make any difference." Elyssa prepared to fire, and Kal stared at her with purpose.

"Anything you want to say before you kill your little brother?" Kal asked angrily.

"Actually. Now that you mention it." She shot a knowing glance at Bree then looked back at Kal. "What's wrong with me?" she asked, and her sadness caught Kal off-guard.

"What do you mean?" Kal asked, sincerely.

"I mean. Why does nobody love me?" Elyssa asked, her sadness growing.

"I still don't understand. I love you. Well...I did before you kidnapped my wife," Kal replied, and his anger returned.

"No, you didn't. You never stuck up for me when dad belittled me. You never told mom to stop treating me like a child," Elyssa elaborated.

"What? That's what this is about?" Kal asked with confusion. Elyssa didn't answer, so he continued. "No one stood up to dad except for Ra. And as for mom, she treated us all like kids. There's nothing wrong with you."

"You left. Out of all of them, I thought you actually cared about me, but you just left," Elyssa said, and Kal could hear her sadness turning into despair.

"I did love you. I still do," Kal argued.

"LIAR!" Elyssa shouted and pulled the trigger on both handles.

The stream of water hit Kal in the chest as he turned to try and avoid it. Had it hit him squarely the effect might have been deadly, but the angle and the metal plates on his chest protected him. Kal was spun and thrown backward at the same time. He flew into the wall and continued until he finally slid to a stop a few feet on the other side of the hole his body had made. The wall of the building shook, and pieces of wood and plaster fell to the ground.

Elyssa looked at Kal's limp body with regret and sorrow. Then her mood flipped once again.

"That was awesome!" Elyssa shouted. She turned the cannon on Bree and sneered. "Your turn."

Out of the corner of her eye, Elyssa saw Kal charging at her. She spun the cannon back in his direction and pulled the triggers, but her aim was off. It caught Kal's arm, and he was spun once again, landing against the wall, right beside the hole. Elyssa didn't release the triggers while she continued to spin the cannon. Water tore through the wall, creating a horrible sound as the building was being ripped apart by the powerful stream. When it reached Kal, it was above his head. Elyssa tried to angle it down, but the up and down motion wasn't as fluid as the side to side. Kal was able to roll out of the way as the stream tore down the wall and through the floor.

Kal zig-zagged to avoid the beam of water Elyssa was trying to hit him with while he made his way to the cannon. As he was about to reach it the torn up, floor couldn't take his weight any longer. Kal tumbled through the floor and landed in the basement. Above him, he heard the floor complaining. The water cannon was about to follow him down.

Elyssa lept from the cannon, sliced through Bree's ropes, then tossed her weak body over her shoulder and took off out the back door. As she reached the door, the floor under the cannon gave way and toppled down, crushing Kal as it fell.

Elyssa looked at Bree and smiled.

"He's tougher than I thought," Elyssa said with pride then took off running with Bree tucked over her shoulder.

Ra noticed them running away from the building and took off after them. Elyssa had a large lead, but he was faster, and she was carrying Bree. It wouldn't take long for him to catch up.

Elyssa looked over her shoulder and noticed Ra chasing her, so she turned down an alley. When she got to the intersection, she turned around several times then realized what street she was on. She picked up speed and went straight three more blocks. Ra was closing in on her, but she was not about to give up.

When she reached another intersection, she took it left then continued until she hit an alley and turned right. Ra was right on her heels, but she wouldn't stop, not now. Elyssa lept over a car parked in the way then slid to keep herself from careening off the steep ledge. Ra went sailing over her as she lay on the ground, inches from the edge. Elyssa picked herself and Bree off the ground then took off down the street.

After Ra skipped a few times across the water, he landed with a splash. Ra picked himself up and trudged his way to shore. He had landed in a shallow pond. He was knee-deep in mud, waist-deep in water. There was no way he was catching Elyssa now. After he made it to the shore, she would be long gone.

Kal came to a stop at the edge of the road where Ra had failed to stop, and looked down at his brother with exasperation.

"Which way did she go?" Kal asked.

