 
### Home

By Sarah Doughty

Copyright 2015 Sarah Doughty

Smashwords Edition

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

All Rights Reserved

Excerpt from Listen copyright 2015 by Sarah Doughty

This book contains an excerpt from Listen by Sarah Doughty. This excerpt has been set for this edition only and may not reflect the final content of the final edition.

Cover design and art: sheswideawake. Cover image copyright: Jason Stitt/ CURAphotography/Shutterstock.

Smashwords Edition, License Notes

Thank you for downloading this ebook. This book remains the copyrighted property of the author, and may not be redistributed to others for commercial or non-commercial purposes. If you enjoyed this book, please encourage your friends to download their own copy from their favorite authorized retailer. Thank you for your support.

http://www.sarahdoughty.com
Table of Contents

Dedication

Epigram

Home

The Vault

Thank You Message

About the Author

Connect with the Author

Acknowledgments

Preview of Listen
For all the misfits of the world. May you find your home with the people see the real you, and love you regardless.
"The ache for home lives in all of us, the safe place where we can go as we are and not be questioned."

\- Maya Angelou
"Every day is a journey, and the journey itself is home."

\- Matsuo Basho
Hiraeth - (n.) a homesickness for a home to which you cannot return, a home which maybe never was; the nostalgia, the yearning, the grief for the lost places of your past
Chapter 1

My entire life was a structured chaos. That was my best explanation for it. Outside, I was organized, careful, and always in control — at least of myself while the rest of the world crumbled around me. It wasn't easy being so closed off, but it was the best way I knew how to protect myself.

Inside, I was a jumble of nerves, a worrywart, and constantly struggled to keep myself in check. And that was harder to maintain as time went on.

But I didn't expect a simple revelation to send my walls crashing down around me, leaving me open and exposed.

It started when I was a sophomore. I met Aisling Green, a freshman, and my new roommate. I wasn't expecting what happened next. My cat, Bugs, crawled onto her lap and she made a joke about his loud purr. She was right. I just never realized it before. And our friendship began.

Sure, I cared for her like she was my own flesh and blood. Considering what my family did to me, at least I cared for her like family is _supposed_ to care for each other. She and her grandmother were better family than mine ever was. And even then, I never truly let her in.

I never told her what happened because I didn't want to remember. And though I couldn't explain it, I knew enough to know that, at least in part, it had something to do with the supernatural world. Despite Aisling being my true family, I still kept her out.

When her grandmother died, I promised myself, I would do anything to protect her — even if that meant losing my career, or my life. Up to that point, I stayed true to my word. And I wasn't going to back down from that vow.

It wasn't just that she was alone in the world, like me. It was the legacy of her family, the part she didn't know about.

Witches.

I wanted to protect her from what she didn't know or understand.

As Nashville's Guardian of Information and resident librarian, I maintained the lore that was available and kept track of anything supernatural that happened around the world.

I knew enough to know that if anyone really knew what life as a supernatural, or _other_ , was like, no one would enter it willingly.

When Aisling slipped into that world without either of us knowing, it started a chain reaction. She wasn't just a witch. She was Earthen, the most powerful kind of witch, thought to be extinct for centuries.

Before they were killed, Earthens protected and preserved the rest of the _others_ like they needed. Afterward, there was no one left powerful enough to take on that kind of responsibility. So their society crumbled into a place full of distrust and war. That war needed to end.

It didn't take long for word to spread about what she was, and that put her at the top of many lists to see her killed. Since she was my best friend, I needed protection too. The kind of people that were after her wouldn't hesitate to come after me if they realized we were friends.

But that wasn't what broke my control.

Liam, a very old and powerful vampire, sent Salvatore as a body guard. From what I understood, he was known to take on odd jobs.

At first, that was all it was. An assignment.

Protection.

But it was more than that.

Despite not running around on four legs very often, being a werewolf made him perfectly capable of defending me. A combination of brutality and strength that would come to his advantage if he needed it. I thought he was taking his assignment very seriously, or maybe Liam kept the werewolf's pockets filled to ensure my safety.

After realizing the dangers around me, my best friend used her magic to create an amulet that would allow me to see auras. The little glow of varying color that surrounded anything that was _other_ — anything _not human_ was an aura. Those colors indicated the current emotional state.

The only exception to that rule was vampires. Being undead meant they didn't cast auras.

As a Guardian — Aisling's Guardian — I needed to tell the difference between human and _other_ so I could protect her. And myself.

It took me over a week to figure out what all the colors meant. The last color I needed to figure out was red.

My best friend's fiancé and witch, Connor kissed her and their auras lit up with it.

With as brightly as they were glowing, realization hit me like a punch to the gut. Up until that moment, I didn't know what it meant. Desire. And I saw it often. But not just on them.

I damn near choked on my sandwich as I let that information sink in. My werewolf protector wanted me. It wasn't that I was a prude, quite the contrary. I was a hot blooded woman. And Salvatore was the definition of sexy. I would be lying if I said he meant nothing to me.

But even as the town's Guardian, I didn't have all the information. Desire wasn't the only thing red could mean.

It could also mean love.

And pink was just a precursor to red.

Knowing how much Salvatore wanted me, whether it was just lust or more, it was enough to set me on edge.

But because Connor liked to tease people, he exploited my unease. _We have more strength and endurance than humans. Salvatore is also a dominant wolf. He'd be an alpha if he had a pack.... Combine that with our ability to regenerate, not carry disease,_ and _not be fertile unless we want to be, you're in for a wild ride. Lots of them._

I didn't choke, but I did drop my sandwich.

If I had an aura, it would have exploded in red.

It wasn't Connor that turned me on — that would be weird. It was _knowing_ what could happen with Salvatore that sent me crumbling.

Everyone knew how I felt about Aisling, but it took a lot of courage to ask Connor to keep an eye on Salvatore when they went off to fight a demon later that day in a town called Hoopeston a few hours away.

I was a wreck while they were gone.

When they returned the next morning, I greeted my best friend and caught the faint scent of blood on her. As I commented on it, my werewolf stepped off the bus. I didn't think. I just moved into his arms, letting my friends know, including him, that I cared.

_Damn you, Connor_.

But the damage was done, and their battle was over. Mine was only beginning.

While I drove the two of us back to my house not long after, it was Salvatore that broke the silence. "Are you going to tell me what's going on, Angela?" He smelled like blood. Lots of blood.

When I didn't answer, he said, "You smelled blood on Aisling. She was clean enough that you shouldn't have smelled it."

I shrugged, not looking away from the road. "So I have a sensitive nose."

"No. You would have smelled blood on me before. Something's different."

"I don't know what to tell you."

He turned in his seat. "That's not the only thing that's different."

Salvatore was six and a half feet tall and built for battle. With skin that was deeply tanned, light brown curly hair that was cut just long enough to look sexy and disheveled, and a beard cut short but a little too long to be stubble, it was distracting enough. His muscles bulged against his stiff, bloodied black shirt, his jeans hugged him in all the right places, and his hazel eyes were burning the side of my face.

I was nearly a foot and a half shorter than the werewolf sitting next to me. I wasn't thin, but my figure was curvy enough to give me an hourglass shape. With my dark skin, dark eyes, and unsurprising dark, curly hair that fell just past the top of my shoulders, it made me look weak and feminine around him.

And I both liked and hated that.

"Okay," I sighed, "what else is there?"

"For one, you know things. Like you know when Aisling is listening on the phone, even though she doesn't make a sound. How do you know that?"

I shrugged.

He growled.

"I'm not hiding anything from you." I glared at him for a moment before turning back to the road.

_That's right. Give in to the anger, Angela_.

"I don't know what's going on, either," I went on. "Sometimes I just know things, and apparently my nose is sharper than it was before. Other than that, I have no clue what's going on."

I refused to look at him as his aura shifted from a contented purple to a deep pink that was rapidly changing to red.

By the time I pulled into my driveway, I was a wreck. Part of me wanted to fling myself on Salvatore's lap. The other part, the rational part, wanted me to run.

I picked the latter, knowing I was giving myself away in more ways than one. His sense of smell was far more heightened than mine, and I could tell he smelled my desire, because I was starting to smell it. It was like an exotic spice mixed with musk.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw him grin at me as I shoved the car in park, pulled the parking break, and pulled out the key.

Scrambling out of the car as fast as I could, I realized, too late, as I started running for the door, that werewolves chased anything that ran from them.

### Chapter 2

Before I could put the key in the front door, Salvatore was behind me. The scent of blood filled my nose and I froze.

"Angela Williams, why are you running from me?" he growled.

My knees nearly buckled under the sound of his voice, traveling down my spine like a stream of hot water. "I'm not running from you," I replied.

_Fuck_.

Why did my voice have to sound raspy like I was begging for sex?

Maybe that was because I was.

Damn it. Damn _him_.

"Then why are you running? Why are you breathing so hard?"

I dropped my keys and knelt down to pick them up, trying to calm my breathing. When I stood up, I flinched. He was right beside me. His hot breath hit my cheek as he leaned toward me. I turned to face him and squared my shoulders. My eyes met his and his red aura darkened. "Tell your wolf to calm down," I evaded.

He took a step forward and I took a step back, nearly falling over a pot of desiccated mums. His arm shot out and caught me before I fell and then he pushed me against the house in the next instant.

His arms were pressed on either side of my shoulders, surrounding me. "I'm trying," he breathed and closed his eyes.

I reached up and touched Salvatore's cheek for the first time. The hairs of his short, honey brown beard tickled against my palm as his eyes opened and bored into mine.

Forcing myself to keep my hands from running through his curly hair, or doing something else equally stupid, like kissing him, I just stared back.

My heart was hammering in my chest so loud, I was sure he could hear it. "I forgot about your instincts. I'm sorry."

Before I realized what I was doing, my gaze dropped to his mouth and I licked my lips.

Three things happened at once. His aura darkened to a deep pulsating red, his eyes watched the movement, and he growled at me.

_Damn_.

His aura was red, but I was behaving like prey. I didn't know if he wanted to have sex with me or if he wanted to eat me. I hoped for the former and tried to figure out what to do.

I was enticing the wolf, not calming him.

But did I really want him calm?

Yes. Yes I did.

So, I did the only thing I could think of to break his fixation on me. I dropped my hand from his face and wrapped my arms around his waist. I let the fear and worry that I carried for days wash over me, blanketing the desire rushing through my veins like a thick, liquid fire.

Burying my face into his dark shirt, I breathed him in, smelling mostly blood, and then I rested my cheek on his chest, just over his heart. His pulse was fast like mine, but it was slowing.

His arms wrapped around me a moment later and he dipped his head to smell my hair. But he didn't say anything else. He held me as we both calmed down.

After some time, he finally released me and took my keys to open the door for me. We stepped inside and I looked around. The space was the same as always. Simple furnishings that didn't allow for clutter. I didn't have a television, but it didn't matter. I read. It was what I loved.

White built-in bookshelves flanked the fireplace to our left and a small conversation area was in front of it, with yet another bookshelf in the small hallway that led to the bathroom, bedrooms, and kitchen.

Bugs sauntered up to us as Salvatore shut the door behind me. The gray feline was sashaying his hips as he padded toward us, green eyes watching me as he moved. "Meh," he said in a half meow.

"Hi, buddy," I said and bent to scoop him up. But as soon as my fingers touched his fur, I lost control over my body.

The cat jumped out of the way before I could fall on top of him. Salvatore moved to my side and was on his knees an instant later. He brushed my hair out of my face.

I couldn't talk. I couldn't move, but I was still conscious.

What the hell is happening to me?

"Angela?" Salvatore asked as he checked me over.

I could only see him out of my peripheral vision, because my eyes wouldn't cooperate either. They were focused ahead of me, where Bugs sat, whipping his tail around, watching me with intelligent green eyes.

My mind was fully functional, so why couldn't I move?

As I continued to lay there, frozen, Salvatore's aura shifted to gray, mirroring my unease. "I can smell your fear."

Bugs's eyes remained locked with mine and I watched him take a few steps forward. He shoved his head into my hand before my mind went blank and everything went black.

Faintly, I heard the sound of Salvatore's deep voice calling for me, but it moved further away as something dragged me down deeper into the darkness.

For a while, I was pulled from behind by something I couldn't see. I smelled nothing, heard nothing. Saw nothing. Felt nothing but that pull. And my fear grew with each passing moment. I tried to speak, but no sound escaped my lips.

Eventually, lights flew by, like speeding past streetlights on a highway. But nothing was there. Just light.

Then, it felt as though I was pulled through some kind of thick water that sucked me in and enveloped me.

I panicked.

Whatever was happening, I was about to drown. I struggled, but my body wouldn't move. There was only enough control to hold my breath.

Pressure built in my head, growing until I had no choice but to breathe in.

"You can breathe," something growled from behind me.

It didn't matter, because I took an involuntary breath, and was surprised when air filled my lungs, not the dense wetness that surrounded me.

You can read my mind?

"Yes, I can, but only down here."

Who are you?

"You know me as Bugs."

Bugs?

Before I could throw strings of questions at him, he replied, "I am your guide." A cacophony of questions sounded off in my head but he answered none of them. "Silence. We are almost there."

In the next instant, I was standing on solid ground, breathing air, dry, and could control my body again. "Bugs?" I called, but nothing responded.

I was standing in the middle of a street, the light was dim as if dusk was giving way to twilight and left everything in shadows, but still bright enough that everything seemed lit with sepia tones.

In the distance, I could see buildings that looked dirty, like no one bothered to clean anything in decades or more. The street was littered with trash that bounced and traveled across the pavement in the cool breeze.

There were no cars, no people.

I shivered.

Something moved out of the corner of my eye and I turned to look. A girl of about sixteen was limping toward me. Her blonde hair was in disarray and stuck out in odd places, like she hadn't showered in weeks.

I noticed her clothes were dirty and torn, and as she moved closer, I gasped. Blood was oozing from a bullet hole on the left side of her forehead, just above her eye. The other side of her face was awful. It looked like she was dragged across the pavement.

Her throat was slit and it looked like someone carved some kind of symbol into her chest, like a wavy cross. She continued to amble toward me and I noticed cuts and bruises through the various tears in her clothing. As my eyes traveled down, I realized she was walking on a broken ankle.

Then terror washed over me as her pale, dead eyes locked with mine.

The dead girl flickered and in the next instant, she was standing in front of me, instead of nearly twenty yards away. I flinched and stumbled backward from the shock.

"Do not be afraid," she said, but her mouth didn't move. Her voice sounded ethereal, like she spoke with more than one voice.

"What the hell is going on?" I cried. My voice sounded more afraid than strong, like I hoped.

"You are in the _Spirit Realm_ , Angela."

Of all the things I ever read in the supernatural lore from the vault, the information kept by Guardians, I never heard of such a place.

She must have seen the confusion on my face, because she said, "The _Spirit Realm_ is where ghosts come after we cross over. It is neither heaven, nor hell."

"Am I dead?"

"No. You are visiting."

"Okay." I relaxed a little. "What do you want?"

"Our realm is in danger, Angela Williams. You are the only one that can help us." I wasn't sure if that was an answer to my question.

What could I do? I was only human.

"You are not safe here," she said without speaking from her mouth and looked around.

That was when I felt it. Dozens of eyes were watching me, but I couldn't see any of them. I could only see the girl in front of me.

I blinked and when my eyes opened again we were inside a derelict house. A tiny dwelling that looked like it was left to the elements nearly a century before.

Almost an inch of dust covered every surface within its walls and as the girl limped through the space, she didn't leave a trail through it. Was she really a ghost?

"Yes, I am a ghost," she responded.

Great, ghosts could read minds, too.

"Not all ghosts, I am the only one, I believe. I suspect it is the only reason I have been able to resist her power."

"Whose power?"

"She is controlling us, exploiting the cracks in our realm, driving many mad. Her goal is to incite violence from us and then release us upon your world."

I wondered how dangerous ghosts could be in the world, because as far as I knew, ghosts were there already. Though my best friend's fiancé liked to tease and poke fun, his philosophy of _everything is real_ was actually a good one to embrace. Especially in my line of work.

But if the girl in front of me was any indication, she couldn't even sift the dust on the floor as she paced back and forth with that limp. With every step she took, I heard a crack of her ankle.

In answer to my unspoken line of thinking, she stomped her foot on the ground with a loud crunch and her ankle snapped further to the side. The vibration traveled through the floor as a huge plume of dust erupted upward like she just dropped a bomb.

My eyes widened and I took a step back.

"We can touch whatever we want, if we choose to do so." Her dead eyes locked with mine and I understood the implications of insane ghosts on Earth.

"What exactly do you think I can do to help you?"

"You do not know it yet, but you are powerful. You are the only one more powerful than her. You are the only one that can stop her."

"Who and what is she?"

"I do not know what she is or her name. Having a name in the _Spirit Realm_ is dangerous if the wrong ghosts know it."

Great. The dead girl in front of me knew my name. Who else knew it? And what could they do with my name? I needed to be very careful with my thoughts.

"Your secret remains with me so long as she doesn't take control of me, too. I'm one of the last of us that is free from her influence. There are a few still in hiding, however." Her eyes locked with mine again and I could see the fear in them.

Ghosts could get scared?

"How can I help you? I have no idea what's happening, let alone what kind of power I might have."

"You must learn to use it before you can break her hold on the realm and the ghosts within before the walls crumble under the weight of her power."

"What can I do to learn it?"

"You are already beginning to develop. Do not shy away from those changes. An open mind is necessary to using the power. Your body is the key to the rest." She turned to look at the wall behind her.

As if a projector turned on with an old movie, images began to play. My werewolf knelt on the floor between my cat's unconscious body and mine, his eyes moving back and forth between us.

I couldn't see his aura, but from the faint smirk on his face, I thought he understood that I would be okay. I didn't know how. Maybe he knew something I didn't.

He reached out and scooped me up in his arms like I weighed no more than my cat. He carried me into my bedroom and set me down on my bed before carefully removing my flats. He stood there and watched me for a moment, and then took a step toward the door.

He froze and turned around to look at me again. While he looked at me, his shoulders squared and he removed his shoes.

I had a brief moment of panic that he might do something to me, but I knew him better than that. Sure enough, he settled on my bed next to me and pulled me into his arms, resting his head on my pillow.

With a look of pure bliss, he kissed the top of my head, breathed in deep, and my heart melted.

The red I saw so many times in his aura wasn't just lust. He was in love with me. I could see it in his features. He was completely unguarded in that moment. He looked at home with me. At peace.

If I was being honest with myself, I loved him too. I just never let myself think about it, consider it, or fathom it. But ever since he came into my life, I liked having him around.

And I would be devastated if he left.

Dead Girl made a noise. It wasn't a cough, but it was close. I looked away from the wall and saw what was happening.

The dust. The inch of it that covered everything. It was all floating in the air like a wind had picked it up and tossed it around.

What the hell? Am I doing that?

Dead girl nodded, "That is how you will save us."

Before I had a chance to respond, something yanked me backward and the _Spirit Realm_ disappeared from sight.

### Chapter 3

Warmth enveloped me.

One second I was standing in the _Spirit Realm_ and the next, I was being pulled backward in a rush. But it was fast. I barely registered that I was being pulled away before everything fell away into nothing.

Moving closer to the warmth and burying my face in it, I shivered, but I wasn't cold. It was a nice, toasty feeling that my body protested against as I started to wake.

My blanket trembled in response and I thought I heard a deep purr. Bugs was loud when he was content, I mused. Then the blanket tightened and sent heat all across my body like a whoosh of wildfire.

It wasn't a blanket I was wrapped in. It was Salvatore. He was the one purring in contentment.

I didn't realize werewolves could purr, but sure enough, he was. My body pressed tighter against his. I wasn't awake enough yet to realize exactly what I was doing.

Right.

Even I couldn't buy the lie.

But I didn't care.

His hand brushed my hair away from my face and he tried to pull away but I fisted his shirt, still stiff from the dried blood, and pulled him toward me.

I wasn't sure if I really yanked him that hard, or if he responded with a zeal that propelled him further than we both anticipated, but he ended up on top of me, pressing me into the mattress.

And it felt good having him there.

"Hmmm, Salvatore," I breathed and nuzzled his chest.

He tried to roll off me but I shook my head. Surprisingly, he stayed. But he lifted up on his arms so he wasn't putting his full weight on me.

My eyes were still closed. I didn't want to open them. I was afraid if I did, I would change my mind and shut down.

My arms reached up and I raked my nails down his back, trying to get him to move closer again. He shuddered and groaned at the same time.

That was when I felt him, his desire pressing against my leg. I tried to wriggle my legs out from under him as I gasped, but he didn't move.

"Angela," his deep voice growled. "We're not doing this."

My eyes snapped open and I glared at him. "Why the hell not?"

"Because it's not right. Whatever is going on, you aren't yourself."

I sighed, "You've got to be kidding me, Salvatore. You're acting like I'm some delicate flower. I'm twenty-two. I promise I won't break."

"I'm old fashioned."

I snorted. "Oh, please. You're only a few years older than me." For emphasis, I fisted his shirt again and tried to pull him down.

"For your information," he growled, "I'm sixty-one years old."

I froze.

What?

"You don't even look thirty."

He didn't. His curly, light brown hair showed no signs of gray. His skin was tanned and flawless, making him look more exotic than anything. Just the sight of him made my mouth water.

"It's a part of being a werewolf." He shrugged. "We live a very long time. And I _am_ old fashioned. Don't tempt me."

I grinned devilishly at him and his eyes dropped to watch. His expression darkened and his red aura burned brighter. "I know you want me, Salvatore. I want you. So what's the problem?"

"You aren't yourself. I have no idea what's going on, but you're acting different. If you were yourself, you wouldn't act like this."

Anger washed over me and I let go of his shirt. He rolled away before I could push him. "You barely know me," I breathed.

Damn.

I let the hurt show in my voice and his head snapped to the side to look at me. I turned away and sat up, letting my legs hang over the edge of the bed.

Salvatore was sitting next to me with his arm over my shoulder in the next instant. I stiffened and he dropped his arm.

"I know I haven't known you very long. But I know you well enough to notice when something is different. I don't know what happened to you when you passed out, and I don't know if that has anything to do with what's different about you."

Bugs sauntered into the doorway and sat down. His tail twitched and he licked his lips like he just ate something. The look in his eyes told me that what happened was real. But I was still too confused to have any idea what to think about it.

I looked into his green eyes wearily, but spoke to Salvatore. "I went somewhere. I don't know what it was, but I wasn't asleep and it wasn't a dream. Other than that I don't know any more than you do."

What an idiot. I couldn't believe what I was doing when I woke up. I was pretty sure I was in love with the man sitting next to me. But I didn't know what to do about it. I never let anyone in.

And suddenly, he was firmly in my heart like he was there the whole time. Maybe he was. I fiddled with the sterling silver bracelet that held the spelled purple amulet on my left wrist.

"What are you thinking?" he asked.

Oh, just pondering how long I've been in love with you.

"Nothing."

"Don't lie to me, Angela. I know when you're thinking about something that's important to you because you start chewing on your lips."

I turned to look at him and his hazel eyes were clear as he watched me. His aura was pink and green. I wasn't sure if the green meant he was angry, or if he was debating something.

But his words caught me off guard. He knew me well enough to know what I did when I was thinking about something important. That meant he watched me much more closely than I thought. And it just solidified my belief that he was in love with me.

I debated for a moment if I should lie to him, but I thought better of it. He seemed to know me well enough to tell when I lied anyway. I didn't want to hurt him by lying, and I didn't want to tell him the truth, either.

"I haven't quite worked it out yet. I'll let you know when I do."

He grinned and then his face cleared as his aura turned light blue with his humor. "You do that."

My eyes narrowed. "Are you making fun of me?"

Before he could answer, I punched him on the shoulder.

He flew off the end of the bed and landed on the floor in front of my dresser in a heap.

What the hell?

"Salvatore?"

He didn't move, but he was breathing.

I scrambled off the bed and moved to his side. "Oh, god, I'm sorry, I—"

His eyes opened and he started laughing at me. I realized, too late, that his aura never changed.

"That's not fair, Salvatore," I cried and sat back on my feet, burying my face in my hands.

Before I even realized he moved, he was right in front of me, pulling my hands away from my face. "You really thought you hurt me?"

"What was I supposed to think? You were right. I am different. I don't know what's going on, and after what happened while I...." I paused, not sure I wanted to say anything about the _Spirit Realm_. Then I watched his aura darken with a sad, dark blue. "I haven't been so confused in my life."

"I was only teasing," his aura lightened. "But you did hit me pretty hard. It's a good thing I heal fast, or that bruise would make me look like I'm being abused." He grinned.

I snorted and swatted at him. "Abused, my ass."

"That's better," he smiled. "You'll be fine. We'll figure it out, okay?"

I nodded.

"Alright, I'm going to take a shower." He leaned forward and pressed his forehead against mine, but when he pulled back, he kissed me there.

Before I could respond — or even think about the significance of what he did, for that matter — he was gone. The sound of the shower hit me a moment later.

Dammit.

"You jerk," I whispered, grinning.

I couldn't be sure, but I thought I heard him laugh.

Up until three centuries before, Earthen witches reigned over the supernatural world before they were killed by the Malleus Dei Maleficarum.

They wanted anyone _other_ dead. And when the Earthens were eradicated, their world fell into chaos.

Unlike regular witches, Earthens possessed heightened emotions in order to fuel their will — the desire to make something happen. Will made their magic possible. They didn't need to cast spells, nor did they have the limitations of normal magic. Twelve Earthens shared that power.

As the first and only one to exist since their deaths, Aisling possessed it all.

On the Saturday after Thanksgiving, she and Connor were kidnapped and taken to Berlin by the Kramer Scholars, the first and most devout sect of the MDM.

The Scholars wanted to kill them, but they wanted to torture them first. They escaped, but not before discovering what killed the Earthens so long ago. They would have died, if it weren't for Aisling's immense power.

With the threat of heliotrope, the only drug known to affect _others_ – witches especially — looming over them, they needed an antidote. Since Salvatore was a trained pathologist, he wanted to help.

But that wasn't all.

My friends went to fight against the demon named Bilu, an army of his minions, _and_ the Kramer Scholars. At the same time, bombs went off in the skies, releasing the aerosolized heliotrope into the air in an effort to kill as many _others_ as possible.

We didn't know which types of _others_ could be affected by the drug, but Salvatore believed that pixies, the cultivators of plant life, and vampires were immune to it. Salvatore's antidote worked to protect the rest of their group, but we didn't know about the death count in the rest of the world. That was something I needed to monitor.

It was hard to imagine that all of it began nine days earlier and ended just hours before.

I was more relieved that everyone came back alive. Except for seven vampires I barely knew and the three adorable little pixies that lived in Aisling's garden with their family.

It could have been a lot worse, if not for my best friend. More would have died. Including Salvatore.

When the fight was over, he let his guard down and a Scholar –- a fucking human — snuck up on him and slit his throat.

Though vampire blood could heal his wound, it was like a poison to were-animals, and would cause him unimaginable pain. So Aisling helped him. Luckily, her magic saved him in time.

He almost died. And then he and Liam tried to cover it up, the bastards.

My lip curled in grim satisfaction that I ruined the vampire's expensive jacket when I ripped it open to inspect the werewolf for damage after I hugged him and smelled all the blood.

Don't get me wrong, I was happy Salvatore was alive. But that didn't change the fact that he was supposed to hear a human. He could have prevented it. He was a werewolf for god's sake.

Which was why I was so angry and paced the floor of my bedroom.

I was too distracted by him and everything else that was happening to fully realize it.

It didn't matter that I was in love with him. _Wanted_ him more than I ever wanted anything in my life.

The bastard almost died and left me. Alone.

I needed to make some brownies for Aisling to thank her for saving his life.

And I needed to punch him.

The water turned off in the shower and I walked out into the hallway with my arms crossed over my chest. I stopped in front of the bathroom door and glared at it.

He knew I was there. His hearing was far beyond anything that was natural.

A few moments later the door swung open, revealing a very wet Salvatore looming over me with his six and a half foot frame. Water droplets were falling out of his curly hair and sliding down his face like sweat, down his neck and over his shoulders.

My mouth fell open and I breathed in. He smelled like the forest right after a summer thunderstorm. I needed to force myself to stay where I was and not start licking the water off his body as my eyes continued to travel down, uninterrupted.

A towel was wrapped around his waist, but with his large frame, it looked tiny and barely covered him. It also didn't leave much to the imagination.

Salvatore still wanted me. That much was clear. And he wasn't trying to hide it.

My mouth watered and I damn near started drooling right then and there.

He made a noise. I wasn't sure if it was a growl or a cough, but it caught my attention and my eyes snapped up to his.

His aura was swirling with light blue and red while his lips were curled in a grin as he regarded me. "Did you ... need something?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Well," I cleared my throat to clear out the rasp. He narrowed his eyes and I remembered why I couldn't wait to talk to him. "You're in trouble, mister."

"Why is that?" he asked slowly.

"If I was a wolf, I'd bite your nose for what you did."

His eyes widened and orange mixed in with his aura at his amazement.

That's right.

I knew some of the key points of wolf behavior and basics of dominance. Call me curious.

It occurred to me that I just told him I cared for him a lot longer than I let on. There was nothing I could do about it, so I waited for him to respond.

"What did I do? I've been staying here for over a week," he nodded toward the guest bedroom. "And I'm not a slob."

My lip trembled and my vision blurred. I coughed, choking it down. "You almost died."

His lips thinned and the blue in his aura darkened with sadness. "I was wondering when you'd process that."

"Congratulations. I processed it. And I'm fucking pissed, Salvatore. How could you let a human sneak up on you like that?"

"There was a lot going on, and they were fighting with us."

"That's no excuse and you know it."

Without waiting for a response and true to my word, I punched him in the chest, knocking him backward a step. I stepped forward into the steamy bathroom.

The room wasn't much, but it was all I needed. With creamy white wainscoting, sea foam green walls and vanity, it reminded me of the beach.

"What if Aisling didn't get to you in time? What if her magic was too weak after killing the demon to save you, huh? What then? You'd be dead."

I punched him again and the blue in his aura lightened as green started to bleed into it. "This is not funny!" I shouted and punched him again, forcing him back another step. Only a few more steps remained before he would reach the toilet at the end of the small room.

He could stop me. He was much stronger than I was. Much faster too. "I'm sorry, Angela. It was a mistake I won't make again."

"Dammit, don't do that. Fight back!" Anger was all I could go on, and he wasn't playing fair.

His expression softened. "I'm sorry, Angela."

I punched him again. "Stop doing that!" I screamed.

Then he snarled and lunged.

### Chapter 4

Salvatore moved with a blur of motion, knocking me off my feet and down to the floor. I should have hit my skull on the white tile with the way I fell, but I felt his hand cradle the back of my head so I wouldn't get hurt. Then his hand was gone so fast, I wondered if it was there at all.

His body pressed between my legs, preventing me from moving while he propped himself up with his hands. It was painfully obvious how I affected him. And I liked it.

His eyes met mine, and I understood then what he was doing as he continued to snarl at me. My anger was replaced with fear, but I refused to look away from him.

With his aura looking like a rainbow exploded, the green, gray, light blue, purple, and red all swirled together. It told me his emotions were all over the charts. Ranging from anger or indecision to fear, humor, alpha power, and desire.

He kept his eyes locked on mine in a play for dominance. My breath caught in my throat and I stopped breathing, waiting for him to speak. To growl some more. Hell, I would take a kiss. Anything. Everything.

But he didn't move.

I didn't move either.

I didn't even move when his face shifted to a wolf. His snout elongated, black fur covered his face, fangs replaced his teeth, and his eyes changed from hazel to yellow in less than a second.

A partial change was unheard of, but Salvatore was pinning me to my bathroom floor with his very aroused human body, while his face was a wolf.

In a stalemate, he snarled again and his head dropped to the curve of my neck. Hot breath hit the sensitive skin and then he bit me. Not hard enough to break my skin but enough to make me cry out.

But not in pain.

I raked my nails down his back, still wet from the shower, wanting more. Wanting whatever he would give me. I tried to move underneath him, but he didn't let me.

My hands slipped down his back and underneath his towel. I gripped his ass and dug my nails in at the same time.

He snarled and bit me again and I nearly came, letting out a shaky groan. Even I could smell my lust.

Releasing me, he lifted his head to look at me again. To pick up where our fight for dominance left off.

I reached up and ran my fingers over the black fur on his face, maintaining eye contact.

A tear slipped from my eye and his hand flashed to my face. I flinched, losing the fight for dominance and his aura shifted to dark blue as his face returned back to human.

His thumb wiped away the tear and then caressed my cheek.

The look in his eyes made me want to cry more. And I hated crying.

Damn him.

His voice was nearly a whisper, "You're afraid of me."

"No, I'm not," I said, truthfully. "I just didn't know what you were doing. You weren't playing fair."

He chuckled. "How am I not playing fair? You just tried to pull dominance over me and you're not even a wolf. You're lucky I didn't eat you for it."

My eyes narrowed. "You wouldn't eat me." His aura brightened with light blue but the situation was too intense for humor. So I cut him off before he could speak. "Don't."

His aura darkened and he frowned, "You're right. I wouldn't. But I could have. You were playing with fire, you know that, right?"

I nodded. It beat the alternative of crying.

"You were lucky I let you hit me, too. It's never a good idea to hit a wolf." His expression softened, "You're chewing on your lips again. What's wrong?"

Where to begin?

"Lots of things. You were stupid and almost got yourself killed last night."

"It won't happen again. I promise you. What else is wrong?"

Instead of answering, I reached up and touched his cheek, searching his eyes. But that time it wasn't a play for dominance. "You don't know how you affect me, Salvatore," I breathed.

His aura shifted to red and orange as he watched me. He was amazed at my admission.

To be honest, I was too. "I wish I had an aura so you could see."

"I know enough," he said, low.

I stared at his mouth, silently pleading. But when he made no move toward me, I pulled him down and lifted up as much as I could from his body pinning me to the floor, but he stopped less than an inch from my face.

He shook his head. "No, Angela."

Anger washed over me. I let him go and let my head fall to the floor. I winced from the impact, but didn't let it slow me. "Oh, so it's okay to bite me and damn near make me come, but you can't kiss me? Unbelievable—"

"What?"

"Oh, please, like you can't smell it on me."

"Yes, but I've smelled it on you for a while now."

Salvatore shook from suppressed laughter and said, "Let me guess, you can smell it?"

I nodded.

"Interesting," he grinned and stood up, pulling me with him. The door swung closed behind me and he pushed me against it. Just like when I hit the floor, his hand cushioned the impact and was gone in the next instant.

Watching me closely for a moment, he leaned his head down to my shoulder, letting his breath hit my skin and I trembled while my traitorous body tilted my head to give him access, inviting him to bite me again.

" _Salvatore_ ," I moaned breathlessly and then reached around him, splaying my hands across his lower back. "That's not nice."

"That's debatable," he breathed. My hands snaked under his towel again and it fell away and I dug my nails into him as he bit me.

" _Ohmygod_ ," I moaned as I almost came again. My knees gave out but he caught me before I fell and pressed me tighter against the door.

He pulled his head back and watched me trying to breathe and grinned. Picking me up, I wrapped my legs around him, wishing I didn't have any clothes on either. But he turned and deposited me on the counter next to the sink.

I held on to his neck and tried to get him closer, but he wouldn't budge. " _Please_ ," I begged.

Just because I didn't like to beg, didn't mean I wouldn't do it.

He shook his head. "We're going to be late."

I dropped my hold on him. "Well, shit."

"Biting you almost made you come?"

My eyes narrowed. "You're just trying to torture me."

He growled and I grinned, despite myself.

"Yes," I answered, finally.

He moved away from the door, letting me get an eyeful of him completely naked, and the corner of his mouth tilted up in a smirk.

"Good to know," he growled.

Before I could respond, he was out the door and disappeared into the guest room.

I whispered, "Damn," and heard him chuckle.

With the sun falling over the horizon, we all stood in Liam's backyard. The run down exterior of the home, to my surprise, continued through the back, and even the plant life looked long dead, like a drought that lasted for more than a century.

It reminded me of the pixies. They loved to complain to the vampires about the state of the exterior. Their livelihood was plant life.

Liam was amused, but it was really the spell that Aisling's mother cast before her death nearly a decade before that made the place look so ... decrepit. We couldn't see past the glamour of the spell, but he assured us that everything was in perfect shape.

Maybe he was just trying to appease them. But it didn't matter anymore. Those teenage triplets gave their lives to save Aisling and Connor.

Seven vampires were gone, too.

They fought against the destroyer demon and his army of minions and gave their lives.

Liam's entire nest of vampires and humans were dressed expensively in black, as they always were. And it made me look like a homeless person. I didn't even change my clothes.

My wrinkled cream shirt clung to my skin beneath a brown sweater, belted around my waist. My jeans were dark and were form fitting until just above my ankle where they widened slightly. And my damn feet were freezing inside my flats.

I stood with Salvatore to my right, towering over me as usual. Dressed in black jeans, he wore a crisp, white button down shirt with the sleeves carefully rolled up to his elbows. He still smelled like the woods at the end of a summer rainstorm.

His clothes fit him just right and I forced myself to focus on what was happening in front of me, otherwise I would end up staring at him and drooling. Somehow I didn't think that would be appropriate for a mass vampire funeral.

Aisling stood to my left wearing black. Even with a long-sleeve shirt, boot cut jeans, and a messy ponytail, she was beautiful.

Connor stood on her other side. Though he always wore the same style of dark clothes, they suited him, and worked with almost any occasion. And Shadow, the massive white werewolf, sat next to him.

Their auras were all a deep, dark blue from the sadness they felt.

Though vampires didn't cast an aura because they were dead — undead to be exact — it wasn't always easy to pick up on how they felt. But that evening, they all looked grim. Even Liam. For the very old and very powerful vampire to show his emotion meant that he felt overwhelmed with it.

The worst part was watching Jon, Liam's second in command, kneeling on the cold ground next to the permanently dead blonde.

I didn't know her name. But I watched him with his immense frame, more bulging muscle than man, hunching over her delicate body and shuddering from silent sobs. It made my eyes water.

Crying wasn't something I did often. There just wasn't much use in it. It was much better to channel sadness into something much more effective. Like anger.

But watching his eerily brown, yet pale bald head leaning forward, and the reddish tears that filled his eyes but didn't spill over, nearly had me on the ground sobbing next to him.

If not for my best friend, I would be in the exact same situation. Crying over Salvatore's dead body. And that both pissed me off, and made me realize how much I loved him.

Something changed in Aisling's aura and she walked up to Liam. Though I couldn't hear her like the vampires and the two werewolves could, somehow, I knew.

She was about to do something amazing. I didn't know what that was, but I knew it.

Sure enough, several minutes later, Liam, Connor, and Aisling returned and the old vampire discussed something very quietly with Jon, still hunched over the beautiful blonde. He nodded in response, and then the master of his house addressed everyone.

Aisling was about to raise the dead vampires as ghouls.

_Damn_.

My best friend was definitely badass.

If Dead Girl was right, apparently I was too.

Ghouls were so rare. I hardly knew anything about them.

While we waited, I tried to ignore my freezing feet and uncontrollable shivering and instead focused on what happened earlier that day.

First of all, Bugs wasn't just my cat. Until that day, I never saw the intelligence behind his eyes. Maybe I wasn't paying close enough attention. Then he dragged me to the _Spirit Realm_. Something I never knew existed. Even as a Guardian.

Without a clue, other than what Dead Girl told me, I was caught in some kind of epic event where I was the only hope for them.

What was worse, Salvatore seemed to cause a strange reaction from me while in the realm. I didn't know if that was anything like what Connor and Aisling were to each other — mates, a supernatural soulmate kind of thing — or if it was something different.

But yet, I knew that whatever was happening, it wasn't a supernatural thing. If I was changing into something _other_ , I should have started to see auras without Aisling's spelled amulet around my left wrist.

That meant I was still human.

The _Spirit Realm_ was a place for ghosts. If my ability to help them meant embracing my changes, I was clueless about what that could mean.

But I still kept going back to Aisling and Connor.

In the beginning, it was Aisling. She was the only pure Earthen in existence. And in order for her to access her power, she needed to be open to her emotions. The more emotion she experienced, the more will she possessed, which meant more power.

Aisling and I were alike in some ways. She spent her life carefully constructing walls around herself, closing off her emotions. Her childhood was worse than mine, and that was saying something.

But with Connor, her supernatural soulmate, her emotions started to come out. He found his way into her heart and she started to bloom like a flower. With nothing but emotion. A hell of a lot of emotion.

That was why she was so powerful.

Connor was _supposed_ to be Earthen, but turned into a witch before he could turn on his own. So when they escaped from Europe, they bound themselves together in a permanent, supernatural marriage. That binding completed his transformation into an Earthen.