"Doesn't matter. She's gone," Ra replied dejectedly as he stepped onto the shore. He looked up at his brother with regret. "I didn't see which way she went and now I can't even smell Bree." He pinched his nose then blew the muddy water from it.

Kal searched both directions and saw no sign of Bree nor Elyssa. He growled then ran at the car that was blocking the alley and slammed into it. The car flipped then landed on its roof while he roared in frustration.

# Chapter 25

Elyssa tossed a blueberry muffin and a bottle of water at Bree's feet. They were in another abandoned building. This one looked like an apartment of some kind, but it was in horrible shape. The floorboards were cracked, some of them missing. The windows were broken, and there were sticks and piles of leaves everywhere.

"Eat," she ordered.

Bree picked up the muffin and threw it at Elyssa. It smacked into Elyssa's chest then fell to the floor.

"The baby needs REAL food. Not this processed shit you keep feeding me!" Bree shouted. She felt weak, she probably needed the food, but it was just a matter of time until she was dead. She needed Elyssa out there, buying food, where Kal could hopefully find her.

"You ungrateful little bitch!" Elyssa said, picked up the muffin and tossed it back at Bree. "You eat what I tell you to eat!" Elyssa then turned and stormed into what looked like it used to be the kitchen. Now it was just another empty, garbage filled room.

Bree clenched her fists and stared angrily at Elyssa then was shocked as something stabbed into her hand.

"Ow!" Bree shouted, then pulled her hand up and stared at it in awe. Long black nails, very similar to Kal's, had replaced her painted ones. How in the world had that happened? She had stabbed her own hand, and now it was bleeding.

"What are you complaining about now?" Elyssa asked as she walked back toward Bree.

Bree quickly put her hand on the floor then picked it up again. Her blood stained the boards of the floor and smeared on her hand. Her claws were gone now, and she hoped Elyssa hadn't seen them.

"This place is lovely. I can't even put my hand down without cutting it open. You're a really good kidnapper," Bree taunted. She covered her anxiety as best she could but was worried Elyssa would figure out her lie.

Elyssa huffed then laughed while she turned back to the kitchen.

"It's just a little blood," Elyssa said. Bree could hear the revulsion in her voice. Was this why Bree's blood smelled so terrible to Elyssa. She was turning into a gargoyle like Kal. How was this possible? Was it the pregnancy? A better question was. How much like Kal was she? His rock hard skin would come in handy if she could figure out how to transform. She didn't even know how she had made the claws come out. This deserved some investigation. Yet another reason to get rid of Elyssa, even if it was only for a little while.

"I'm starving. I'm weak, and the baby is probably doing worse. I need real food, El. Please," Bree begged.

"Fine!" Elyssa shouted. "What do you consider REAL food?" Elyssa emphasized the word real in a way that Bree would have normally responded to, but trading barbs with Elyssa wasn't going to get rid of her.

"Lunchmeat. Bread. Maybe some vegetables?" Bree asked, trying to emphasize her pathetic weakness. To her surprise, Elyssa was in a caring mood.

"Just a sandwich? How about I go grab something from the Mexican restaurant down the street? What do you want?" Elyssa asked compassionately.

"Burritos, tacos, nachos. I don't care. As long as it's not ninety percent sugar, salt or preservatives. Thank you, El," Bree said and smiled kindly at Elyssa.

"Fine, one of everything," Elyssa said and headed for the door. Bree could see her trying to cover her empathy. Elyssa was embarrassed because she actually did care about Bree and the baby, when she wasn't trying to kill them.

Before she left, she remembered that Bree was free. She quickly returned and tied Bree to what looked like it used to be a pass-through to the kitchen.

"You didn't think I'd just let you go, did you?" Elyssa asked with distain.

"Actually, I'm too weak to think about escaping," Bree lied. To her surprise, the empathy was back in Elyssa's face. She pushed it away once more, then headed out.

After she was sure Elyssa was gone, Bree tried to concentrate on her claws again. She squeezed her eyes tight and clenched her fists, but nothing happened.

"Ok. That's disappointing," she said to herself.