But Dead Girl said something to me. Something that reminded me of Aisling, at least in part. _An open mind is necessary to using the power. Your body is the key to the rest._

Did she mean my emotions? Or something else?

An open mind came with the territory of being a Guardian. And Connor's rule of _everything is real_ was a good one.

Embracing that, I was still left with no clue as to what kind of power I possessed, if it wasn't supernatural.

An hour later, all but one of the fallen vampires was alive again. As ghouls. Jon still waited patiently by the blonde's lifeless body.

I kept pondering my predicament, trying to fight off exhaustion and the cold while I sat on the frozen ground against the back of Liam's rotting Victorian home. It wasn't until light started to creep over the horizon that Jon finally accepted his beloved wasn't going to wake up.

He was left with crushed hope that devastated him.

As the blonde's body went up in flames with her final send off, everyone else was happy that six of their friends were alive again.

Eight of us remained — my best friend and her mate, the two werewolves, Liam, Tobias, Jon, and I watched in grim silence as the flames licked up into the air that faded to smoke rising into the early morning light.

It was a good thing their eyes were on the pyre.

Because I sat there with bits of glamoured wood and cracked paint chipping off into my sweater, frozen from the waist down, watching.

With tears streaming down my face.

### Chapter 5

After we took Aisling and Connor home, Salvatore and I headed to George's Diner for breakfast. I was too exhausted to cook, and I needed about a gallon of coffee before I would be capable of thought. Let alone work.

George's Diner was in the heart of Nashville. The town itself was a tourist attraction, drawing in visitors from the state park that was nestled against it.

The town was surrounded by lush trees and hills, and even in the late fall, it was beautiful. The streets were lit up cheerily, welcoming Christmas with twinkling lights and wreaths on the front of the shop doors. With more decorations in the windows, the place was even more beautiful.

Most of the buildings were once houses, converted into tiny mom-and-pop shops, usually filled with nick knacks or artistic things. George's was one of those buildings.

It was built at least a century before. The whole bottom floor was the restaurant, and George, the owner, lived upstairs.

The space was a combination of a mid-century soda shop, with the steel-wrapped Formica counter, tables and similarly styled stools and chairs, and rustic country, with the décor on the walls.

George was a kind old man that lived in Nashville his entire life. Prior to her death just over a month before, he was good friends with Aisling's grandmother. And there were even a few of Jade's recipes on his menu.

Nashville may have been a small, old fashioned town, but he never questioned my friendship with Aisling. He didn't seem to notice my skin color, like many other older natives in the town.

Nashville accepted me for the most part after the council elected me as head librarian six months earlier. They took a big leap with me, considering I was a black woman, and fresh out of college with only a Bachelor's degree.

I only applied for the job because Aisling suggested it. I wasn't qualified. Most librarians need both experience and a Master's degree, if not a Ph.D. to handle such a position. But they called me in for an immediate interview and offered me the job on the spot.

It was a few minutes after eight when we stepped through the doors of the diner. I moved for my preferred seat off to the right and sat down before an elderly couple could claim the table.

That seat was in the corner, next to the front window. From my vantage point, I could see outside, into the kitchen, and the entire dining room.

But it wasn't always my preferred seat.

I didn't always have one.

Before I landed my job, I didn't care where I sat. But after learning about the supernatural world and all the things in it — werewolves and vampires included — paranoia mixed with fear took hold. I didn't want anything to sneak up on me.

Salvatore didn't say anything, but I could tell by the tightness in his shoulders that he wanted my seat. Apparently I wasn't the only one.

Pulling out the chair across from me, he turned it so it faced more of the dining area, but the jut-in from the front door blocked half his view of the space and my lips twitched.

The old woman, whose seat I stole, glared at me and I met her eyes, smiled back at her, as more of a show of teeth than a genuine, respectful smile and waited until she looked away.

Then my grin faded as I realized Salvatore was watching our little exchange. His mouth was hanging open. "What?" I reached up to my hair self-consciously, thinking paint chips were still in it — glamour or not, it still seemed real. Or maybe I grew a second head. Finding nothing, I dropped my arms and frowned.

He recovered and closed his mouth while orange swirled in his aura. "You're not a wolf," he said quietly.

"I'm glad you just now noticed that."

A few of the locals were taking weary glances at me. Or maybe they were looking at Salvatore. He _was_ quite a sight.

It was nothing new, so I turned my attention back to him.

George finished wiping down the counter to my right and walked over to us. "Hiya, Angela. You look tired, child. Coffee this morning?"

I grinned up at him. "You know me so well, George. Yes, I'll need plenty of it this morning." He nodded and looked at the man across from me.

Realizing, too late, that it was the first time I ever went out with Salvatore in public. He spent most of his time at the library, and patrons paid more attention to books than him.

"Oh, uh, George," I stammered. "I'd like you to meet my old friend, Salvatore, he just moved here."

"Pleasure to meet you, son," George said, extending his hand. Salvatore took it and grinned up at him.

"Pleasure's all mine, George. I just started working at the hospital and Angela was nice enough to let me rent her guest bedroom for a few weeks until I'm settled in."

That was more information — and more lies — than necessary, but it wasn't entirely untrue. He was staying in my guest bedroom, and he was working at the hospital, but only a few hours a week.

George's shoulders relaxed and he smiled at Salvatore, appeased by his confession. "What can I get you?"

"I'll have a coffee as well." He pulled out the menu and scanned it. "And I'll take Gramma's Big Breakfast. Extra bacon." His normal pink and purple aura mixed with light blue for a moment as his eyes twinkled with humor.

The old man's eyes widened as he reassessed Salvatore. The six and a half foot tall werewolf looked more exotic, like he belonged on a construction site or the beach, than a lab rat. He was fit and muscular.

To a human, ordering Gramma's Big Breakfast, another of Jade's famous recipes, was ambitious, even for a man of Salvatore's size.

But his metabolism was much higher than a human, and he could probably eat more than that without breaking a sweat. After spending most of our meals together, I saw just how much he could eat in one sitting. And my grocery bills quadrupled since he came into my life.

Recovered, George looked at me. "The usual mushroom omelet with sharp cheddar and hot sauce?"

I grinned again. "You're the best, George."

The old man beamed at me and made his way to the kitchen, but as I watched him go, I could see the tightness return to his shoulders.

And then I saw that some of the locals were glaring at me in contempt.

Okay.

That wasn't normal.

"So, where were we?" Salvatore said, pulling my attention away from the onlookers.

"You made the spectacular revelation that I'm not a wolf. Really, Salvatore, your powers of deduction are astounding."

He laughed.

I grinned at him, but then he stopped and his aura turned to a mixture of orange, pink, and gray.

He asked, "What's wrong?"

"What?"

"When something bothers you, you either lash out in anger, as I have the bruises to prove, or you get really snarky."

"Oh, please. I didn't hit you that hard."

"You think I'm lying?"

Without waiting for me to answer, he opened the top three buttons his shirt, revealing a healthy amount of bruising on his chest.

"Oh, _fuck_." I blurted and my eyes widened. Twelve hours passed since I hit him. Werewolves could heal in minutes. Why was he still bruised? "How is that possible?"

"You hit me _really_ hard."

"I'm not that strong, Salvatore."

"Yes you are. You're much stronger than you should be. But you're avoiding the question."

Damn, he knew me too well.

I sighed. "Something's not right. This town is notorious for being old fashioned and hasn't fully embraced the fact that I'm a young black woman working as their librarian. But they don't usually look at me with so much ... _hate_ in their eyes."

The more I thought about it, George's posture wasn't quite right, either. But he didn't look at me like a pariah. There wasn't anything I could do about it so I changed the subject.

"So why were you pointing out that I'm not a wolf?"

"Because, though you might not be a wolf, you're definitely acting like one."

Salvatore was right.

After he came into my life, I learned what I could about wolf pack structure and behavior. I told myself I was curious about them.

Even then, he was affecting me.

But it wasn't just a curiosity. I _needed_ to know about them. Know how they worked. How they behaved. Something told me it would help me one day.

I never realized just how much I naturally started to emulate.

Before, I never shied away from taking charge. And I knew how to take care of myself. But acting like an alpha was something new to me.

Without thinking about it, I challenged Salvatore by threatening to bite his nose, as alphas would do to correct errant pack members.

Then, I not only challenged him physically by hitting him, but I stared him down in a play for dominance. If I wouldn't have flinched, there was a chance I might not have lost. But I doubted it.

It was one thing to stand my ground against an alpha werewolf like Salvatore. It was a completely different thing to pull dominance over a human.

That old woman didn't know what I did, even though I didn't mean to. Not consciously, anyway. So why did I?

And why the hell did I do it to a human?

I was speechless, which was also something new for me. But Salvatore didn't push. And we ate in silence.

Three plates sat in front of him. Three thick pieces of French toast, with powdered sugar and warm maple syrup on top took up one plate. A heaping pile of scrambled eggs, sausage, and about six pieces of bacon on another. And four pieces of toast with cinnamon and sugar completed his meal on the third.

I was going to go into diabetic shock just looking at it.

My plate was half full with a reddish omelet filled with mushrooms, cheese, and a piece of toast sitting next to it.

The werewolf still finished his meal before me.

We took large coffees to go, even though we each drank two while we were eating. Then we stopped at my house for Bugs before we headed to the library, too short on time to shower or change clothes.

Ester was already inside checking in books from the drop off as we walked in the door. She looked up over the glasses perched on the edge of her nose and lifted her head in greeting.

In the six months since I took the job, Ester was never the best employee. The old woman kept a heaping pile of disrespect and contempt toward me.

I didn't know if she wanted my job, or if she just didn't like that _I_ was in charge. But she and I never worked well together.

"Good morning, Ester," I said and kept walking toward the back.

She eyed Salvatore in an unspoken question.

"We ran into each other at George's, and I offered him a ride here."

Salvatore was working diligently on researching pathology texts to help advance his career. At least, that was the story he was giving.

When anyone was around to see him, he was sitting at the big table outside my office, reading away. Usually with Bugs curled up on the table or in his lap.

Since Ester was around most often, she was probably suspicious that something else was going on, but since she wasn't head librarian, she wasn't a Guardian, so she didn't know what he was or what he was really doing.

Protecting me.

The werewolf dropped Bugs on the floor.

I still loved my cat, but after what happened, I was a little leery to touch him.

Bugs loved everyone more than me, and he wasn't afraid to show it. That was, if his insanely loud purr didn't give him away. But he never gave Ester the time of day.

That said a lot, considering he preferred the company of a large werewolf that could probably swallow him whole in one bite.

I kept walking, without waiting for Ester to say anything, and the werewolf followed silently to his table.

For the first time since I started working, I closed the door behind me after I stepped inside my office. Instead of turning on the overhead fluorescent lights, I wanted the room dark for once.

It seemed fitting.

I waited until my eyes adjusted to the darkness before I skirted around the last pile of files the previous librarian left behind and sat down at my desk.

With a sigh, I clicked on the task light and stared at the clean surface.

My vision blurred and I buried my face in my hands.

In the next instant my chair moved and Salvatore pulled me into his arms. I didn't have to open my eyes to know it was him.

It wasn't just his scent that preceded him, but it was like I felt him, like I was hyperaware of his presence. And I supposed I was. All along.

For a few minutes, I let myself grieve. I didn't really know what I was grieving. But I was in despair.

Salvatore didn't say anything. He just held me while he knelt on the floor in front of me.

I wanted to stay in his arms. Feel comforted by him. Smell him. But I wasn't that kind of woman. I pushed down my sadness and calmed myself.

After all, why continue to mourn when I didn't even know why I was upset?

I pulled back and was about to wipe my face when Salvatore's hands flashed up and did it for me.

Even in the low light, I could see the concern on his face. See the deep pink and blue swirling in his aura. He stayed silent as he watched me, waiting for me to talk, if I chose to.

Damn him, he even knows what I need.

I wanted, more than anything else in that moment, to tell Salvatore I loved him. But it was too soon. I couldn't even get him to kiss me, so it would be stupid of me to make such a confession.

Instead, I stared in his eyes. But I wasn't fighting him for dominance. And he wasn't trying to force his dominance, either. That was a battle for another time. The moment was intense, but nothing more.

A few loose curls fell over my ear and he carefully hooked them back into place.

"What are you thinking?" I asked before I realized I wanted to speak.

"I just want to make sure you're okay. Nothing else matters," he whispered back.

I smiled faintly. _I love you, Salvatore_. "I'm better now. Thank you."

Five minutes later, I finally convinced him to go back out to the table and get to work before Ester discovered us in such an intimate situation.

That was the last thing we needed.

He left the overhead light off but kept the door open. Then he quietly moved the table so he could see me inside my office without needing to move from his seat.

I grinned. He knew what I needed and he gave it to me without having to ask.

He settled in his chair, smirked at me with his red and lightening blue aura, and then opened the large textbook in front of him.

Pulling out the flash drive from the top drawer of my desk, I removed it from its packaging, plugged it into my computer, and got to work.

A month earlier, right after discovering Aisling was a witch, I bought it, thinking it might be useful for something. And it was on sale.

Until that moment, I didn't know what I would need it for. I didn't even know that I would need it.

I knew what would happen all along?

Lunchtime came and went, and several hours later, I looked up at Salvatore. The small crease in his forehead meant he was actually reading.

Then my eyes flickered to Bugs, sitting on the table next to him. His intelligent green eyes were watching me as his gray tail thumped on the table.

Without looking away from the book, Salvatore reached out and scratched the top of the cat's head, but he didn't look away from me. He didn't even close his eyes in pleasure like he should have.

That was my first indication that something was wrong.

But before I could look away, I barely registered the sound — and the pain — from my head impacting the desk with a loud thump as I went limp in my chair.

And I was yanked from my body.

Again.

### Chapter 6

I was aware of nothing until I was standing in the _Spirit Realm_. In the middle of what looked like a long abandoned town square.

There was a large statue in the middle of it, but it was nothing anyone would ever see in public at home. It was gigantic, holding its own severed head in its talons, screaming something like a war cry with an impossibly wide jaw.

With leathery wings that looked clipped and a blood covered robe that billowed around it, revealing its naked body beneath it, it was unmistakably male.

I forced myself to look away. And I wasn't shy about things like that. Especially not something as benign as a statue. But something screamed across my body that I shouldn't see it.

That wasn't the most disturbing part. Its body wasn't human. It was deformed enough to make it appear humanoid, or at least like some kind of animal standing on its hind legs.

In all the books I read in my life, I couldn't recall a hybrid like that. The closest I could think of was a manticore, especially with the scorpion tail arching up behind it, but whatever it was, its body wasn't a lion.

And it scared the hell out of me.

The statue was surrounded by a large, round fountain that looked like it was filled with algae before it went dry.

From there, my eyes started taking in the square. And I realized the mistake I made by analyzing the statue. There were dead people everywhere.

Ghosts.

And they were frozen, looking like they were in the middle of a brawl, watching me silently.

They were so still. I did a double take and realized they weren't just figments of my imagination. Or more strange statues.

Dozens of them stood around, or floated over the dirty pavement with hate filled eyes that were focused on me — at least the ones with eyes were fixated on me. Those without them still looked just as focused as the rest.

Fuck. I'm in trouble.

I stood, frozen in place. Somehow, I felt if I started talking, they would unfreeze, stop fighting each other, and come after me.

Dead Girl could hear my thoughts, but claimed she was the only one. I hoped like hell the ghosts surrounding me couldn't hear them. I thought about calling out in my head for her, but she didn't give me her name.

Names were dangerous in that place.

I didn't know if the ghosts knew my name, and I didn't want to find out. So I forced myself to stay calm, despite my adrenaline going into overdrive.

I didn't know how much time was left in the little impasse we seemed to be in, but instead of staring each one down in a play for dominance, I let my gaze travel over them.

Each of them.

To let them know I wasn't afraid.

When I damn well should have been.

Fear was a sign of weakness. And I wasn't about to let them think I was weak.

By the time I locked eyes with each of them, I made a full circle and guessed I was dealing with around fifty ghosts. I took a few careful steps away from the fountain and grotesque statue in its center to give me room to move.

Because I was going to need every advantage I could get.

A brief moment of regret washed over me for not taking more time to learn how to defend myself. There was nothing I could do about that. I needed to focus on what was happening around me in that moment. Then I closed my eyes and released the tension in my shoulders.

When I opened my eyes, the ghosts weren't where they were before.

They weren't frozen in the middle of fighting each other. They were about a dozen feet away from me, leaning toward me as if they were about to attack. And I was certain that was about to happen.

The cold, stale breeze picked up and kicked around trash and debris while I waited for them to make the first move.

I felt, rather than heard the first ghost strike out from behind me. Dropping to the ground, I swung my leg out, hoping they were corporeal enough to hit, and sure enough, I connected with something solid.

My head turned just in time to see the ghost fall to the ground and it looked ... dumbfounded. I didn't trust that the ghost would stay down. I barely touched it, so the ghost wasn't hurt. I didn't even know if ghosts could get hurt.

Then the rest of them attacked.

The first ghost connected with my face, dragging cracked, sharp, and dirty nails down my cheek, ripping open my flesh. The next one sliced down my back and I felt blood well up and start to soak into my shirt. But they both disappeared before I could react.

Anger washed over me and I lashed out, kicking and punching at anything and everything I could. After several minutes of fighting, I realized that contact with my skin was enough to make them disappear.

It was eerily silent in the square, while we fought. I was the only thing making noise, and I was growing tired from all the effort.

I was bleeding almost everywhere, and my clothes were in tatters. If I didn't do something, and soon, those ghosts were going to kill me.

They probably could have killed me if they wanted to. But they weren't doing much other than slashing their nails at me. Which was devastating enough.

_An open mind is necessary to use the power. Your body will do the rest_ , the voice of Dead Girl flitted across my mind and I froze.

Why didn't I think of that before?

If Dead Girl was right, then I needed to clear my mind. I wasn't sure what to make of the rest. But I could only guess it was some sort of physiological response my body needed to make.

I screamed. It wasn't a scream of pain, or fear, but it was closest thing I could come to a war cry. Just like the manticore statue. I didn't have the capability of howling like a werewolf, or growling for that matter, so I used what I could.

The ghosts froze and looked at me with varying degrees of confusion. I took the brief moment of distraction and closed my eyes to focus on Salvatore and how he looked after he opened the bathroom door, steaming water still sliding across his tanned skin.

And then I focused on how I felt when I realized he would have died, and how I would have reacted if he did.

My mind emptied and I felt my body relax.

I opened my eyes and the ghosts looked angrier, but something new was written on their faces and in their body language.

Something about me scared them.

Satisfaction washed over me in a flash just before I threw my head back and screamed again.

A huge shockwave erupted from me with pulse of energy. The breeze stopped, and all sound, including my scream, stopped except for reverberation of the shockwave. Like a deep baseline that traveled through the air, and something turned the dial on the output.

It was as if my ears were muffled and I felt it rather than heard it.

I dropped my head and caught a glimpse of the ghosts flying backward before they hit the ground and disappeared.

With a grin that was more a baring of teeth than a smile, I spat blood out of my mouth before everything went black.

### Chapter 7

Pain was the first thing that registered to me as I felt my mind being dragged through oblivion. Then the scent of blood hit my nose.

I tried to move, tried to speak, but my body wouldn't cooperate. I didn't know where I was, or how long I was out, but I didn't feel like I was in danger.

Beneath the blood, I could make out the faint scent of forest and rain and smiled inwardly. That scent could make me feel calm in any situation and I welcomed it.

Though I was still in excruciating pain, I remembered what happened. Ghosts hurt me. They were perfectly capable of it.

If Dead Girl was right, I sincerely hoped those walls didn't fall. Because with ghosts that angry, the world would be in trouble.

I still didn't know how I was their only hope, but those last few moments made me think that the changes I was experiencing went far beyond just a heightened sense of smell and strength.

Without a clue of what I did exactly, I knew something more was going on. Something I never heard of, even as a Guardian. Which was disturbing on many levels.

Whatever it was I could do, it wasn't emotion I needed to access it, I needed a physical response. But I wasn't _other_ as far as I could tell.

I heard something. Far off in the distance. It was a deep voice. A familiar one.

_Salvatore_.

He was there. Somewhere. Everything would be alright if I could just reach him. The painful pressure in my head increased and the sudden urge to panic overwhelmed me, as if I was drowning.

I tried to open my eyes. Tried to move toward his voice, but I still couldn't move.

Breathe, Angela. You're almost home.

The sound of Bugs's voice hit me in the darkness, but it wasn't something I heard with my ears.

I pulled in a shaky breath and the pain in my head lessened a fraction.

Am I dying?

No response.

"Oh, thank god." Salvatore's voice was closer and the relief in his voice was unmistakable. "You're alright, Angela. You'll be alright."

I wasn't sure if he was talking to me, or if he was talking to himself, but I wanted to open my eyes and tell him I was fine. In a lot of pain, but fine.

"You can wake up now."

As if in answer to his command, my mind collided with my body, my eyes fluttered open, and I cried out in pain. The pain I felt while in the _Spirit Realm_ or while Bugs pulled me back to my body was nothing compared to what I felt in that moment.

"I called Liam."

That was good because as much as I hated the idea of drinking the vampire's blood to heal my injuries, I was in so much pain that I would willingly take whatever side effects it would bring if it meant the pain would end.

I didn't want to be conscious. But I was. While my pained screams died away — mostly because my voice wouldn't cooperate any longer — Salvatore looked down at me.

We were on the floor of my office and I was cradled in his arms as he leaned against my desk while I faced the open door.

"Wh-wh," I tried to talk but I couldn't form the words.

"You passed out and hit your head. You seemed okay for about an hour, but then your skin started slicing open." The muscles in his jaw clenched. "I had to cover for you when Ester went home. That woman is a piece of work."

That was an understatement. But it wasn't his words about Ester that caught my attention. I looked around again and noticed the main part of the library was darkened. I spent most of the day compiling information. The last thing I remembered before locking eyes with Bugs was starting the transfer at almost three that afternoon. The sun was down. I was out over three hours?

The scent of cigarette smoke that always clung to Ester was still there, since both the building and the books absorbed it. But Salvatore was right. She was gone.

After a failed attempt at nodding, I whispered, "Okay."

Apparently, the _Spirit Realm_ could hurt me. I never considered what could happen to my body during the fight. After what happened, I thought dying in the realm meant my body would die as well.

Freddy Krueger wasn't so far-fetched after all. And that was deeply disturbing.

I cried out breathlessly as Bugs hopped up on my stomach and yowled at me.

The concern in his green eyes was unmistakable and Salvatore didn't move to push the gray cat off me. A quick glance up at the werewolf told me he understood, at least on some level, that Bugs was connected to what was happening.

I wasn't sure if the green in his aura was anger, or indecision.

But I didn't have time to process that when the sound of my best friend's voice hit me an instant before her scent of almonds. " _Ohmygod_ , Angela!"

Bugs jumped off me as Aisling moved into my vision an instant later and knelt in front of me. Her long, curly hair fell over her shoulders as she assessed me.

I heard the sound of Connor's voice from out in the library somewhere, but I couldn't make it out. Then his scent of wood smoke hit my nose.

Aisling said, "Liam's not here yet, so I'm going heal you, okay?"

"'Kay," I managed and my eyes slid closed.

"It's probably going to hurt," she said, but put one hand on my forehead, and the other over my heart.

At first I felt a faint tingling and then pain exploded across my body as my eyes flew open and my back arched involuntarily.

She wasn't kidding. It was worse than I imagined. As I screamed again, the rasp in my voice made Salvatore's aura shift into a deep blue.

Fire washed over me as my skin repaired itself, pulling back together by the force of my best friend's magic.

After what felt like an eternity, she sat back and released me. Then the pain evaporated.

I lifted my hands and looked at them. They were bloody, but my skin was fine. And the bracelet was unharmed. Sitting up, Salvatore steadied me with his hands as I touched my face. Smooth skin with sticky blood coating it was all I felt.

"You really are badass, Aisling," I chuckled and pulled in a ragged breath.

Just as I was about to start crying, both from relief and the overwhelming knowledge of what was happening to me, Salvatore's arms wrapped around me and pulled me against him.

With my shoulder pressing into his chest, I molded into his embrace as much as I could and held his arm. His warm breath moved through my loose curls and hit the sensitive flesh at the curve of my shoulder. That would have been enough to distract me from my emotions. But then he spoke, low, "You're home, Angela."

He gave me something else to focus on. Knew I didn't want to break down in front of my friends. It was something I could handle. _Him_.

Aisling and Connor both looked relieved and their expressions softened as they realized Salvatore's intent. I preferred that over crying, even if they knew it.

Breathing Salvatore in, I sucked in a shaky breath and let his warmth envelop me. Then I let myself relax.

I was home. I was right where I needed to be in that moment. And I wanted to stay in his arms forever.

Then Liam walked in.

"Damn," I sighed and slumped in Salvatore's arms.

The werewolf chuckled and Liam grinned. "It is nice to see you as well, my dear Angela," he said in his old world accent. He kneeled in front of Salvatore and assessed me. "You healed her," he said, looking at Aisling.

She snorted and her aura shifted to light blue. I blinked, realizing what my best friend was wearing. A fitted black dress that fell to mid-thigh and black boots that reached to just above her knees. Despite her athletic build, she was still curvy with full breasts. Her creamy skin, perfect hair, blue eyes, and full lips just added to her appeal. It was no wonder Connor both loved and wanted her so much. She was stunning. "Of course I did. We came straight here after you called. You—" she poked the vampire's upper arm "—were late."

The vampire was a few inches shorter than Salvatore's six and a half foot frame, and he was still taller than Aisling by nearly a foot. She didn't let that stop her from poking fun at him.

"Touché, my dear," he said and looked back at me with green eyes. "I wanted to see the extent of the damage, but I know the pain you must have felt. And judging by your clothes, you were worse for the wear."

"That's an understatement," I said and finally looked down.

My jaw dropped. Not only were my flats not on my feet, but my jeans were practically gone too. Only tiny bits of fabric remained, holding it in place at my hips and near my knees.

Though Salvatore's arms were still around me, judging by the air I felt against my bloodied skin, my shirt wasn't much better. I really hoped I wasn't fully exposed. That wasn't exactly the way I wanted Salvatore to see me.

Oddly enough, that was what concerned me the most. Not that Liam or Connor might have caught a glimpse of my breasts.

I looked up and Bugs was sitting on top of my desk, thumping his tail and watching me with sadness in his gaze. Shivering, I dropped my eyes, hoping I wouldn't end up back in the _Spirit Realm_.

"We need to get you out of here," Liam said.

Without a word, Connor picked up Bugs and scratched the top of his head. The sound of his purr filled the room and Aisling smirked at me, her light blue aura brightening. "I think you should check your heating system in this building. It sounds like it's dying."

I snorted. "I'll get right on that."

Salvatore released me and I stood up making sure to keep my back to him. He stood up behind me and I stole a quick glance down.

Damn.

There was no way he could have missed that.

Liam pulled off his expensive suit jacket and handed it to me. "Try not to rip the buttons from this one, hmm?" His lips twitched.

Oh, right.

I knew what he meant. The vampire thought his jacket would cover Salvatore well enough that I wouldn't notice all the blood on his dark shirt the previous morning. And he was teasing me about it. But I couldn't rise to the occasion.

"I still haven't forgiven you for that, you know," I said, pulling on his jacket and buttoning it.

"Forgiven me for what?" the vampire asked and his green eyes flashed.

Not only did vampires have fangs, drink blood, rarely breathe, and have pale skin due to no melanin, but their eyes could catch the light and flash. Just like cats' eyes. It was disturbing.

Anger washed over me. "You tried to cover up that Salvatore almost died."

"We were never going to keep it from you. It was a small courtesy to cover the blood, my dear."

"Oh, don't _my dear_ me, Liam. His shirt was dark enough it wouldn't have mattered and you know it." I turned to glare at Salvatore.

His aura was light blue and he grinned at me, raising his hands in surrender. "I did that to ease the impact of telling you what happened. It failed, obviously."

My eyes narrowed. "You're an ass."

"Sometimes. But you like it."

My breath caught in my throat as Aisling's jaw fell open out of the corner of my eye.

Connor chuckled and Liam wheezed at the same time.

I didn't respond. I didn't know how to respond to that. Other than kissing him from the wave of heat that rushed through my body.

Damn him.

He was right.

He affected me like nothing else, and he knew exactly how to work that in his favor.

Instead, I pushed around him, found my flats, slipped them on, and then I pulled the flash drive from the computer.

I grabbed a few more items and then walked over to Bugs, eyeing him warily.

His head dipped and he took a long blink before meeting my eyes again. If I didn't know better, I would say he just nodded at me. I clipped the new charm onto his collar and nodded back.

"Okay, let's go."

Ten minutes later, we walked through Liam's front door and Connor bent down and dropped Bugs to the floor. Shadow trotted into the foyer a moment later. The cat sauntered over to him and rubbed his body over the big white wolf.

I hadn't seen Salvatore in wolf form yet, except for the partial change in my bathroom the previous evening, but if Shadow was any indication, he would be magnificent.

Shadow was all white with intelligent brown eyes, and he was at least two hundred and fifty pounds — much bigger than any wolves I knew about.

"Let us talk in the parlor," Liam said and led the way.

We followed Liam through the expensive interior of his home, which was at odds with the glamoured dilapidated exterior.

Rich mahogany floors gleamed with a gold design in them around the edges while crystal light fixtures — both sconces and chandeliers — lit up the space.

A painting of the real Vlad Tepes hung above the stairwell to the second floor of the house and plenty more depictions of the famed Dracula in movies and television lined the underground section of the house. The vampire didn't talk much about his early years, but his fascination left me curious.

Expensive Persian rugs were carefully placed on the floors throughout, and the parlor was no different. Although the art on the walls were landscapes that looked like Picasso painted them, I didn't recognize them.

Liam waved a hand as we entered and the room cleared of the vampires milling around with the exception of Jon and Tobias, his second and third in command and closest friends. I didn't know Tobias very well, but Jon was the same hulking vampire that grieved the blonde. It was hard to imagine that was only earlier that morning when we watched her body burn in Liam's back yard.

Shadow sat down next to Connor and Aisling, and Bugs curled up around his feet while Liam stepped in front of the hearth, blazing with a warm fire and turned to me.

"Tell me what happened, my dear."

I told him about both times I was dragged to the _Spirit Realm_ , but I left out the bits that revolved around Salvatore, hoping no one would notice.

Fifteen minutes and several follow-up questions later, Liam nodded.

"Do you know what's happening to me?"

"Indeed I do, my dear," he nodded.

"Dammit, would you just tell me?"

"You are a Shamaness."

"Wait? What?" I asked, looking at Liam like he just grew two heads. Maybe he did.

"A Shamaness, Angela."

"What the hell is that?"

"Shamans are a very rare breed. They have the ability to cross between our plane, and the land of the dead. Among others."

"The _Spirit Realm_. The dead girl called it the _Spirit Realm_."

The vampire's eyes glittered with knowledge, "That is correct."

Though the vampire wasn't as tall as Salvatore, he was built for fighting. He was pale with straight sandy blond hair that was just long enough to look unkempt if he wanted, and a jaw lined with thick stubble that was just a shade too short to be considered a beard.

Salvatore dressed comfortably and oozed with dominance, where Liam liked to look like he was both rich and in charge, like a CEO. But everyone knew Aisling was in control.

"Shamans are not _other_ because their power is not derived from the moon, or the Earth — as is the case with Aisling and Connor. The mind is open and can transcend planes. In addition, you are clairvoyant."

"I don't have _precognition_ like they do," I nodded toward my best friend and her mate.

"No. What you experience is different. You _perceive_ where they _know_. You may not know what you're sensing, but you sense things. Just like how you know if Aisling is listening over the phone."

"Okay," I said, my mind whirling from the onslaught of information. "Is there anything else?"

He shrugged, "Since you are not _other_. I doubt you will see auras on your own. Heightened senses should not be a factor, either. Yet, you already have a stronger nose than you should."

"You can add more strength to that list," I added.

Salvatore's aura swirled with orange and light blue.

"What happened?" Aisling asked.

My lips twitched. "I punched Salvatore."

"You punched a werewolf?" Tobias asked. Out of all the vampires I met, he looked the most normal. Other vampires tended to show their true age in some way. I didn't know how old the vampire was, but he showed no signs of his true age.

The vampire generally wore normal clothes, not the overly expensive formalwear Liam and most of his nest wore. A gray shirt, dark jeans, and tennis shoes were his outfit that evening.

Though they were the same height, he looked like he was a marathon runner in his human life, not the warrior that Liam was. His brunette hair was beginning to look shaggy and the beginnings of a goatee darkened his face. He glanced at Salvatore and then his blue eyes locked with mine.

"Yeah, I get that he could have killed me. He didn't." I shrugged.

I noticed the shocked expressions on the vampires' faces. Connor looked a little less surprised, but his aura was still orange.

Aisling noticed too, but her face mirrored my confusion.

I wasn't sure what they were thinking, but I could worry about that later. Turning my attention back to Liam, I asked, "Anything else I should be concerned about?"

"Not about you, but Bugs is a different matter."

"What about Bugs?" Aisling asked.

"He's not just a cat," I responded.

Her eyes snapped to mine. "What?"

"I don't know what he is actually. I just know he's connected to what's been happening to me. The first time I went to the realm, he spoke to me. Said he was my guide."

"That is correct, my dear," Liam said. "Bugs is your anchor between this world and the realms."

It didn't escape my notice that it was the second time he used a plural.

How many realms are there?

"What exactly does that mean?"

"He can pull your mind away and bring you back. But, my dear, you must never try to go without his assistance. Without an anchor your mind would be lost completely, unable to find your way back to your body."

"Shouldn't I be in control of when and if I go?"

"Indeed, but since the realm is in unrest, he might be responding to that, forcing you to embrace what you are before you're ready."

It didn't matter anymore. What was done was done, and the realm was crumbling. The first time I went there, Dead Girl warned me, but it wasn't until my second visit that I saw how bad it was. How angry those ghosts were.

Unless it was common for ghosts to start brawling in the streets.

Which I doubted.

"However, I do not believe that is your biggest problem," the vampire said.

It was Salvatore that spoke next. "What do you mean?"

"The ghost you spoke with both knew your name and indicated you were their only hope. That tells me two things."

He held out his hand to stop anyone from speaking. "You are either powerful enough to catch their attention before you fully developed. Or — which I believe is more likely, since Bugs was already yours — you are descended from Shamans, so they already knew who you were."

I was confused. "What does Bugs have to do with that?"

"He is an anchor. He would not have chosen you if he did not know what you were, or what you would become. It makes sense, does it not? You have owned him for years. His behavior indicates he not only has a sense of humor, but he was impatient for you to begin to embrace who you are."

I blinked. "You mean the fact that he seems to prefer everyone else but me?"

Liam nodded. "He knew it bothered you, yet he did it anyway."

"That mangy little—" I began and then Bugs growled at me.

All eyes turned to him and his eyes twinkled with humor.

Liam laughed, putting his hand on his abdomen as he leaned back to howl with mirth.

No one else was laughing. We were too busy gaping at the vampire. But I saw plenty of twitching lips, and light blue auras on everyone but the three vampires in the room.

"I think I like him even more," Aisling crooned and knelt down to scratch under the cat's chin.

The sound of his purr filled the room and filtered out the sound of the crackling fire.

That little bastard was fucking with me the whole time.

I smiled, despite myself.

### Chapter 8

A few minutes later, I asked Liam to take us home. We made our way outside to the vampire's limo and Jon opened the door for us.

It was tight, for three vampires, two werewolves, and two Earthen witches, but we managed to fit. Aisling curled up in Connor's lap and rested her head against his chest while their auras both thrummed with deep pink.

With lack of a better option, I curled up on Salvatore's lap and faced my best friend. She smiled dreamily at me and I returned it, knowing Salvatore couldn't see me.

But I could see his aura. It flamed with red for a few moments as I situated myself in his lap, but slowly settled down to a steady rosy glow.

When everyone was loaded into the limo, Shadow settled in the seat next to Jon as he put the vehicle in drive and hit the gas. But everything was too quiet.

After living together at college for a few years, my best friend and I knew each other pretty well. Silence around other people unnerved me.

She was the one to speak first and I instantly relaxed further into Salvatore's arms. "I wish I could have been there."

"After what happened to you...," I began, remembering what Liam told me about the Kramer Scholars and the time she and Connor spent in their torture dungeon in Berlin.

While she was tortured, her skin was burned and sliced. She suffered several broken fingers, and possibly a broken ankle. Her wounds were also festering with infection from the heliotrope in her system by the time Liam reached them and finally healed her. The drug might not have killed her, but its effects made her essentially human, since _others_ didn't carry disease.

I knew her PTSD wouldn't have served her well with ghost nails tearing at her. "You wouldn't have wanted to be there. It's not something I want to experience again. It was like I was stuck in a zombie movie or something."

She smiled faintly, "That would have been scary, yes. But seeing you fight and access some kind of power that blasted them back and made them disappear would have been quite a sight."

"That's for damn sure," Tobias said, grinning at me.

I snorted at the vampire. He was sitting next to Liam across from us with Bugs purring loudly in his lap. "I don't know about that. I don't know how I did it," I lied, and Salvatore stiffened for an instant.

Does he know I'm lying?

I hooked an errant curl behind my ear and tried to rephrase it as I looked back at my best friend. "Well, not entirely. From what the dead girl said, my power meant opening my mind. I was hurt and I couldn't keep fighting them for long. So I did my best impression of you unleashing your power. But not quite in the same way."

Orange filled her aura and bled into both Connor and Salvatore's auras.

It might have been a half truth, but I wanted to tell Salvatore the rest. When we were alone. Maybe not that night. Maybe not the next day. But I wanted to tell him.

I wanted to see the look on his face as he realized the implications behind what I could do — what I did do. And how thinking of him allowed me to clear my mind to do it. Maybe then he wouldn't be so closed off anymore.

A girl could dream, anyway, as Aisling liked to say.

I rested my hand against Salvatore's chest and relaxed against him, letting my eyes close as I breathed him in. I still smelled like blood, that minty scent of vampire, and two days passed since I showered. But I would take a few moments of comfort before I needed to move and get cleaned up.

When the limo slowed to a stop, I was in the process of dozing off. Liam opened the door and stepped out while Salvatore snaked his arm underneath my knees to pick me up. But I stiffened.

Not because he was about to pick me up, but because of what I smelled.

Something I hadn't smelled in over six years. Something I didn't want to smell ever again. Let alone see.

It was her.

My mother was waiting for me.

### Chapter 9

Salvatore froze in response. I wasn't sure if he thought I didn't want to be carried, but I couldn't think about that.

I scrambled out of his lap and out the door of the limo as fast as I could.

"What's wrong?" Aisling asked and suddenly everyone was on high alert.

Liam shifted his posture, readying for attack and Salvatore stepped around me, taking a defensive position as he looked around. "What is it?" he growled.

"Hello, Angela," a feminine voice reached us from the right. The vampire and werewolf both turned in response, but they didn't attack her.

My mother stood a dozen feet away, looking the same as she did when I walked out of her house and left everything behind. I took a step toward her.

"What the hell are you doing here?"

"Angela, honey, I've missed you."

"Angela?" Aisling said, from behind me.

"It's okay," I said tightly, and my friends knew I was lying. "Aisling, this is my mother."

I never told her exactly what happened. But she knew enough. She knew my family was alive, and that I left them behind. Knew that something bad happened and it was because of _her_. My mother.

She also knew what I went through was nothing like the hell she endured growing up, but it was bad enough to emancipate myself at sixteen.

It was sort of an unspoken agreement between us. She didn't tell me details about her step-father, and I didn't tell her specifics about my mother.

We pretended my family was gone forever and I had no one. Technically, that was true.

Just as I hoped, Aisling sucked in a breath. "What?"

I wasn't entirely sure why my mother did what she did, or if it would have really killed me as I believed. But I was sixteen, and she was supposed to take care of me. She failed.

Without answering my best friend, I stared into my mother's eyes throwing as much authority behind my gaze as possible in a play for dominance.

Just like a wolf.

When she looked away, I finally said, "How did you find me?" in a low growl.

I knew she could hear me. I knew my friends could hear me. And though my voice was my own, I sounded tough for the first time in my life.

The smell of forest and rain filled my nose and I knew Salvatore moved closer to me, waiting for my move.

From my behavior, combined with Aisling's reaction to the identity of the woman in front of us, my friends didn't relax. They would let me take the lead, because I knew the threat, but they had my back.

They were more of a family to me than I ever had with her. I could trust them. I would never trust her.

"Honey," she began cautiously.

"Don't call me _honey_. You lost that right when you tried to kill me."

Salvatore stepped forward between us and growled at her. His white button-down shirt was wrinkled and stained with my blood. And if my mother didn't know he was a werewolf, she still looked scared after he growled at her.