Next, she kicked off both of her boots. She still had on the man's boots from the house in North Dakota. She used her right foot to pull down the sock on the left foot. When her foot was bare, she concentrated on it.

"Maybe if I can see it," she reasoned. Still, nothing happened.

"Damn it!" she shouted and threw her head back. It slammed into the solid wood behind her, and she felt something strange in her mouth. It felt like her teeth had moved. She opened her mouth then closed it slowly. Something sharp stabbed her lip. Then she got frustrated and just sat there. After a few minutes, she looked down at her stomach that was a little rounder than when this abduction had started and smirked.

"You're picking on mommy, aren't you?" She laughed. "You think this is really funny." Then she thought about it. "No. You probably have no idea what you're doing. It is you, isn't it?"

Elyssa came walking back in and looked at Bree strangely.

"Are you talking to that thing, or are you losing it?" Elyssa asked. She set the bags of food in front of Bree then moved to untie her wrists. "Why take your shoes and socks off? I thought you humans got cold easily?"

Bree looked up at her captor and smiled.

"Yes, I was talking to the baby. I was also inspecting my feet for damage. My feet are killing me, and these boots are about three sizes too big." Then Bree got a whiff of the food in the bags and was speechless. She crossed her legs under her and began pulling out all the wonderful smelling food as quickly as she could.

"You really are hungry. Maybe I should have gotten more," Elyssa said.

"You look...less hungry..." Bree said, forgetting about the food.

"I had a little snack," Elyssa said with a grin and wiped the corner of her mouth. "Don't worry. I didn't kill him."

Again Bree was speechless, but this time it was for a different reason. This poor woman in front of her was so broken. For a brief moment, the little girl inside, the one who cared about Bree and what she thought, was peeking through. Bree desperately wanted to help that little girl, but she knew the moment she tried the angry woman would come back out. Instead, Bree tried a different tactic.

She picked up one of the burritos and held it out to Elyssa.

"You want one?" Bree asked.

For a moment, the little girl stayed. Elyssa stuck out her hand and almost grabbed the burrito, but something inside her wouldn't let the little girl get attached to Bree.

"The food is for you. Eat it or don't. I don't really care," Elyssa said and stood up.

"Me and the baby," Bree said, trying to pull the little girl out again but it failed.

"Whatever," was all Elyssa said then she walked into another room while Bree ate.

# Chapter 26

Kal snuck around the back of the abandoned apartments. They were set to be demolished next week but, according to one of Ra's vampire contacts, Elyssa and Bree were somewhere inside. Ra had decided to follow another lead, and they split up. They were running out of time. Elyssa would eventually quit trying to kill Kal and just kill Bree to hurt him.

The lead Ra was chasing sounded just as promising as this one. Ra was checking the last of Elyssa's properties. One of them had recently gotten electricity back, so he felt this was the better choice. The one Kal was following was based on a vampire seeing Elyssa buying Mexican food. Ra thought it was ridiculous. He didn't understand why Elyssa would feed Bree if she planned on killing her, but Kal had seen something in that church. Something Ra couldn't grasp. Elyssa was in pain. Maybe keeping Bree alive was because she couldn't bring herself to kill her yet, or maybe it was something else. Either way, Kal felt certain that Elyssa would buy food for Bree, up until the moment she killed her. His sister wasn't evil. She was sick.

Kal didn't see any movement inside, and there were no lights. He opened the back door and cringed while it creaked open. He heard nothing, so he proceeded inside. It was after midnight, so the sounds of the city they lived in had died down. The only sound he could hear was the rotten wood floor complaining as he walked across it.

The first room was empty, except for piles of garbage. The next one, more of the same. Then Kal opened another door and walked into the living room. The second he stepped inside, Elyssa lit a candle on the far side of the room. Kal could make out Bree, Elyssa had her by the throat. Elyssa's claws were out and digging into his wife's neck. Elyssa switched hands and lit another candle, then two more.

"Glad you could join us, Kal. I knew you'd find me eventually. Truthfully. I'm tired of this stupid game," Elyssa said.

"What do you plan to do?" Kal asked.