Shadow moved to my other side and bared his fangs at her with a growl of his own. I wasn't entirely sure why Shadow was stepping forward and not Liam, but a two hundred and fifty pound wolf was more intimidating than a few large men. Especially if she didn't know what they were.

"I didn't try to kill you," she said in a rush.

I stepped forward and touched Salvatore's forearm. The warmth of his skin was sharp against my cold fingers and I took comfort in the small amount of contact between us.

"What do you want?"

"Something bad is happening and I need your help."

A sick feeling washed over me and I was pretty sure I knew what she was talking about. "What is happening?"

Her eyes twinkled with knowledge in the moonlight as she took another good look at the people standing around me.

Did she know what they were?

If she did, she didn't comment on it. Instead, she said three words. "The _Spirit Realm_."

Dammit.

I sighed. "Let's go inside."

Letting go of Salvatore, I turned and made my way toward the house. My mother followed, but she kept a close eye on Shadow as she went. And then everyone followed her.

I unlocked the door and stepped inside, not bothering to wait by the door for everyone to enter. My mother didn't deserve formalities, and my friends would understand that. I turned to my left, walked to the end of my living room, and then turned around when I reached the fireplace.

Liam's jacket was huge on me, and I looked like I bathed in blood, after shredding my clothes. I was lucky my jeans were still in place, covering me about as well as panties would. I crossed my arms over my chest and turned around.

My mother was watching me. Her short, kinky hair was a lighter brown than I remembered. And her eyes were a pale brown, almost hazel. She didn't look a day older than when I left, either. Which was more disturbing to me than the fact that she showed up at my house after over six years.

Her blouse was a basic cream color that billowed around her petite frame and she wore a long leather coat over black jeans.

Tobias released Bugs and the feline hissed at her before making his way to the kitchen.

"What's his name?" she asked with a knowing glint in her eye.

I remembered Dead Girl's warning. Names were dangerous if the wrong people knew them. I didn't think Bugs was his real name, but I wasn't about to tell her anything about him. "None of your damn business."

Bugs was a crotchety bastard of a cat, but he was still mine. And he was my guide. I wasn't about to betray anything about him to her.

"Fine. You obviously know about the _Spirit Realm_. Have you been there recently?"

Out of the corner of my eye, I caught Liam's nod. He wanted information from her, and in that moment, the best course was to talk to her. "Earlier today. I got into a bit of a fight."

Her eyes widened, but somehow I didn't think she was really surprised. "That was _you_?"

Without an aura, she was damn hard to read. I couldn't tell exactly what game she was playing.

"Yep. I kicked their asses too. But they ruined my clothes." The last thing I needed was for Estelle Williams to think I was weak.

"That's not possible. No one person should be that powerful."

"Anything is possible," I told her, and I caught a grin from both Connor and Aisling.

She shook her head as if to clear it and then said, "You obviously know how bad it is there. The walls are crumbling and we need as much power as we can get to stop it."

I knew who _we_ meant, but for the benefit of Liam, I asked, "Who is we, Mom?"

She hesitated and I realized she was about to lie to me. "Your Gran and I, of course."

Someone was missing –- I didn't know who — but I let it go. If she felt the need to lie, then there was something bigger going on and Liam would want as much of that information as possible.

"You two should be powerful enough on your own."

"We aren't. I assure you. I came here ... I came here to ask you for yours."

My eyes flickered to Liam and he shook his head, clenching his jaw. That brief gesture told me two things. Not only could she take my power, but if she did, it would be a very bad thing.

Since I didn't trust her, I would never willingly give my power to her.

I didn't know if the power needed to be a gift, or if she could take it, like witches could. And I also didn't know what she could do with it. Best not to find out.

So, I decided to play dumb. "So you want to borrow my power?"

She bit her lip. "No. I can't borrow it. I have to take it. Permanently. It's not pos—" she bit her tongue. "Look, Angela, you're young, you have a great life here," she gestured to my living room.

My house was small, living room included. I had a beige couch in front of the double windows to my right, a beige area rug over honey oak floors, bookshelves that flanked the fireplace behind me, and two arm chairs in a neutral gray fabric to my right.

It might not have been much, but it was mine.

"And you have friends that obviously care about you," she added for their benefit. But her smile didn't meet her eyes.

"So let me get this straight. You want to take my power so you can fix whatever is going on in the realm?"

"Yes," her eyes glittered with excitement.

Interesting.

"I was told _I_ needed to save them."

She shook her head. "One person is not strong enough for that."

Somehow I doubted that. If nothing else, her reaction to my admittance that I was the one that fought the ghosts indicated that I was more powerful than her.

Possibly even more powerful than any other Shamans she knew. But I couldn't exactly ask her without sounding ignorant.

"I'm sorry, but no. I'm not giving up my power. You'll have to find someone else."

"You aren't going to be strong enough to stop it, Angela. You need to give me your power before it's too late. Give it to me now and I can stop it."

"No."

"You insolent little brat!" she shouted.

Salvatore and Shadow both growled and took a step forward while Aisling flexed her fingers, preparing to unleash her magic.

My mother thought better of her tone and back tracked with a calm voice. "You never respected where you came from. This is your chance to make it right. Don't make that mistake again."

"Oh that's ironic, coming from you, Mom," I said, finally putting the pieces together. "You _did_ try to kill me. Or, at least you didn't bother to care if it would have. It makes sense now."

"You're wrong, Angela."

"How am I wrong?" I shouted, anger setting my bones on fire. "I wondered why we couldn't keep any pets. They all kept dying. When none would come to you, you decided to force me to be your guide."

By the time I finished speaking, Liam was a step closer to my mother. The rage on his face was unmistakable. "Why would you force a child to act as your anchor?" His accent was sharper and my mother turned to face him and the rest of the angry creatures that were all looking at her like they wanted to kill her.

Even Connor was pissed. The muscles in his jaw worked as he glared at her.

Except for the vampires, the auras of my friends were glowing so bright with emerald that my eyes watered from the light. If she knew what my friends were and could see their auras, she would have been scared.

Hell, I was scared enough for her, and their glares weren't directed at me.

"I had no choice," she said, without remorse and then turned back to me. "Fine, Angela. If that's your choice, I won't force you. But know I gave you the chance to save the realm and stop them from coming here."

Before I could say anything, her hands lifted and a wave of power shot out of her fingers. I realized, too late, that it wasn't witch magic.

Then I was shoved out of my body without a guide.

### Chapter 10

My eyes opened and I found myself in the rotting town square of the _Spirit Realm_. Ghosts were everywhere, but they weren't fighting each other.

They were all watching me, waiting for something.

Without taking my eyes off them, I tried to figure out what happened. I was right not to trust my mother, and my ignorance about what I was and the power behind it forced me out of my body.

Careful not to think names, I assessed my situation.

My cat didn't guide me to the realm. The master vampire warned that I should never leave my body without a guide, and my mother forced me out. I didn't know how I found myself back in the ghost's realm, but I was there, with hundreds of dead people watching me.

My biggest obstacle was going to be how I was going to get myself out of there and back into my body. I didn't know how I would manage that. Until I could figure that out, I needed to deal with the ghosts.

And hope they didn't kill me.

Though some of their faces looked hostile, they weren't making any moves toward me. Maybe my display of power earlier in the day was enough to make them think twice before attacking me.

Or perhaps whatever it was that was controlling them was losing their hold on them. There was no way I was that lucky.

I wasn't sure if I could talk to them without inciting another fight, and I wasn't sure if I could move around for the same reason. But I couldn't just stand around and wait.

"How about we call a truce? You don't attack me, and I don't attack you, hmm?" I called out, eyeing as many of them as I could while I turned in a circle.

When they made no moves one way or another, made no response at all for that matter, I scanned the crowd again, keeping an eye on the buildings behind them.

I found a street that _felt_ right. Something I couldn't put my finger on, but my body gave an excited rush of adrenaline when I caught sight of it. So I started walking, keeping my eyes on the ghosts in front of me.

Refusing to let my fear of them and not having a tether to my body overwhelm me, I kept moving. But they didn't budge.

I stopped, toe to toe with a ghost that looked like he was killed in the Civil War with his Confederate uniform, missing leg, and soot on his face. He glared at me with thinly veiled contempt.

Like he wanted to eat me.

Instead of looking away, I met his eyes and backed as much dominance behind my gaze as I could, glaring right back at him.

"Don't test me," I growled with a voice even my werewolf would be proud of, and the ghost's eyes widened a fraction, but he didn't make any attempts to look away or move.

My protector might have been a dominant wolf, but I could still hold my own against him. If I could do that, I could stand my ground against a ghost. I wasn't about to let him win.

Slowly, I lifted my hand in front of me. Inches between our bodies. And I flexed my fingers.

Ghosts didn't breathe, as far as I knew, from my limited experience in dealing with them. And they didn't actually speak, which was very odd to watch.

But he sucked in a breath and I felt a sudden rush of fear from him. He still didn't move. And he didn't look away.

I didn't know if he knew about dominance, but he was making quite a stand. I was issuing him, and everyone else, an open threat.

Stand down and get out of my way.

It wasn't difficult. It didn't need to be difficult. But I was beginning to wonder if that one man might be the spark that ignited a war between me and hundreds of ghosts.

Sure, Aisling said I would have been something to see, but I wasn't up against hundreds of them before. If the sinking feeling in my gut was any indication, I knew that fighting them all would mean my death.

That meant I wasn't going to make the first move if I didn't have to.

"Do you really want to do this? Because I can destroy your soul before anyone else can get to me." I didn't know if I was telling the truth, but his eyes widened more as I wiggled my fingers for emphasis.

It probably didn't help my cause that I was barely covered by my shredded clothes. Though, luckily, Liam's expensive suit jacket covered just enough to keep me from flashing the whole square full of ghosts. Not to mention that I was covered in blood and my hair was probably so crazy it would take a week to fix it. But underneath it all, I was completely healed.

I hoped it made me look fierce to them. More of a valid opponent.

My eyes narrowed as I pushed all the authority out of them in a play for dominance. "This is your last warning."

He glared at me for another few moments and I steeled myself. Readying for the onslaught of ghosts hoping to rip my heart out. Or rip me to shreds.

"Get out of my way," I growled.

Just as I was about to embrace my power and put everything into my hand to destroy the ghost standing in front of me, he dropped his eyes and moved to the side.

He didn't exactly walk. He floated over the ground. Just like Dead Girl. Until she stomped on the floor to show me they weren't just illusions.

I kept my eyes on him as he moved to my left, but then all the ghosts standing behind him started to move as well.

They dropped their heads, at least the ones with heads did, and moved in the same eerie float. They parted a path for me. Like the Red Sea.

I didn't wait. I walked with purpose. And left them behind me as I tried to follow what my body was trying to tell me. Searching for something.

Hopefully something that would take me home.

To my body. To Aisling.

To Salvatore.

There weren't any ghosts on the street as I walked.

I didn't know if they were all in the town square, or if they were ignoring me. But I was fine with that.

My eyes kept searching the dirty buildings, the streets, and alleys as I walked. I turned when I felt some kind of jolt for that direction, but I kept moving.

Without a sense of time, I couldn't fathom how long I was there. The sun — or whatever light source covered the realm in a peculiar sepia light — didn't move, the place was in a constant state of after light, like the sun set over the horizon and the rest of the sky was darkening. Time seemed frozen.

I couldn't even get a sense of direction because it seemed like the sun was setting all around instead of just one location. All I could do was mark the distance I walked.

By the time I estimated somewhere around two miles, I saw her.

Dead Girl.

She was the one I was looking for. Because I felt a sudden urge to run toward her.

She was about twenty feet off the ground. Impaled on a large iron pole. She wasn't dead, because her eyes followed me as I moved closer. And that was disturbing on many levels.

She was already dead. With the gunshot to her forehead above her eye, her throat slit, and a plethora of other injuries on her body. Seeing her moving around was odd enough.

But the sight of her impaled through her stomach on a huge iron pole, with its sharp end sticking out of her back was like icing on the cake.

She didn't move. She didn't speak. She just watched me.

I wasn't sure if she was just watching me to make me nervous, or if she was otherwise frozen in place.

Could iron do that? Confine a ghost and make it immobile?

Iron could affect _others_ , too. It could kill were-animals if enough was put into their system to slow their fast healing, allowing them to bleed out before they could heal. Iron could also dampen or deplete a witch's power. Earthens and vampires were the only _others_ that weren't affected. Apparently, it didn't seem so different for ghosts.

Or there was something else going on that I didn't recognize.

"What happened to you?" I asked.

She didn't respond at first. She rolled her bloodshot, smudged and kohl-rimmed eyes and glared at me once more. " _You_."

I understood then. She said she was one of the last ghosts that didn't lose her mind. The rest weren't so lucky. They fell under the power of the one that meant to destroy the walls between their realm and the real world. Whoever _she_ was.

"How can I help?"

"Use your power," she replied without moving her lips.

My eyes slid closed and I cleared my mind by thinking of my favorite quote from Buddha. _The mind is everything. What you think, you become._ An image of earlier that night flashed into my mind. Curling up in my werewolf's lap in the limo. Being in his arms, with my best friend safe in her fiancé's arms. It was one of the most relaxing moments of my life.

If I was the big bad savior of the _Spirit Realm_ , then all I needed to do was clear my mind and let my body do the rest. I lifted my hand and raised it in the air slowly. The wind picked up and nearly knocked me over.

Opening my eyes as I stumbled forward, I watched Dead Girl lift off the pole like a huge updraft blew her off. She fell to the ground an instant later. But her impact made no sound, nor did it seem to bother her. I blinked. I made that wind?

Aisling was right. I was kind of badass after all.

I could generate weather with my mind, not just blast ghosts or make them disappear.

"Yes," she said in that strange ethereal voice that emanated from around her, not within her. And her mouth stayed still.

"Yes, what?"

"You killed those ghosts that disappeared."

Though I knew she could read my mind, I would have trouble adjusting to it. "I didn't mean to kill them."

"I know. She was controlling them. But what is done is done. It is a good thing another battle did not begin when you arrived. I believe her control is faltering with your presence. Or perhaps something else is going on."

My eyes dropped to her stomach and I watched as the gaping hole left by the iron pole disappeared and her shirt knitted back together as if nothing ever happened.

"I was pushed here without my guide. I don't know how to get home."

"I have known the one that guides you since I came here. He is powerful enough to find you. Stay alive until then."

So I needed time. I could deal with that. "Okay. Do you know exactly what this person wants to do with the ghosts?"

"Wraiths."

"What does that mean?"

Dead Girl sighed. But her chest didn't move. "You are still new. Let me start out by telling you what I know about her."

I nodded.

"She wants power, as most people do. Something out there has a lot of power, but it's not the same as what you or she possesses. And it is useless here. But in your world...."

I knew who she was talking about, but I wasn't about to give her the name. I wasn't even going to think it. Another person that wanted my best friend's power.

Without responding to my line of thinking, she went on, " _She_ wants more power. And wraiths can bring that to her."

"What do wraiths do?"

"Wraiths are enslaved ghosts. They will do the bidding of the one that controls them. In this case, she wants them to act like grim reapers. Take souls from the departed and bring them to her, instead of here or beyond. But she also means to force them to kill, not just take souls from those that have died by other means."

"And that will give her power?"

She inclined her head. "Will you help us?"

"On one condition."

"What is it?"

Without a clue about ghost politics, I opted to strike a bargain. "While I am here, and learning, do whatever you can to ensure my safety and I will help you."

"Agreed," she said as a lion stepped out from the moss covered building behind her.

### Chapter 11

The blood drained from my face and fear washed over me as I watched a lion — a fucking lion — move toward us.

He was huge, probably over five hundred pounds of pure predatory muscle. But he wasn't _just_ a lion.

With the face of a human, he was unlike anything I ever saw before. A large mane that fell almost to the ground covered his scalp and jaw.

The little amount of skin I could see on his face was tanned so dark it made him look exotic. Even more than my werewolf.

A large set of wings were attached on his back near his shoulder blades.

And vivid green eyes that glowed looked back at me.

I recognized the intelligence behind those eyes. They were unmistakable.

Whatever that creature was, he was my guide. He found me. And my cat was both magnificent and beautiful.

He padded up and stood next to Dead Girl. She reached up and scratched behind a pointed ear and he grumbled in appreciation.

I snorted.

Even in the _Spirit Realm_ , inside such a formidable body, he was purring like a dying jet engine. And he was doing it to fuck with me.

His eyes narrowed at me.

Oh.

I forgot he could hear my thoughts, too. I grinned back at him.

"Good to see you, Bugs," Dead Girl said without moving her mouth.

"You as well," he responded normally as his deep voice all but bellowed from his chest.

"I'm glad to see you too, buddy," I said. "Um, what are you?"

Both of them laughed. And they were alarming in their own ways.

Dead Girl didn't move. She didn't even smile as she watched me, but the sound of that unnatural, ethereal voice flitted through the air in genuine laughter.

Bugs laughed, but it sounded like a roar as he lifted his head to the sky and erupted with guffaws. I took an involuntary step back and his laughter cut off and he eyed me pointedly.

Oh, shit.

"I will not harm you, Angela. I am your guide. Your bridge. And your anchor between realms. I am a rare breed. Most guides are not like me. You are lucky I am yours, or you would be here forever as your friends believe you are."

"They think I'm stuck here?"

Bugs inclined his massive head. "I will take you home."

"Okay, but what are you?"

"You are a smart woman. What do I look like?"

I took a few steps to my left to get a better look at him. His paws were probably triple the size of my hands, and his body was at least five hundred pounds as I guessed when I first saw him.

But the human face and the wings were what gave him away.

"How is this possible?"

His head turned and his green eyes sparkled. "You know anything is possible."

"Touché, Bugs. Are you as old as I think you are?"

"I am not Sekhmet, I am her son."

"So you _are_ a Sphinx?"

"Yes. I am a guardian between these realms. And I am your guide because of what you are."

"I'm a Shamaness," I shrugged. "There are plenty of Shamans. Why me?"

"You are special. More powerful than any of them. You have more abilities than you have realized. Once you embrace what you are, you will see why I have chosen you. Though, you will not need me then."

"I will always need you, Bugs."

A rumble escaped his chest and his green eyes widened. "That's the spirit," he grinned, showing lion teeth within his human mouth. Large white fangs. Fangs much bigger than a vampire's.

"So you aren't _other_ , right?"

He shook his head. "We are of a different power. A power of the mind and soul, where _others_ derive theirs from outside influences. Elements and nature."

That made a lot of sense.

Dead Girl dropped her hand from Bug's ear and faced me. " _She_ is controlling your mother. But that does not mean you should trust her."

"I'm way ahead of you there," I told her.

"You must learn quickly, Angela. There is not much time left before the walls will crumble."

Bugs padded over to me and stood by my side. "I will," I promised her. Then with more vehemence, I said, "I swear on it."

At those words, wind started, but not with the same severity as when I rescued her from the iron pole. It whipped up pieces of trash in the streets and tossed my hair in my face. I glanced at Bugs and his mane also moved with the wind. I pushed my hair back and held it there, looking around.

The sky was darkening like it was about to storm. Judging from how everything looked so dirty and dead, I didn't think the place ever saw rain in its existence.

Dead girl's eyes widened in fear.

But it was Bugs that spoke first. "If _she_ didn't hear you, _she_ will notice this. We must go. Put your hand on my head."

"What?"

Dead Girl answered, "You just made an oath to save us and the realm from her. She will take notice to your storm."

I blinked as rain started to fall. "I created this?"

A howl sounded on the wind as ghosts appeared in the street with angry eyes focused on me.

Dead girl disappeared, but her voice still reached me. "Go. Now!"

As more ghosts flickered into existence and moved closer, I grabbed Bugs's mane and everything went black.

### Chapter 12

Voices reached me before I could control my body. I was still frozen, but aware. The faint purr that Bugs emitted when he was sleeping filtered into my ear next and I felt a tiny breath on my nose that smelled faintly of fish.

"What did you do?" Salvatore growled.

Though the question wasn't directed at me, I could tell he was barely in control of himself. And it still made fear wash over me from the menace behind that growl. I would have shivered if I could move.

I didn't have to see his face to know he was partially shifted, with that elongated snout, yellow eyes, and black fur on his face. It just solidified my belief that he was in love with me.

Each of them thought I was lost.

Trapped forever in the _Spirit Realm_.

If not for Bugs, I couldn't have found my way back. And those ghosts would have killed me.

"Salvatore," Aisling warned.