"Where's your brother?" Elyssa asked as her gaze searched behind Kal.

"He's at one of your buildings. He noticed the electricity had been turned on a few days ago," Kal stated.

Elyssa laughed.

"I knew that would be a good distraction," Elyssa said.

"Didn't help you get away," Kal said.

"I never planned on getting away. You just don't get it, do you?" Elyssa asked.

"No. I don't," Kal admitted.

Kal saw the blood trickle down from one of Elyssa's claws as it dug in deeper into Bree's throat. He needed to keep Elyssa calm.

"This is it for me. Either you or I will die here tonight. Bree? Who knows? I guess that's up to fate," Elyssa said. She put down the lighter and put both hands around Bree's neck.

"It's not up to fate, El. It's up to you," Kal explained.

"It is, isn't it?" Elyssa asked with a smirk.

She looked at the floor then kicked something heavy and metal toward Kal.

"Pick it up!" she commanded.

Kal bent over, and once he grabbed the long metal object by the handle, he knew what it was.

"Why did you bring dad's sword?" Kal asked. He stared at the intricately designed sword. It had been a gift to his father from a human king. It was strong and sturdy. It was also the weapon El had used to kill their father.

Elyssa started side-stepping with Bree, getting closer to Kal. When her back was to a wall, and Kal stood in front of her, she answered.

"You are going to drive it through your heart, and I'll just walk away. Bree and the baby will get to live out their lives. I'll disappear. Promise," Elyssa said.

Kal looked down at the sword then moved the tip of the blade to his chest.

"Kal no. This isn't what she really wants," Bree said.

"Yes, it is!" Elyssa shouted. "You've known me for five minutes. How the hell would you know?"

"El. I think I might know you better than your own family," Bree said. Elyssa squeezed her throat tighter.

"Shut up," Elyssa commanded.

"Kal," Bree said to get his attention. When he was looking her in the eyes, she continued. "Save your sister from herself." Bree's eyes lit up red, and Kal knew what Bree was asking him to do.

"Kal. I'm evil. Don't save me. Save her," Elyssa argued.

"She's not evil, Kal. She's in pain," Bree explained.

"Shut up," Elyssa said and squeezed tighter.

Kal looked down at the sword. Bree was asking him to do something that went against his better judgment. Why save the woman trying to kill his wife? Why risk Bree's life to save Elyssa's?

"Time's up, Kal. Decide. Or I'll decide for you!" Elyssa shouted. She squeezed Bree's neck tighter, and Bree started to choke. Blood was dripping down all of Elyssa's fingers. If she didn't strangle Bree, she would rip out her throat.

"Ok. I'll do it," Kal said. Elyssa loosened her grip on Bree.

"Get on with it," Elyssa urged him.

"Bree?" Kal asked.

"Oh, geez," Elyssa complained.

"You're going to get angry," he said.

"No, Kal," she begged him.

"No. I mean, get angry!" he shouted. He pulled the sword up over his shoulder then tossed it like a javelin.

Bree concentrated on being angry. The sensation felt similar to sinking into a warm bath, but it started around her heart. First, her chest felt warm, then it spread to her arms, her legs and to her head. Her skin turned grey at the same second Elyssa realized what Kal was doing. Elyssa gripped Bree's throat and squeezed as hard as she could, then the sword shot through her shoulder and pinned her to the wall.

Bree fell forward and grabbed her throat. Blood dripped from her hands. Kal rushed to her side.

"Bree!" he shouted.

"I'm...fine," Bree said, her voice was forced, but she could speak.

Kal stood up and angrily pinned Elyssa's other shoulder to the wall. He extended his claws then pulled his hand back. He had every intention of removing Elyssa's head until he felt Bree's small hand on his wrist.

"No, Kal. Everyone has suffered enough," Bree said. Kal looked at her throat, and the wounds had already healed. "There has been enough killing and enough pain."

"No! Kill me, Kal! Kill me!" Elyssa begged.

Bree walked up to Elyssa and looked her in the eyes.

"I'm sorry, El. You don't get to take the easy way out," Bree said. "I would miss you."