"What?" he snapped.

Without actually seeing their interaction take place, I knew what my best friend was doing. She was trying to diffuse him. Calm him down.

I didn't want to know what he'd do if he shifted completely. Shadow always seemed in control. But the vehemence in my werewolf's voice made me wonder.

"I've got this," she said calmly to the rest of the group. Probably to stop them from coming to her defense. My best friend was strong and she filled her role very well.

Pride filled me as the seconds ticked by.

"Angela is the strongest woman I've ever met. If anyone can find her way out of that realm, it's her. It's just a question of how long it will take."

Power dissipated in the room a little, and I realized that low thrum was coming from Salvatore. It made the air thicker like a humid summer day. It even smelled like him. The forest after a rainstorm.

I breathed it in and let it fill me.

Though I could sense his power, I didn't know what exactly it was that was happening and why he was emitting it. If I had to guess, I would say it was from the anger and lack of control.

And Aisling just calmed him down.

Maybe not completely, but he did relax a little.

"You are a Shamaness," Liam said as if nothing happened, and I realized he was talking to my mother. "You are aware that there are things that go bump in the night, are you not?"

There was a pause.

"Good. Then you understand you are lucky this werewolf did not kill you. Tell me, Mrs. Williams, why did you push your daughter into the _Spirit Realm_."

Liam's old world voice was calm and collected. But somehow, I could tell that he was just as angry as Salvatore was before Aisling diffused him. I wondered if anyone else realized that.

I was certain my mother didn't know. But she answered him anyway. "I don't know. Before I realized what happened, she was already on the ground." She sniffled.

If I could control my body, I would have rolled my eyes. My mother didn't regret forcing me to be her guide when I was sixteen, knowing it could have killed me.

The remorse in her tone and sad motherly façade wasn't going to change how my friends handled the situation. I just hoped no one killed her before we could find out exactly what was going on.

But there was something in her words that struck me as true. Maybe she didn't realize what she was doing as Dead Girl said. She might not care if I lived, but she wasn't in control of her actions.

Bugs stirred and I heard a few tiny pops as he stretched. Then his scent of wildflowers hit my nose. He licked my nose a moment later and my eyes fluttered open.

My eyes locked on Salvatore, but I still couldn't move. Everyone was focused on my mother. And they were all angry.

With the exception of the vampires, my friends' auras mirrored each other with green, dark blue, and gray. Not surprising. They were angry, sad, and scared. Salvatore's blazed brighter than the rest.

Connor ran his hand through his straight hair, pushing it away from his face and his eyes flickered to mine.

I tried to move, but my body still wouldn't respond. My eyes flickered to Bugs as he moved further to the side and sat down, curling his tail around his paws with an air of confidence. My eyes rolled and I looked back at Connor.

The corner of his mouth turned up in a slight grin and then he reached out and gently rested his hand on Salvatore's shoulder.

The partially-shifted wolf turned with a snarl and nearly bit into his arm. If it weren't for Connor's new Earthen speed, which could contend with the speeds of a werewolf or vampire, he probably would have lost the use of it for a while.

He held his hands up in surrender. "Easy, Salvatore." He nodded toward me. "She's awake, but I don't think she's all the way around yet."

Before he was finished talking, Salvatore snapped his head around and his yellow eyes locked with mine. Then he was a blur of motion, kneeling in front of me and completely human in the next instant, pulling me into his arms.

I was still limp, so I did the only thing I could. I breathed him in like it was the first and last time I would be in his arms.

"You're okay now. You're home," he whispered.

"Angela?" Aisling asked.

Salvatore pulled back and pushed my blood-crusted hair away from my face. "She's not moving. Only her eyes. Can you hear me?"

I blinked.

"She cannot move," Liam said.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Bugs look up at the vampire and thump his tail. "Meh," he said in a half meow.

Liam froze and regarded my cat a little more closely. "I will take that as a yes?"

Bugs dipped his head and said, "Meh," again.

I sighed and rolled my eyes at Salvatore.

That little bastard could communicate the whole time. I tried to talk to him all those nights like he was a person. He was listening the whole time. And he understood me. But he never gave any indication of it.

Salvatore chuckled. "Yeah she's in there, alright." He looked down at Bugs. "I don't think she's very happy with you right now, kitty."

Bugs thumped his tail again and puffed out his chest, not caring.

"He's going to fit right in," Connor chuckled.

Ignoring the teasing banter, Liam looked back at the gray cat. "She will come around on her own."

Bugs shook himself and some fur went flying. Some of it landed on Liam's expensive suit pants.

The vampire's jaw clenched as Connor and Shadow chuckled. "I do not know what to make of that. She needs blood?"

"Meh."

Liam moved in a blur of motion and disappeared behind me. Salvatore kept his attention on the vampire.

The cold flesh of Liam's wrist pressed against my mouth in the next instant. The taste of his blood was foreign and exploded across my tongue with a zing of energy. But I still couldn't move.

Liam pulled his wrist away and then pinched my nose and clamped his hand over my mouth, forcing my body to swallow involuntarily.

Just as quickly as the vampire arrived, his hands were gone as I felt the cold liquid slide down my throat, and then pain exploded across my body.

### Chapter 13

When everyone but Salvatore was in Germany to save my best friend and her fiancé, they teamed up with a vampire that Liam thought was an old friend. But he betrayed Liam by forcing his blood into Aisling's system, which was supposed to kill her. If an Earthen ingested the blood of a vampire that wasn't first spelled by one, the blood would act like poison.

Though Aisling survived, she felt like she was dying while the foreign blood ran through her system. By the time she came around a day later, she remembered nothing. Not even her name. But Liam's spelled blood brought her back.

Pain hit me like a flash burn, engulfing my entire body like I was doused in gasoline and someone lit a match. I wanted to scream. Wanted to cry. But I couldn't do anything but breathe.

And I was screaming like a banshee inside my head.

I was certain that what I was feeling wasn't nearly as bad as what Aisling felt with the blood of a traitorous, non-spelled vampire running through her system. I understood why she thought she was dying.

The pain ebbed just as quickly as it began, but it moved like the flames were traveling toward my head.

I thought it was about to explode. My eyes were open, but it felt like I was looking through tunnel vision. And at the end was Salvatore.

He kept his eyes locked with mine. And judging by the way his nostrils flared, he could tell how much pain I was in. Or maybe it was my breathing.

It came out in ragged pants, which was strange considering I wasn't screaming at the same time.

His eyes didn't falter as he held me, and I latched on to that. If Bugs believed Liam's blood would fix me, then I needed to ride out the pain until I was whole again.

It didn't mean I would be happy with either of them, though. And I planned to give them both a series of carefully chosen profanity to let them know what I thought of it.

Was the pain necessary? Yes. But that didn't mean I wouldn't give them an ear full for it.

Then, just as soon as it arrived, the pain fell away like someone flipped a switch.

"You're home now, Angela. You're okay."

Was he talking the whole time?

I blinked and lifted my hand.

My blood stained skin touched Salvatore's cheek. His close cut beard tickled my palm and I shivered. But I wasn't cold.

The look in his eyes was both dangerous and heated. It didn't frighten me. It just amplified my desire for him.

Liam cleared his throat.

Salvatore let out a short growl but looked away. I dropped my hand and he helped me sit up.

"How long was I gone?"

"Less than a half an hour, my dear," Liam responded.

I jerked my head toward him and looked in his green eyes. They flashed against the light. "But it felt like I was there awhile."

"Correct me if I am wrong—" the vampire glanced at my mother and then back at Bugs, "—cat, but I believe time passes at a different pace there. And it might have been because Angela was not properly tethered. Sort of suspended in time."

"Meh," Bugs meowed in agreement and his green gaze leveled on me. He thumped his tail and puffed out his chest again with a loud purr.

My eyes narrowed at him, but I couldn't stay mad at him. My cat was a Sphinx. He protected me and helped me. And he had a sense of humor. I could appreciate that.

I took another look around the room. Though the confusion on my friends' faces was slowly fading away, they looked relieved, and their auras mirrored their relief. The colors were the same, a mixture of dark blue, gray, and green, but they were muted.

Connor's arm was around Aisling's shoulders and she was leaning into him with relief. Shadow was sitting next to them. The white wolf licked his chops and huffed at me.

"Hey, buddy," I grinned at him.

Then I looked at my mother. She was restrained in the gray chair furthest from me on my left, but she didn't look worse for the wear. Tobias stood off to the side, carefully watching what was happening in the room.

Jon was doing an effective job of intimidating my mother. He had that effect on people.

He might act as Liam's chauffer and butler most of the time, but he was second in command, and he fit that role well. He wasn't just powerful and old. He was a seven foot tall body builder.

And he was looming over my mother and grinning at her with his fangs in full view.

I liked him even more.

Salvatore helped me to my feet and I looked at Liam. "First of all, he isn't just a guide." I gestured toward Bugs, careful not to say his name in front of my mother.

"What is he?" the vampire asked and looked down at the gray cat, still looking pompous.

"He's a Sphinx."

Aisling stepped forward. "A Sphinx?"

I nodded. "I never actually saw him in the realm until he came to bring me back to my body." I told them how he looked and by the time I was finished, everyone was looking at Bugs with expressions I could only describe as awe. The auras in the room were blazing with orange.

"Meh," he said and sauntered over to me. He rubbed against my ankle and started purring loudly.

"You little bastard. That's not fair," I growled, but I couldn't be angry with him. That was the first time he ever gave me honest affection in the years since I owned him.

But that was the least of my problems.

I shook my head and looked up at Aisling. "I talked to the dead girl again. She said my mother is being controlled by the woman behind the unrest in the _Spirit Realm_."

"Tell us what happened," Liam said.

Five minutes later, Aisling looked at me. Sadness was written over her features as well as her dark blue aura, but she didn't comment on it. I knew what upset her.

I never told her what happened. Why I left home. But I caught something else in her gaze. Respect and acceptance.

She understood what it meant to hold secrets of her past, and she didn't blame me for what I did.

"I'll see what I can do," she said and walked to my mother.

Jon hissed at Estelle first before stepping to the side, and then Aisling stepped closer. "I'm going to have a look around your mind. I won't hurt you."

Leave it to Aisling to try to soothe my mother.

I smirked. Good cop, bad cop could go a long way.

My mother flinched as Aisling reached up and touched her face. It wasn't because my best friend was touching her. I could see her aura flame with red, and her fingers spark with electricity. She just unleashed her magic.

Seeing someone's blue eyes change to white would make anyone flinch. Or maybe my mother felt the electricity on her face.

A few moments later, Aisling spoke in what she liked to call the thousand voices. " _There is a block on her mind. She_ is _being controlled. I can't see who is doing it. But I think I can break it._ "

Hearing the ethereal voices of all the Earthen witches that ever existed coming from her mouth for the first time would be quite a shock. Estelle started struggling against her restraints, her eyes widening in outright terror.

I sucked in a breath as an uneasy feeling washed over me. "Wait!" I cried and stepped forward. Aisling turned to look at me and her power fell away.

Moving to her side. I said, "You need me to anchor you or something bad is going to happen."

"What do you know, my dear?" Liam asked.

"I don't know." I shrugged. "I just know if she tries to sever that connection without me, it might kill her. That's not a risk I'm willing to take."

"Thank you," Aisling breathed as I put my hand on her arm. She unleashed her magic again in the next moment.

My mother continued to struggle against the restraints, more afraid than ever.

"Calm down, Mom," I sighed. "She won't hurt you." The words tasted bitter on my tongue and I hated myself for saying it. But it was for Aisling's benefit, not hers.

My best friend closed her eyes and I did the same, hoping my instincts were right and Aisling wouldn't come to any harm.

A wave of something washed over me, it felt like the same dry, stale air that I felt in the _Spirit Realm_. I wasn't sure how, but I knew it would have knocked Aisling out of her body and into the realm without anchoring to me first.

Estelle sagged in the chair and Aisling released her, letting her power fade. My best friend looked tired, but otherwise fine. "It's done," she said and moved toward Connor.

He tucked a curl behind her ear and kissed her forehead before wrapping his arm around her.

Aisling looked at me with sadness, mirroring the dark blue in her aura. "Angela, she might not have cared if you lived or died — both today and when you were sixteen. I know it's not much, but at least this time it wasn't her choice to do it."

I sighed and nodded. It didn't exactly come as a surprise that my mother didn't change, but it still stung that I mattered so little to her.

We weren't any closer to finding out who was behind the turmoil in the _Spirit Realm_ , but at least I was back. And my mother was free from that mysterious woman's influence.

Small victories.

I didn't know how bad things would get before they would get better. With one crisis averted, I knew more were coming, hot on its heels.

All eyes in the room were on me and I realized they were waiting for me to decide my mother's fate. As if it really was a choice.

I thought Aisling or perhaps Liam would take charge and decide for me, because they were in charge. From Aisling's limitless power, and Liam's knowledge, it would have been easier if the decision were theirs.

But my mother was mine, whether I turned my back on her or not.

It didn't escape my notice that my friends were also showing more deference over my new status as a Shamaness and clairvoyant. My abilities might not be anywhere near what an _other_ could do, but they were my friends, and I wasn't just a normal human.

Guardian or not.

"Let her go," I said, feeling exhausted, and Jon stepped forward.

He growled at her a little, just for effect, but did as I asked and then stepped away when he finished removing her restraints.

Estelle Williams stood and glared at me, staring me down. I didn't know why she was angry with me, but I glared right back at her.

She might have been Aisling's height, a few inches taller than my five foot three stature, but I wasn't going to let her steamroll me in my own living room.

If I could stare down a ghost from the Civil War and a werewolf after punching him several times and live to tell about it, I could easily beat my mother in a contest for dominance.

"Try anything and my friends will kill you. If I ever see you again, I'll kill you myself," I growled.

Salvatore sucked in a breath, and I saw Aisling drop her jaw out of the corner of my eye, but I didn't look away.

Estelle's jaw clenched and her eyes narrowed, but she finally dropped her gaze. "Very well. You are not what I expected, Angela."

Without another word, she left. Tobias moved to the door and watched her get in her car and drive away. He closed it as the last of her car's rumbling engine faded into the night.

I let out a breath I didn't realize I was holding and without turning around, I spoke to everyone except Salvatore, "Thank you for bringing us home. I'm tired and I need to take a shower."

My control was thin as it was, and I didn't want to show them how awful I felt. I knew looking at any of them would break what little amount of control that remained over my emotions.

Without waiting for anyone to respond, I made my way to my bedroom, grabbed an oversized shirt and a pair of panties, and went into the bathroom. I didn't bother locking it. If my friends wanted in, they could either break it down or use magic to unlock it anyway.

I turned on the shower, set to scalding, and put Liam's jacket to the side, then carefully stepped out of my ruined clothes. I would take the jacket to the cleaner before work the following morning.

By the time I stepped into the shower, tears were streaming down my face, but I stayed as silent as I could, knowing Salvatore could hear every noise I made.

My reprieve lasted long enough to see the last of the pink water go down the drain when the door opened quietly. The smell of almonds hit my nose and I relaxed.

"You okay?" Aisling asked.

"Yeah, I've got dried blood all over me."

"That's not what I meant."

I sighed. "I know. I'll be fine. Really. It's just been a really long day."

"I understand. Just don't forget you have family, okay? You're not alone."

At her words, I crumpled to my knees and buried my face in my hands, sobbing.

Dammit. This is not what I wanted.

The door swung open and the scent of the woods replaced the almonds.

I was wrong. _That_ was the last thing I wanted.

A tanned hand reached in the shower and shut off the water. I shivered and tried to calm myself, but my efforts failed me. Faintly in the distance, I heard the sound of the limo's engine tumble to life and then it drove away.

Salvatore pushed the curtain back and draped a towel over my back in the next moment.

Stop it.

He gripped my shoulders and tried to uncurl me, probably to comfort me with a hug. But I didn't want it. "Angela," he growled when I resisted. "Stand up. I'll cover you."

His voice was commanding and I found myself standing without realizing what I was doing.

What the hell?

I was wrapped in the towel in the next instant and Salvatore pulled me into his arms, not caring that I was still dripping wet. My attempts to pull away were useless. He was much too strong for me to break his hold.

And as much as I would have rather attempted to kick his ass to cover up my grief, I sagged in his arms and breathed him in. "Salvatore," I whispered, clinging to his blood-stained, white button-down shirt like it was a lifeline.

"Aisling was right, Angela. You have a family here. You are home. Right where you need to be."

Though I couldn't tell if there was more to his words, I still felt them. I knew how I felt. Aisling was my best friend and I would do anything to protect her.

But Salvatore saw more of me than I ever let her see, and he was still there. Holding me while I cried like a girl. Giving me what I needed, even though I didn't want it. Didn't feel like I deserved it.

My heart felt like it was about to explode with as much as I loved him in that moment.

It wasn't just Aisling I would die to protect anymore.

I clutched him tighter and nodded as I breathed, "I'm home."

### Chapter 14

When my alarm went off the following morning, I knew Salvatore was up. The smell of coffee and eggs filled my nose and I smiled. It reminded me of Aisling's grandmother, how she'd always get up early to have her granddaughter wake to the smells of breakfast. Even while I stayed with them, she made us breakfast. She always made me feel loved. And Salvatore was doing the same thing.

I took a quick shower, pulled on a matching black scoop neck shirt, jeans, and flats and made my way to the kitchen where Bugs was lapping up a bowl of milk near the back door. Salvatore was sitting at the far side of the table, angled out toward the rest of the small space, reading _A Tale of Two Cities_.

He was wearing a gray shirt that clung to him like a second skin and dark wash jeans with hiking boots.

Our plates were set out and he was waiting for me with his aura swirling with purple and pink, which were his default colors. I grinned and sat down as he closed his book. "Good morning," I said.

"Good morning. How are you feeling?"

"Happy to have some coffee."

He smirked and his aura shifted to a deeper pink and light blue, "That's the spirit. And you're welcome."

We ate in a comfortable silence and then I cleared the table and started the water in the sink while he opened the book again.

For the first time since I started working at the library, both as librarian and Guardian, that morning was the first day I wasn't looking forward to going in. Even with Ester and her attempts at undermining my authority. I knew why I didn't want to go in that day. And I needed both Salvatore and Bugs to stay home because of it.

Convincing Salvatore was another issue entirely.

I washed the dishes and crafted my plan, moving around the kitchen as I worked. It was a small space, so it wouldn't strike Salvatore as odd when I started putting dishes away. I smiled inwardly at the idea that came to mind. It would be a double benefit, if it worked. I pulled the drain in the sink and took another inconspicuous look around the space.

My house was small, and my kitchen was no different. It was long and narrow with a small table on one wall, nestled beneath a row of windows, with the cabinets, stove and fridge on the other. At the back were the doors to the backyard and basement.

I replaced the old linoleum in favor of the same honey colored wood flooring that was in the rest of the house. The cabinets were still old, white painted oak, but they would hold up until I could afford to replace them. I just didn't know how long that would be.

The table was a drop leaf and big enough for the two of us to eat with the leaves down, giving more room to move around in the kitchen. Since it was usually only me, I didn't need anything bigger. But Salvatore made it look like a child's table and I grinned as I put the coffee cups in the upper cabinet.

When I turned around, he was still lost in the book with his aura an innocent pink and purple. Then I crossed the distance between us and moved onto his lap, straddling him before he realized what I was doing.

He froze and looked up at me as his aura flamed with red, but he was still holding the book and I took advantage of his hands being otherwise occupied.

After all, he couldn't stop me if he was busy holding the book.

I leaned forward and kissed him, hard, pressing into him and wrapped my arms around his shoulders. I pulled him closer waiting for him to push me back.

But he didn't. He let go of the book wedged between us and wrapped his arms around me as he opened his mouth to give me access.

Fuck.

He tasted so good.

My phone dinged but I ignored it. Liam's jacket could wait.

I moaned into Salvatore's mouth as I ground against him. I didn't realize what I was doing until it was too late. And I knew in that instant I went too far.

Oh, it felt amazing, don't get me wrong. It was empowering, knowing that I incited such a reaction out of him, and that I could _feel_ him, every delicious inch of him, but he was old fashioned and I knew the unsolicited kiss was already pushing it.

I wanted nothing more than to rip off his clothes and have my way with him, but he froze and I stopped.

When I leaned back, he caught his book and set it on the table. I tried to stand up, but his arm flashed out and caught my thigh, holding me in place.

His eyes were flecked with yellow and his aura was burning red. "That's not how I wanted that to go," he growled.

I grinned back at him. "I know. Too bad for you I don't wait very often."