Tears formed in Elyssa's eyes and she quit struggling. Kal removed the sword from her shoulder and held Elyssa's wrists tightly as he escorted her out of the house.

# Chapter 27

A week later Bree's parents, Mel and Ashley, arrived at the door to their apartment. Bree had called them with the news of her pregnancy, and they drove over as quickly as they could. Bree's mother looked nervous the whole time they were eating, and when lunch was over, she cornered Bree.

"We need to talk, Brianna," the woman who looked like an older version of Bree said.

"Everyone calls me Bree, mom. What's so urgent?" she asked. She had picked up on her mother's anxiety during lunch.

"Ok, Bree. Can we have a minute alone?" Ashley asked.

"Sure," Bree relented and led her mother to their bedroom. Bree shut the door and sat on the bed. She smiled and looked down at her swelling lump then couldn't stop herself from putting her hand on it.

"I've been putting this off but...now that you're pregnant, I need to tell you," Ashley said.

"Tell me what?" Bree looked up from her belly and smiled at her mother.

"What I'm going to tell you is a family secret that you can never tell anyone. You can't tell Kal, not your friends, not your dad, no one. Not until the day your child is old enough to have a child of its own. Do you understand?" Ashely asked. She looked terrified, and Bree didn't understand why.

"What's going on, mom? Kal and I have no secrets," Bree stated.

"If you tell him and they find out. They'll kill you both," Ashley explained, and Bree's mouth fell open. She stared at her mother then smiled.

"I gotta get Kal. This is...this is...I don't even know what to call this," Bree said and shot up from the bed. She had reached the door before her mother grabbed her arm.

"No. We can't tell him," she urged.

"Don't worry, mom. The vampire laws will not be broken by you telling Kal," Bree said with a smirk and Ashley released her daughter's arm.

When Bree came back with Kal, he looked at his mother-in-law with concern.

"What's going on?" Kal asked.

"Tell her, Kal," Bree ordered.

"Bree. We talked about this," Kal said, trying to be subtle.

"Fine! Mom you go first," Bree said.

"Are you sure?" Ashley asked.

"It's fine, mom. No laws will be broken. It won't even bend them," Bree said with a laugh.

"Ok," Ashley conceded. She looked at Kal nervously, but even Ashely was unable to say no to her daughter.

"Your great grandfather wasn't human," she started. "I know it sounds crazy."

"Mom. I know about vampires...and gargoyles," she eyed Kal, who still looked nervous.

"Well, that makes this a lot easier," Ashley said with a sigh. "Yes. Your great grandfather was a vampire. Your grandmother was half-vampire. It's why she lived until she was a hundred and twenty. Truthfully, I think she only died because she was bored. The man she loved, my dad, died forty years before she did. She just ran out of things to keep her busy."

"I don't remember her," Bree admitted.

"That's because it was before you were born. I'm not fifty-seven. I'm one hundred and seven." Ashley smiled at both of them.

"You look like your thirty-seven," Kal said.

"Nice try. I'm an old fart. I know," Ashley laughed then looked at Bree curiously when Bree covered her mouth to stop her own laugh. "What's so funny?"

"Kal...tell mom how old you are," she said, still holding her hand over her mouth.

"Two thousand four hundred and twelve," Kal said. "I'm the old fart."

Ashley looked at her son-in-law then at her daughter, full of relief.

"I agonized over how to tell you this for so long. I can't believe it was so easy. Just to let you know. You're not going to go sprouting fangs and crave blood. It's a recessive gene, I guess," Ashley explained.

"You're right about part of that. I won't be craving blood." Bree concentrated. Kal had been helping her understand the transformation, and she was getting pretty good at it. She felt the warmth then opened her eyes. "I do have fangs, though."

"Oh, my," Ashley said as she put her hand to her daughter's face. Bree was not as rough looking as Kal when he transformed. The bones in her face looked softer, her fangs a little smaller. She did grow in size, but she was much more feminine looking than Kal.

"I hope you stick around longer than grandma did." Bree shifted back and rubbed her stomach. "This little one needs a grandma."

"I wouldn't miss it. Besides, your father is almost fifty years younger than me. I'd say I have some years left before I get bored with living," Ashley smiled then put her finger to her lips. "Don't tell him. He likes to think he's a year older than me. Makes him feel good."

# Epilogue

Bree walked in the door of an expensive-looking house, somewhere in the middle of North Dakota. It was fifty miles from Leanne's bed and breakfast. Close enough for them to visit, but far enough to keep them from growing tired of each other.

On Bree's hip was their two-year-old daughter, Bethany Anne. She had her father's eyes and her mother's face. Bree set the bag of groceries on the couch then put Beth in her high chair.

"Give me two seconds, and I'll get lunch," she said to the toddler who didn't respond. The door came back open, and Kal walked in, followed by Ra.

"Look. Daddy's home," Bree said with excitement. Beth's face lit up, and she held her arms up.

Kal used his index finger and bopped Beth on the nose.

"Sorry, sweetie. Daddy is busy right now," Kal said with a childish voice.

"She has to eat first anyway," Bree explained.

"Someone else needs to eat as well," Kal said, giving Ra a knowing glance.

Ra pulled out a bag filled with blood.

"I think I got it this time. Tasted it myself," Ra said. He shot a smile to Beth, who laughed and tried to grab the bag. "No. You don't want this. It will make you puke."

"What did you do differently?" Kal asked.

"I took pig's blood, added amino acids, and some enzymes. Tastes just like human blood," Ra assured him.

"Only one way to find out," Kal said. He walked up to a keypad on the wall. He put in a six-digit number, then the wall cracked, and a hidden panel slid out of the way. Under the panel was a door that was locked with a key. He pulled out his key ring and unlocked it, then headed down the spiral staircase.

At the bottom, a large room opened up. Half of it had metal tables. The other half was entirely encased with bars. Elyssa lay on a bed to one side of the large cage. She had a bathroom, dresser, bed, table, and even a treadmill.

Elyssa sniffed the air and shot to the bars.

"Did you finally give up feeding me that slop?" she asked with excitement. "I can smell it. That's the real deal."

Ra looked at Kal, Kal looked at R, and they both smiled. Ra handed the bag to Elyssa, and she eagerly emptied half of it.

"Is there more?" she asked.

"What? No, thank you?" Kal asked with a smile.

Elyssa smiled and pushed against the bars.

"Thank you, big brother. Thank you, little brother." She smiled back at them, then continued to drain the bag.

"We'll get you more," Ra said with a smug smile.

Ra started up, then Kal followed. Elyssa pulled the bag from her mouth and pressed herself against the bars.

"Wait! Don't you wanna talk? Ask me more questions. I'll tell you whatever you want," she begged.

"Sorry, El. We need to get more supplies. We'll be back," Kal said then continued up.

Elyssa sunk to the floor and finished off the blood. She looked depressed as the door shut.

As Kal and Ra left the basement, Kal spoke to his wife.

"Ra and I will be back in about an hour or two. The new formula worked. She has no idea it's pig's blood." Kal looked at his brother with satisfaction.

"It's good for her, right? It won't hurt her?" Bree asked with concern.

"It's just as healthy as human blood. Don't worry, dear," Kal comforted. "Now. Keep the door locked. I know this is a little strange, but you'll get used to the new house and the new...situation in no time."

"It was my idea, remember?" Bree asked with a smile.

"I still can't believe you wanted to keep El in our basement after what she did?" Kal asked with disbelief.

"Just go get your stuff and hurry back. Beth is a handful. I'd like to take a shower this year, maybe even a nap," Bree joked.

As soon as Kal and Ra were gone Bree checked out the window. Their car was headed down the road, so she quickly rushed to the kitchen and grabbed a set of keys she had stashed underneath one of the drawers. She punched in the code, unlocked the door, and grabbed Beth. As Bree descended, Elyssa noticed her, and her face lit up. She rushed to the bars with a joyful smile on her face.

"Bree! You're here!" Elyssa exclaimed.

"I told you I would see you again," Bree said and set Beth on the floor in front of the cage.