He narrowed his eyes at me, "You're going to drive me crazy, woman."

"I know. That's the whole point. Will you do me a favor?"

"What do you want?"

"Stay here with Bugs today. Something important is happening at work, and I think it would be better if you guys stay here. I'll even leave early."

"Alright, but call me if you have any trouble."

"I promise," I said and fisted the material of his gray shirt and gave him a quick, heated kiss before I stood up.

Five minutes later, I was walking to work. And I still felt charged by what happened in my kitchen. That was our first kiss, and it went beyond anything I ever imagined.

While I walked, I could feel something. Eyes that were boring into the back of my head, but when I looked, I couldn't see anything. The feeling in my stomach that persisted for the past day and a half was growing stronger. I knew what was coming, and I was powerless to stop it.

I figured it was just the nerves of _knowing_ , until something cold brushed against the back of my neck beneath my hair. Spinning around, I didn't see anything except for a tiny puff of white smoke that disappeared so quickly, I wondered if I even saw it. I couldn't be sure, but I thought it was ghost. Or I was just really on edge and my mind was playing tricks on me.

Turning back to the sidewalk, I looked at the front of the library. It was my sanctuary. Up until a few weeks ago, it was a place I thought was more of a home than my house. Then Aisling changed. And the werewolf I loved came into my life soon after.

Salvatore was right. I was home in that small town with a very strange assortment of friends that were better family to me than my real family ever was. But it didn't mean _everything_ I loved would always be a part of that home.

I heaved a sigh as I steeled myself for what was coming, and then went inside.

The smell of books filled my nose as soon as I stepped through the double doors and I smiled inwardly. I would always love that smell, even if it was forever tainted by Ester's cigarette smoke. But it would never be as soothing as Salvatore's scent.

Ester was behind the desk, her fingers clicking away at the keyboard as she glanced up at me with a smug expression I never saw from her before.

I snorted. "Good morning to you, too, Ester." Knowing why she was smug didn't make the situation any less terrible. If she were in my position, I would never do that to her, no matter how easy she was to dislike.

Mr. Thompson, the head of the council that originally hired me, stepped out from the back and regarded me with a cool expression. He was in his late fifties and wore a suit with a light gray tie.

He pushed one hand into his pocket in an effort to look relaxed and in control. Then he smiled, but it didn't reach his eyes.

"What a pleasant surprise, Mr. Thompson," I lied, smiling back at him as I kept walking without hesitation. "What brings you in today?" I didn't wait for him to respond and headed for my office, subtly taking control of the situation by making him follow me.

Who said I didn't pay attention to dominance tactics? They worked just as well with people as they did with wolves.

I sensed the anger rolling off him, but it didn't bother me. I was angry too. It was my fault. But I was still angry.

When I turned into my office, I ignored the other two council members sitting in the chairs in front of my desk and took off my coat. I hung it on the hook and sat down in my chair as if the men were always in my office.

I crossed my legs and leaned forward. "What can I do for you gentlemen this morning?"

The two men in the chairs looked a little taken aback by my behavior. Most people would feel very nervous if the council showed up for an impromptu visit of an elected neutral.

Mr. Thompson spoke first. "Ms. Williams, something quite disturbing has come to our attention that cannot be ignored."

I met his gaze. Even though he was standing over me, I wasn't going to submit and let him take the lead. "Oh? What would that be? I have taken great care during my time here. Everything should be in order."

While I turned toward my computer to prove it, knowing that wasn't what Thompson meant, he cleared his throat. "Angela, we were very clear about the rules."

Alright then, if he wanted to get right to the point, then I would, too. "Yes, I understand the rules."

Mr. Thompson pulled his hand out of his pocket and prepared to start talking again.

"I'm not finished."

His eyes widened, but he put his hand back in his pocket and waited.

"I agree with the rules, to a point, Mr. Thompson. I provided information as asked. I did not offer anyone shelter within this building."

One of the suits sitting in the seat, whose name escaped me, raised his hand and I raised mine in response, cutting him off. Then, as if I was completely right in my decision — and I was — I leaned forward and put my hands on the desk. "That was until I was knocked out in my own home, _Thompson_. Kidnapped, and then taken to the woods where I was questioned at gunpoint. I reported this to _you_ , sir." I pointed a finger at him.

But I wasn't done talking. "It is your responsibility to take action against retaliation. _You_ failed to protect me after a neutral's assistant was murdered. And _you_ failed to follow through after I survived. I refused to give the Malleus information because of that failure."

Aisling's step-father was the leader of the local sect of the Malleus Dei Maleficarum. He killed a neutral and kidnapped me. Martin wanted to take my best friend's power — and her soul — and then summon a demon.

Salvatore was the one that kidnapped me under the guise of working for Martin in order to gather information for Liam.

It was Aisling that killed him.

If not for my friends, including Salvatore, Martin might have killed me.

Though I might not have told them everything, including the fact that I was biased because Aisling was my best friend and the target of the MDM — and that I asked Salvatore to torture a Kramer Scholar to get information about the poison they planned to use against _others_ — I didn't lie to the three councilmen in my office.

I looked up at Mr. Thompson and waited for him to speak.

"Angela, the rules were clear and you violated them. If your _friend_ —" he said with a curl of his lip "—were threatened again, you would not remain neutral — whether or not we took steps against the Malleus for their actions."

His statement told me two things. First, the council wasn't neutral.

Aisling told me about the veterinarian that helped Shadow, and how it seemed like he wanted to get the injured werewolf alone. When they escaped the torture dungeon in Berlin, the librarian they turned to was scared to offer any assistance to them at all.

My best friend's instincts were right.

Something was terribly wrong with the neutrals.

And I had no idea why that was.

They weren't neutral any longer, and they were leaning towards the MDM and humans rather than to the side of the _others_. And they were putting their own people at risk.

The second thing his statement told me was that they _wanted_ Aisling to die. There was no way I would continue working with them even if they did change their minds.

Which they wouldn't.

Luckily, they didn't know about the tortured Kramer Scholar. It would be very bad for me if they did. At least I had that going for me.

But I wasn't expecting what came next.

### Chapter 15

"Ms. Williams, your position with the Nashville Public Library is terminated. Effective immediately," Thompson said with a smug grin on his face.

I wanted to punch him.

But I wouldn't.

"And?" I prompted, knowing that wasn't everything.

"We have taken measures to ensure that this town will never accept you again for your betrayal. You would do well to pack your things and leave. Try to live a quiet life away from neutrals. This is your one and only warning."

I came to work that morning knowing I would lose my job. What I didn't expect was their _measures_. What was worse, Thompson didn't come out and say it, but the council just threatened to kill me.

It didn't matter that my actions were minor against the rules of neutrality, especially in light of their failure. What they were doing wasn't normal. Only the greatest of crimes against the neutrality were given such immense sentences.

If Aisling didn't kill Martin, the neutrals _should_ have. They were an eye for an eye kind of organization.

I splayed my hands on my desk and stood up, keeping my eyes on Thompson. "Are you threatening to kill me?"

"Not if you heed our warning. The town will no longer accept you. If you remain, you will spend the rest of your days in shame."

I clenched my jaw so I wouldn't drop it at his admission. They were threatening to kill me if I didn't leave town quietly and quickly. I wasn't about to leave my family behind and run with my tail between my legs.

"You know what, _Thompson_? I'm not going anywhere. And I won't stop until the rest of the neutrals know what you've done. This is bullshit. You should be very, _very_ careful who you threaten around here. You don't know what kind of allies someone might have. My violation of the rules does not warrant such a penalty. And you all know it," I finished the last sentence with a growl that made them straighten and their eyes widen in shock.

I walked around my desk, picked up my coat, and put it on as casually as I could. Though I was seething with anger and wanted to pummel the men in front of me, I remained calm. At least on the outside.

Inside, I was screaming profanities that would have made their ears bleed.

Salvatore would be proud.

I glared at Thompson until he moved out of my way, and I stormed toward the front of the library.

"Goodbye, Angela," Esther's raspy voice hit me before I reached the double doors. If she didn't sound so fucking smug, I would have kept walking.

But I stopped mid-step, and turned around.

Something in my appearance made her eyes widen as I closed the distance between us. I stopped when I reached the desk.

"You listen to me, Ester. I never would have treated you like this if the same happened to you."

She wasn't head librarian, so she wasn't a Guardian. Which meant that she probably didn't have a clue about the secrets of the world. _Others_.

Something else was going on. The old woman in front of me hated me since she met me. And it was then that I understood. She would have hated me no matter what.

Because I was black.

"I may not be your boss anymore, but that didn't mean we couldn't have been cordial. You are rude, a terrible employee, and you reek of cigarettes. You are also a vindictive bitch. It's no wonder you're alone."

I spun on my heel and started walking. Though I didn't turn around to look at her, I could tell her jaw was still gaping from the wheeze in her breathing.

There was a brief moment that I regretted those last few words to her, but then thought better of it. She was enjoying seeing me go down in flames.

She deserved every last word of it.

By the time I reached the double doors and pushed through them, I was smiling, feeling free for the first time in my life.

There was the craziness at home. Then, after I left, I was an emancipated sixteen year old trying to work my way through school. That struggle didn't stop after college.

My house needed fixed, and there was a new job to settle into. I was willing to leave everything behind, if it meant protecting my best friend, the werewolf I loved, and the rest of my dysfunctional family. But it was worth it, because I found out where the council stood. And I didn't want any part of it.

I found myself standing in front of George's without realizing that was where I was headed, and stepped inside, shaking off the cold and moved toward my seat in the front corner. The warmth of the interior enveloped me and I started to feel a little better.

My nerves were on edge and I knew what would help with that. I plopped down in my seat and crossed my arms over my chest before I realized the whole restaurant was silent. My eyes flickered to the dining area and every set of eyes were on me.

Some looked confused and dumbfounded. Others looked at me with rage.

Okay, that's new.

George stepped out from the kitchen and saw me. He frowned and walked toward me, picking up the newspaper as he walked. "Good morning, child," he said with an air of sadness around him.

He sat the newspaper down in front of me as nonchalantly as he could and pulled out his pad of paper. "What can I get you?" Then in a whisper, even I could barely hear, he said. "Read the front page when I walk away."

"Hot chocolate, please," I said with a slight nod.

While George made his way to the counter, he started refilling a few coffee cups to give me a chance to read the paper. I opened it, as if nothing was wrong.

_LOCAL LIBRARIAN FIRED, FALSIFIED DOCUMENTS FOUND_ , the title read. My jaw dropped as I kept reading. Not only did the town council assure the residents would treat me as a pariah, but they were trying to destroy me completely.

According to the newspaper, I lied about my emancipation, and took a large sum of money from my family in the process. Then I not only didn't graduate high school, but I falsified my college degree as well.

None of it was true.

My family didn't have money. I left with nothing and supported myself through the rest of high school and college.

The end of the article indicated that authorities were contacted and an investigation for _other crimes_ was under way.

Oh, fuck.

My stomach fell.

George walked up and put the hot chocolate down in front of me. "I know it's false, Angela. But I don't think it's a good idea for you to be out and about right now. These people are one step away from a mob," he told me as quietly as he could and then walked away.

I took a sip of the warm liquid and licked the whipped cream off my lip, forcing it down my throat. Then I pulled out my phone and called Aisling.

"What's up, Angela," she giggled.

"Hey," I said.

Her giggle cut off. "What's wrong?"

"What do you think of going to visit our _old_ friend? It's been too long."

"Is it safe for me to talk?"

I took another sip of hot chocolate and glanced around the room. I didn't see any auras or anyone that was pale enough to be undead. "Yes."

"You want to see Liam?"

"Yep," I said and feigned a breathy laugh.

"Gramma's car is still broken—"

"Sure, sure, Sully and I will come pick you up. I'm having hot chocolate first, though."

Salvatore didn't go by Sully, but Aisling would know what I meant. I didn't want to give out any names that prying ears might catch and spread the town's wrath to anyone else.

"You're at George's?"

That's my girl.

I gave her enough information to know where I was, in case something happened.

"Okay!" I cried into the phone. "See you soon!"

Smiling as if I wasn't just fired, threatened, and publicly defamed. I took another sip of hot chocolate and texted Salvatore.

Bring Bugs and come pick me up at George's. Can't talk. 911.

He responded a moment later. _I'll be there in two. Stay there._

I put my phone back in my pocket and took another sip, forcing myself to swallow as I started flipping through the pages in search for the crossword puzzle.

Just as I looked up to ask George for a pen, I caught the back of his white head disappearing in the kitchen.

Then a few of George's angriest patrons stood up and approached me.

As casually as I could manage, I put down the paper and moved to my feet. "Good morning," I beamed at them, but it was a show of teeth and not a genuine smile.

"How can you take advantage of our town like that?" The man on the left growled.

"Oh, please, I didn't do anything they claim." I shrugged, "It will get fixed soon enough."

The man in the middle stopped about two feet from me and I could see out of the bottom of my peripheral vision that he was clenching and unclenching his fists. I realized then, those men weren't interested in talking.

My eyes locked with the man in front of me, but the hate in his gaze made me wince.

They were some of the older farmers that lived on the outskirts of Nashville. They wore overalls and they reeked of their livestock. I didn't know their names, but I saw them before, and they weren't always happy with my presence then either.

"This is George's place, guys. Let's not do this in here."

I just needed to buy some time.

The man in front clenched his jaw. "After you."

Though he didn't move, the man to the left did, giving me just enough room to squeeze between them. I took a five out of my pocket and slammed it on the table. Then I walked out into the cold December morning.

It was still early enough that the shops weren't open yet. That also meant little traffic and even less pedestrians. I listened for the sound of my car's engine, but I couldn't hear it.

I moved away from the front of the building and then turned to face my accusers. They were right on my heels and each one looked ready to beat me. Or worse.

My biggest problem in that moment was that I couldn't get a read on their intentions. It was one thing if they wanted to rough me up. But it was an entirely different beast if they planned to haul my dead body off where I wouldn't be found for weeks or months.

I was hoping for the former.

Or, failing that, more time for Salvatore to arrive.

The man in the overalls swung his fist so fast I barely noticed it. I leaned back just in time to keep him from clipping my cheek, but he caught my jaw and my teeth chattered together from the impact.

I took an involuntary step back and grabbed my jaw. "That wasn't fair," I growled as the three men stepped forward.

My fist shot out and connected my attacker's gut, and he doubled over with a wheeze.

Oh, shit.

Though I didn't mean to really hurt the old man, I probably succeeded in doing nothing but angering him further. He straightened and his face reddened in outright rage. Suddenly, I understood the type of man he was.

He was the kind of man that wanted women beneath him. No rights. No say in anything. He expected dinner on the table, and a compliant wife, if the asshole had one.

It made him a racist, too.

I was a woman and I was black. A bad combination for me. Men like him were raised in a very particular environment. The passage of time, in a place like Nashville, did nothing to change that.

I couldn't be certain about the two men flanking him, but if they were standing there at least willing to watch their friend beat me up, then they must have believed the same. But they weren't exactly stepping up to the plate to land their first strike either.

Salvatore was raised around the same era as the men in front of me, and it did nothing but make me appreciate him more. Unlike them, my werewolf showed no signs of animosity toward me, and didn't seem to care I was black.

"You bitch," my attacker growled.

I knew some werewolves and vampires that were far more intimidating. And I wasn't about to take a beating without fighting back either.

Those farmers towered over me at around six feet and I was nearly a foot shorter and looked weaker. I figured I was at least fast enough to outrun them if I needed to. But that would be cowardly of me, so I held my ground.

The familiar grumble of my old car reverberated down the neighboring street, still out of sight. But I knew Salvatore was close enough to hear me.

In my best cowboy falsetto, I mocked, "So, you guys wantin' to rough me up and scare me somethin' awful?"

I grinned at them as the sound of my old Chrysler's engine revved and sped up.

The men stepped forward in an attempt to block me in, but they weren't succeeding, so I didn't move.

I kept my gaze on the greater threat. The ringleader.

George stepped out of the diner and hollered, "You leave that child alone, Robertson." He waved his dish towel for emphasis.

"This ain't your concern, George," the ringleader, presumably Robertson, called back without taking his gaze away from mine.

My car squealed around the corner in the next instant and Salvatore slammed on the breaks, stopping the car at the curb next to us. He threw the car in park, pushed open the door, and stood at his full six and a half foot height.

Glaring at the men, he towered over the farmers that surrounded me. He reached out in a gesture that said to move toward him, "Angela."

I slipped around the man on my left and moved to stand behind my werewolf.

"These nice men were offering to walk me home," I lied.

"Oh, were they?" he said, not taking his eyes off them.

"Are you alright, child?" George called from the entrance to his diner.

"Thank you, George. I'm fine."

"Stay out of trouble, you hear?"

Without waiting for me to respond he turned back and went inside.

Robertson pointed at me, "That ni—"

Salvatore cut him off by breaking his finger.

Robertson howled in pain, but stood his ground.

" _I'm sorry_. What was that?" Salvatore was angry. Not just from his green aura, but I could feel it rolling off him in waves.

I didn't know if Salvatore knew they hit me already, but I wasn't about to tell him. If pointing at me and preparing to insult me was enough for Robertson to get his finger broken, I didn't want to know what Salvatore would do if he knew I already absorbed a right hook to the jaw.

" _She_ has made this town and all its citizens look like fools." The pain in his voice was apparent, but he wasn't getting the message.

I sighed. "I told you it was all false."

Robertson stepped forward, obviously not pleased that I spoke out of turn. I was about to tell him to shove it up his ass, when Salvatore's fist shot out and connected with the old man's face.

He stumbled backwards and blood started trickling from his nose.

Before Robertson could do something else stupid, the man on his right held out his hands. "Look mister, we don't want no trouble."

Finally, someone with some sense.

I rolled my eyes.

Reaching up, I touched Salvatore's upper arm, suddenly so tired I swayed on my feet. "Let's go. We have places to be."

Though I didn't sleep much since Aisling and Connor were taken, I never realized how tired I really was. I was running on adrenaline and caffeine, and even those weren't working so well any longer.

If Salvatore noticed, he didn't give any indication other than tilting his head to the side slightly, as if something just registered in his ear that he didn't expect.

"Hm-hmm," he growled in agreement.

I let him go and walked around to the passenger side. Opening the door, I picked up Bugs and then sat down. The smell of wildflowers hit my nose as the ball of gray fur curled up on my lap, purring wildly.

Salvatore still glared at them. "Don't come near her again, or I won't be so kind."

Without waiting for them to respond, he got in the car and we pulled away a moment later.

"We need to pick up Aisling and Connor and then go to Liam's." I sagged in my seat.

"What happened? Are you okay?"

"I'm so tired." I yawned. "I'll explain everything. Let's just say more shit just hit the fan."

He reached over, pulled my seatbelt around me and fastened it, giving me a look of confusion.

I chuckled weakly and started to doze. "You're cute when you don't understand me."

With a snort, he turned toward Aisling's house. "No, I'm not."

"You're right. You're always beautiful," I breathed.

As I drifted off, I thought I heard him whisper, "You're the one that's always beautiful, Angela."

### Chapter 16

I was surrounded by wildflowers and forest. The dew was still fresh on the ground and the petals of the flowers still glistened in the early morning light. The air was warm against my skin and the sun felt even better.

It felt like the morning wrapped me in her embrace and soothed me. There was a whisper on the wind. "Angela," it said with a deep baritone that made me smile as my eyes closed.

I would never get over the sound of that voice. For as long as I lived.

Snuggling against the warmth that embraced me, I felt a low thrum of contentment. Like a purr. I didn't know if it came from me, or the blanket of that early summer morning heat.

It didn't matter. It felt safe and secure. The last thing I wanted was to leave it. My eyes opened to see the vivid colors of the lightening sky as the sun peeked over the distant horizon, leaving a kaleidoscope of colors across both the sky and the dew on the flowers around me.

As more voices registered on the wind, the colors of the forest started to dim to monochrome grays.

"What happened?" Liam's old world accent hit me and I fell to my knees, trying to hold on to the last remaining bits of sleep.

Salvatore's low voice answered. "She's exhausted. I don't know what happened. She wanted to tell all of us at the same time."

At his words, I remembered what happened. And I woke up.

Before I moved, I realized that I wasn't in the car. I was in Salvatore's arms as he carried me, presumably through Liam's expensively-furnished home.

My cheek was resting against his chest as his arms wrapped across my back and under my knees, holding me against him. He was so warm. So comforting.

I didn't realize what I was doing until I was already nuzzling him and trying to turn closer toward him.