"And this must be Beth," Elyssa said in a high pitched voice. She stuck her hands through the bars, and Bree panicked.

"Wait!" Bree shouted as she rushed up and grabbed Beth, then pulled her back. Bree's arms had turned grey, and Elyssa looked at her with sadness.

"I would never hurt her," Elyssa said, obviously upset. She looked up at Bree, and it looked like she might start crying.

"No, El. It's not you," Bree said. She removed her hand from Beth's mouth. Beth's short, yet sharp, fangs were trying desperately to pierce Bree's skin but they couldn't. "I think she's teething. She's biting everyone and everything she can get her mouth on."

Elyssa bent down to the bars but kept her hands inside this time.

"You little booger. You remind me of your daddy when he was your age," Elyssa said in a cheerful tone. Elyssa looked up at Bree with hope in her eyes. "How long can you stay?"

Bree looked back with a warm smile.

"You live with us now. Beth and I can come visit all the time. Just like I promised. Even if Kal doesn't approve," Bree said with a laugh.

Elyssa looked at Bree full of guilt.

"I'm sorry I tried to kill you," Elyssa said. Bree could tell her guilt wasn't fake.

"El. We're family. All is forgiven. I see you kept your end of the bargain. You haven't even tried to escape." Bree winked at Elyssa. "I know these bars aren't holding you."

"You said you would come talk to me if I stayed," Elyssa replied.

"Yep, and I'm here to keep up MY end of the bargain. What would you like to talk about?" Bree pulled a chair from across the room and sat in front of the bars. She picked up Beth, sat down and started bouncing Beth on her knee, then smiled at Elyssa.

"Tell me about your sister. What was it like when you were growing up?" Elyssa asked as she sat down on the floor and waited eagerly.

"The things Leanne did to me when we were little. Well...until the day I fought back." Bree's devilish grin made Elyssa smile. "Little did I know that by fighting back, I was sealing my fate. You remember when I told you I was a virgin until I was eighteen? That wasn't a lie."

Elyssa sat on the floor leaning forward, hanging on every word. Bree shot her a warm smile.

"I love you, El. Never forget that. You are welcome here as long as I can convince you to stay," Bree said. "When Kal calms down, maybe we can even convince him to let you out of this cage."

"Why would I go? I always wanted a sister," Elyssa replied. Then she looked at Bree with a strange smile. "And I like my cage...as long as you're here."

Bree smiled lovingly, then continued her story while Elyssa hung on every word. "So I was ten years old, and Leanne had just sabotaged my brand new bike..."

The End

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Auctor – Vengeful Intent

Disclaimer: This book contains a considerable amount of violence and dark emotions.

When Kaya Nichols' step-sister turns up dead, the apparent victim of a mugging, Kaya leaves behind her job as a foreign journalist to find out what really happened to her step-sister. At least that is the job everyone thinks she has. In reality, she is a fixer for a variety of powerful European mobs.

The men who killed her step-sister, Trish, think they've handled the problem until Kaya arrives back in the United States for her sister's funeral. Kaya isn't willing to let a single man responsible for her step-sister's death escape justice, even if it kills her in the process. She is a woman who has lost everything, so nothing matters other than revenge.

Explore the nightmare that has become Kaya's life as she tries to work through her anger and grief. And, as if, Trish's death wasn't enough. The man who ruined her life, her step-sister's husband, is a constant reminder of what she has lost and the secret she dares not tell anyone.

Immortal Consequences

When Kal Johnson, an immortal gargoyle, is attacked by an ancient vampire and framed for the murder of a human, his quiet life is thrown into chaos. But the universe, with its perverse sense of humor, has decided that now would be the perfect time for the punch line. Kal's human wife, Brianna, has done the impossible. She is the first human in history to become pregnant with a gargoyle's child.

This vampire is stronger and more cunning than any he has fought. The wife he adores and the child he never hoped for, give Kal something he has never had before, a weakness. Can Kal stop this ancient vampire before it takes everyone he loves? Taking his wife and child might accomplish what no vampire has ever been able to do. It might be enough to defeat the immortal Kal.