"She is awake now," Liam said.

"Am not," I said and continued to try to bury myself in my werewolf.

The sound of chuckles belonging to several different people hit my ears. Even the sound of Liam's wheeze — which I took for his version of a chuckle — traveled to me. But it wasn't until I felt Salvatore's suppressed laughter that I smiled.

Finally, I opened my eyes as Salvatore stepped inside the parlor. There was a fire in the massive fireplace and the flickering orange light bounced off the shiny mahogany floors. Even the lines of gold shimmered against it.

My werewolf walked to one of the opulent red velvet Louis XIV wing chairs and sat down, not bothering to either deposit me in a seat or ask if I wanted to sit by myself. I smiled again.

If he asked me, I might have said I could sit by myself, because that was how I operated. Even if I wanted nothing more than to stay in his arms and lean against him. Which I did. Making an admission like that would make me feel vulnerable. So he stayed quiet, and gave me what I needed. Again.

My friends oriented themselves in the room so I could see them. Shadow sat on the Persian rug, watching me intently with intelligent brown eyes, while Bugs rubbed himself against the werewolf's legs. Everyone else remained on their feet.

I looked at Aisling next. Her curly hair was unruly and pulled up into a messy bun. It did nothing but make her look more beautiful.

Her pale, creamy skin was still flawless, and she looked happy, despite everything that happened over the previous few weeks.

Love will do that.

She wore a long sleeve blue shirt and dark jeans over hiking boots and still managed to look perfect.

Realizing they were all waiting for me, I cleared my throat and began. "The council found out that I refused to help the Kramer Scholars when they asked for information about you. They didn't know I asked Salvatore to torture one of them after you two were taken," I looked at Aisling and Connor. "They fired me."

Salvatore sucked in a breath.

"Yes," I said before anyone could hurl the question at me. "I knew it was coming. I just didn't anticipate how bad it would be."

"Go on," Aisling said.

"They told me I needed to leave town or they would kill me, and for extra incentive they publicly defamed me on several things. First, that I emancipated on a lie, took money my family didn't have, then falsified both my high school and college degrees."

" _Sonofabitch_ ," Connor said and pushed his straight brown hair back from his face, only to have it fall against his cheeks again. His brown eyes locked on the floor in front of him.

Though Aisling's aura was mostly gray with fear for me, the rest of the auras in the room swirled with green and gray.

They were just as pissed as I was. And if I was being honest with myself, scared, too.

Liam ran a hand through his sun bleached hair. Though it wasn't long enough to fall into his face, he did a good job at making it look ruffled by the time he was done.

Even in the morning, when he preferred to sleep, he looked fresh and clean. Nothing was ever out of place. But in that moment he looked more normal than I ever saw him.

"I underestimated the wrath of the council, my dear," he began. "For that, I am sorry. I will have William and a few others get that corrected immediately."

He waved a pale hand. "As far as the threat on your life, I am not sure. Perhaps it was an attempt to scare you away. But neutrals are supposed to operate as an eye for an eye. I have learned the hard way to take threats seriously."

I knew what he was talking about. Everyone did, except maybe Salvatore, but he made no indication of it. When Aisling was eleven years old, her mother was killed by the Malleus Dei Maleficarum. Her step-father, to be exact.

She went to Liam for help, but he underestimated how quickly Martin would strike against her.

I knew in that moment the question behind that statement. But it was Salvatore that spoke first. "You want us to stay here?"

"Yes. I would be very pleased if you, Angela, and Bugs remain here where we can ensure your safety."

"No," I said.

Salvatore stiffened.

"It's nothing against you, Liam. But I think that running scared is going to send a bad message to them. That they can intimidate me. Salvatore will be there, so I'll be safe. If — and that's _if_ — they make a move, then we can come here."

My werewolf was relaxed by the time I finished talking and his aura was swirling with red and orange. I wasn't sure what he was thinking with the orange — whether he was proud of me, or amazed — but either way, I didn't feel like I deserved it.

Both Connor and Shadow's auras were dotted with orange, too, but I didn't know what to make of it.

"My dear," Liam began, "since you are no longer employed as a Guardian, I would like to request you act as _our_ Guardian. To assist both Aisling and Connor. I have an expansive library upstairs," he waved his hand.

An angry green flashed in Aisling's aura.

I smirked.

She and Connor were living under Liam's roof for almost two weeks before they were kidnapped and she never knew there was a library to explore. But then his words registered.

My vision blurred at the vampire's offer, but I swallowed it down and looked up at his green eyes, flashing against the flickering of the fire as they regarded me.

I would have done it for Aisling even if he didn't ask. But the idea of having a library again nearly overwhelmed me. His request also told me how much they all cared for me and needed me with them.

The Sphinx, two Earthens, two werewolves, and trio of vampires were family. Just like Aisling said.

It wasn't the same without the triplets, the pixies that gave their lives in the battle against the demon to save my best friend and her mate. And I saw the sadness in their eyes every time I looked at them.

My first reaction to such a request would have been to shriek at Liam and probably jump up and down like a loon to cover up what I really felt. Overwhelmed. But I wasn't going to do that, even though I wanted to.

However, it wasn't beneath me to tease Liam.

Two denials — not to mention my out of character response — would irk the vampire.

I tried to keep my lips from twitching. And as calm as I could, I said, "I'll consider it."

Connor, Salvatore, and even Tobias, standing in the corner almost out of sight, burst with guffaws and Shadow's coughing chortle sounded as the auras of my friends engulfed with light blue.

Aisling didn't laugh, but she was grinning at me as her body shook from suppressed laughter.

Jon coughed, which sounded like an explosion coming from the seven foot tall body builder, all while Liam's lips twitched. I even thought I heard a little bit of a wheeze.

"Touché, my dear," he said as the sounds of laughter faded.

"Admit it. You enjoyed that," I baited him.

"But of course," he grinned.

### Chapter 17

Liam asked if we wanted to spend some time in the training room, but Salvatore told him I needed rest, and neither the vampire nor I protested.

Fifteen minutes later, Salvatore, Bugs, and I were home. I was still exhausted, but too rattled to sleep. I headed straight for the kitchen to make some hot chocolate.

Salvatore crossed his arms over his chest and leaned against the doorway, filling it up, while he watched me. Bugs rubbed against my ankles and then made his way to the back door to curl up in a sun spot.

"What are you thinking?" Salvatore asked.

I didn't answer him. Instead, I squirted some whipped cream on top of the steaming cup, put it back in the fridge, and sat down at the table with the mug. He didn't move.

Taking a sip, I savored the taste and then swallowed. Then I licked my lip to catch the whipped cream.

Salvatore smirked, his aura shimmering with light blue.

"What? I'm not going to waste it."

"Heaven forbid," he chuckled, holding out his hands in surrender.

I sighed and stared at the floor. "These past few weeks have been a roller coaster, Salvatore."

"Big changes do that. It's been a very long time since Earthens have been here to make everything right."

Three hundred years of unrest, danger, and loneliness would do that. _Others_ needed Earthens. He was right.

And then I remembered.

" _Fuck_ ," I said.

"What?"

"I didn't have a chance to check how many people were killed by the heliotrope."

"You've been preoccupied. That information will still be there tomorrow."

With a whisper, I said, "I know."

Taking another sip of hot chocolate, I realized that it wasn't going to help me feel better. Normally, I found it soothing.

I pushed the mug to the side as my vision blurred. But before I could choke them back, Salvatore was in front of me, kneeling on the floor, looking right at me.

His hands flashed to my face as I blinked. But I didn't flinch. His thumbs wiped away the tears that fell and caressed my cheeks.

"I'm such a fool." I tried to pull away but he wouldn't let me go.

"For crying? No," he breathed as his aura swirled with a deep pink. In a firmer voice he said, "It makes you who you are. You are very careful with what you feel, and especially what you let people see. You are the strongest person I've ever met. But you're still vulnerable."

I stared at Salvatore, the werewolf I knew for only three weeks. His honey brown hair was unruly with the curls running through it but it only added to his beauty.

Not even counting his flawless, tanned skin, or the perfect lips that made me want to taste them more than anything else. It was his eyes that caught me. Hazel never looked so beautiful before.

"Why don't you tell me what's really wrong?" he asked and dropped his hands to rest on my thighs.

I chuckled grimly. "Where to begin?"

"How about the beginning?" he offered and I grinned.

"Connor said that same thing to me once." While I spoke, I watched as his aura darkened to red.

"You are so beautiful when you smile."

"Stop it. That's not nice."

He frowned and dark blue started to bleed into the edges of his aura. "How is that not nice?"

Instead of answering him, I deflected, "I knew what was going to happen, but it still hurt. I knew the risks. I just didn't know how much I was risking. I did it all for Aisling. And I'd do it all over again."

He waited and I sighed. "On top of that, Bugs dragged me to the _Spirit Realm_ and put me right in the middle of some big war that would be very bad for us if I don't stop it. Come to find out, I'm some badass Shamaness that I didn't know existed, and I'm — I _was_ a damn Guardian. I _should_ have known."

Plus, I'm in love with you and you're so old fashioned you're literally driving me crazy.

I looked down, hoping he wouldn't see how much I loved him. How much I wanted to tell him.

"Don't ever feel like you need to look away from me. Please, look at me."

When I didn't move, he reached for my chin to pull my face up to look at him. I winced at the contact and he sucked in a breath.

Shit.

"One of them hit you." It wasn't a question.

"He was aiming for my cheek, but I moved, not fast enough though."

His hazel eyes shifted to yellow as green engulfed his aura with a brilliant emerald light.

I moved my hands up to his face and tried to soothe him by caressing the hairs on his cheeks. "Stop," I demanded.

His eyes refocused on me and his aura dulled before shifting to orange. We kept our eyes locked for a few moments and then I spoke.

"Those men are bigots. That doesn't mean they deserve to die for hitting me. You grew up around the same time. So you probably know better than anyone how difficult it could be for them to change their beliefs. I'm actually surprised you don't have more of a problem with me."

"What? Why would I have a problem with you?"

"You were either born a werewolf because both of your parents were werewolves, or you were made one—"

"I was born this way, but I was adopted. I never knew my real parents."

I nodded and lowered my hands, "So you grew up different, you had a unique perspective to accept others for being different. Even today, it's still a little taboo for people like you and me to...," I trailed off.

Before I had a chance to continue he said, "For us to be together?"

"Yeah," I said, wanting to finish my thought before he distracted me. "So is it really so hard to understand how some people, especially in a town like this, still hold some of those beliefs?"

He finally nodded. "One of them still hit you. Even then, it wasn't right."

"No, but some people let their beliefs get them carried away. Either way, it's not enough to kill them. Any of them."

"You're not a wolf—"

"Let me guess, I don't understand?"

He nodded.

"I might not be a wolf, but if someone hurt you, I'd want to rip their fucking head off," I growled. Ignoring the explosion of flaming red and orange in his aura, I said, "I might not be a wolf, Salvatore, but I'm not much different in the way I think."

"You are a lot more like a wolf than I realized."

"What else did I do?"

"I'm a dominant wolf, so I don't take orders unless I want to. But I do take on odd jobs. When Liam asked me to keep you safe, I agreed, not having any idea who you were, only that you were important to Aisling." His hands moved to the top of my shoulders, pushing my hair back as he moved. "But then, everything changed when I met you. I stayed because I wanted to. Even when you directed me around."

He smiled and my breath caught in my throat. "You tested both my dominance and my wolf by doing that, and the more you got to know me, the more you acted like a wolf. A very dominant wolf. Your decisions are so in line with what I would choose, it's uncanny. Even today, when Liam offered to shelter us, I would have gone with you to stay there if you chose, despite every instinct to do otherwise, but then you came to that conclusion anyway. You didn't even have to think about it. You immediately refused."

Every cell in my body was screaming at me to tell him I loved him, because deep down, it felt like that was what he was telling me.

"You ran from me and didn't back down while I tried to keep my wolf in check. Then you had the guts to threaten me, punch me repeatedly, and then pull dominance. Any other wolf would have killed you for it."

Trying to cover up the heat crawling over my body — and the scent of my desire — at the memory of what happened in my bathroom, leading up to those moments when he bit my shoulder repeatedly, I snorted. "You have impeccable control, Salvatore."

"Don't shut down on me, Angela."

I froze, realizing what I was doing.

"Be with me," he whispered. "Right here in this moment. You're home. Don't shut me out."

My body felt like a live wire. Molten-hot lava flowed through my veins as my bones turned to steam with the strength of what I felt.

And then I kissed him, hard.

### Chapter 18

Salvatore didn't want me to shut down. He wanted me right there. In that moment. With him.

And I was.

That meant I had two options. Tell him I loved him. Or kiss him.

Having never thought about what it meant to have a family, or what it would be like to have children before Salvatore came into my life, it was definitely a shock when my mind kept going back to him and all the possibilities of a future together. He was the key to that dream. And I wanted it. Bad.

I wanted to say the words, but I knew Salvatore. He was old fashioned. To him, going slow was the right thing to do. An admittance of love could shut him down just as easily as kissing him. It was a no-win situation. I elected for the option that was less severe.

But walking that line was driving me crazy.

I wanted him more than I wanted anything in my life, and that urge was only growing stronger.

The encounter in my bathroom was the most intense moment we shared. While still dripping from the shower, barely wrapped in a towel, he pinned me to the floor with his face half changed to a wolf.

I felt how much he wanted me. But it was when he bit me on my shoulder, both with the mouth of his wolf and his own, that I nearly came.

And we hadn't even kissed yet.

When we kissed earlier that morning, I never wanted to stop kissing him again. He stopped when I let my urges get the better of me.

I didn't know exactly how he would take a confession like _I love you_. But I believed it wouldn't be a positive reaction. So I opted for the next best thing.

When I kissed him with the violence of my desire that I was burning for him, I half expected him to stop me.

I just wanted to show him — in that one kiss — how much I wanted him and loved him. How much he meant to me. That would be good enough.

But he didn't stop me.

He opened his mouth to deepen it.

And I took advantage of the moment.

Damn, he tastes as good as he did earlier.

Strong arms wrapped around me and pulled me closer, nearly off my chair, but I couldn't pay attention to that. All that mattered in that moment was him.

I wasn't sure if what I was about to try would work, but if I was as much of a wolf as he said I was, I could only hope it would incite him like it would for me. Slowing the kiss down, I acted as if I was about to pull away, and he allowed it, not pushing me either way.

Then I pulled back just enough to bite his bottom lip. Not enough to draw blood, but enough that he would notice.

And he noticed.

The sound that escaped from his chest was a combination of groan and growl. A wave of exhilaration washed through me at his reaction and I wrapped my arms around his neck, trying to get as close to him as I could.

Before I realized what was happening, he spun around and pinned me under his body in the next instant. And he was pressing into me in exactly the right spot. I moaned into his mouth and then I bit his tongue.

Another groan that sounded like a growl escaped him as he moved his hips in a slow, agonizing grind.

He let me pull back as I cried out, arching my back as much as his body would allow, and tilted my head back, exposing my throat to him.

But he didn't stop moving. He trailed kisses down my jaw, toward my neck. The warmth of his lips and his hot, wet tongue moving over the sensitive skin was almost enough to make me crash over the edge, but I forced myself to breathe as I held him by the back of his neck.

My head turned to the side to give him access. Part of me wanted him to continue his way down my neck. And bite me. But the other wanted his mouth on mine again.

He ground into me again and my eyes rolled in my head while lights exploded across my vision, like he just lit a fuse.

"You've _got_ to calm down, Angela. I can't keep in control," he growled, but continued moving.

" _Oh, god, I can't_ ," I cried out as he ground against me again. "Don't stop, Salvatore. Don't ever stop."

He growled and bit the curve of my shoulder as he pushed against me again.

And I crashed over the edge. " _Fuck, Salvatore_ ," I cried as I shattered.

His teeth stayed clamped on my shoulder as he growled. Like I was his prey. But I knew he wouldn't hurt me.

While I felt the sensation of hovering in the air, he waited for me to come down from the waves washing over me.

My mind was still somewhere in outer space and I let go of his neck. He shivered as my hands slid down his muscled chest and down his sides.

When my hands reached his ass to encourage him to keep moving, he froze and released my shoulder.

Shit. What have I done?

As I tried to slow my breathing and get my thoughts in order, I couldn't figure out what to say to him. "I'm sorry."

"Why are you sorry? I was the one that went too far." He shook his head. "It's because you bit me."

He moved, and before I realized what he was doing, I was on my feet, leaning against the counter while he stood against the wall across from me. His aura was a deep, dark blue. I dropped my gaze, crossed my arms over my chest, and shivered.

"I'm sorry," I said again but kept my focus on the floor. I wanted to incite a reaction from him. And once I set him off, I didn't stop him.

The last thing I wanted to do was push him too far. And that was exactly what I did. "I'm sorry," I whispered, knowing he could hear me.

It was moments like that that reminded me to close myself off. I didn't know how Salvatore really felt about me, but he was keeping me at a distance, pushing my buttons, but as soon as I pushed back, he shut down.

I was in love with him and he gave me the most intense orgasm I ever experienced in my life while barely touching me. And then he put a whole room between us.

He wanted me in the moment and I let him in.

I am a fool.

For the first time since we met, he was shutting me out.

And that broke my heart.

### Chapter 19

I squared my shoulders as I looked at the man that stole my heart. "You son of a bitch," I said, low.

His eyes snapped up to mine.

"You wanted me in the moment, and I let you in. You may have lost control to your wolf, but you're in control now, and you're the one pushing me away." I straightened.

He opened his mouth but then closed it.

" _Especially_ after what just happened? That's low, Salvatore. Even for you. _This_ is not fair and you know it. You're letting me suffer for it."

I gestured at the distance between us. "This. This moment. Right now. This is why I don't open up." I swiped a traitorous tear from my cheek. "You wanted me in the moment and now I regret it."

Without waiting for a response, I stormed out of my kitchen and retreated.

By the time I reached my bedroom, more goddamn tears were streaming down my face.

I thought I heard him say, "Shit, Angela?" but I couldn't be sure.

The smell of the woods after a rainstorm preceded him, but I slammed the door and locked it, shutting him out. The lock wouldn't keep him out if he really wanted in, but he was raised in the fifties and I knew he wouldn't do it unless I was in danger.

I could hear him breathing on the other side of the door for a few moments while I stood there, waiting for him to leave.

At last, he spoke. "I wasn't thinking. I'm sorry for pushing you away. It'll never happen again."

"Don't you see?" my voice cracked at the end with a sob. "It'll never happen again, because I won't allow it. I never should have let you in." I closed my eyes, pushing out more tears.

I wanted him to leave so I could close myself off again. I could never regret a moment like that. And I would never forget it. But I had to make him believe it. I couldn't protect myself otherwise. And it broke my heart just saying those words.

He let out a shaky breath and then walked away.

Then I crumpled to the floor.

After a while, I thought I heard his deep voice from the kitchen, but I was too lost in myself to care what he was doing. A minute later, he knocked lightly on the door.

My nose told me he was there, but I smelled something else with him. It smelled like fall leaves. And I knew what was happening.

"Angela, I asked Shadow to keep an eye on you. I'll be back later."

That wasn't what I was expecting. I thought he meant to take his things and leave. Maybe he still did. Fresh tears filled my eyes as I realized I might have pushed him away for good.

The front door closed and a light scratch sounded at my door. I reached up and opened it.

Shadow stepped in, and sat down in front of me. For a two hundred and fifty pound white werewolf, he was actually easy to like. Because he acted more like a dog than a wolf.

I didn't meet his eyes, because I wasn't in any shape to try to fight for dominance, and I didn't have the resolve to fight for it either. "Hey, buddy," I said. "As you can see, I'm a mess right now."

He whined and tapped my knee with his paw. Then he laid down in front of me and rested his head in my lap. I scratched behind his ear and relaxed.

"Everything's so messed up right now."

He sighed in agreement and waited.

"First of all, I don't know what to do to save the _Spirit Realm_ from some bitch that means to destroy it and make the ghosts into wraiths. I don't understand why the council felt like they needed to run me through the mud instead of just firing me — whether or not their threat to kill me was true."

Shadow growled, agreeing that he didn't like it, either, but his purple aura remained unchanged.

"Then there's Salvatore." I looked down at the wolf. "Are you his age?"

He sat back up and moved his head to the side. No.

"Younger?"

He nodded.

I sighed. "I wish I could understand what he's thinking." I regarded the werewolf another moment and decided it wouldn't matter if I told him everything. Shadow rarely shifted to his human form, and he wasn't the type of wolf to share secrets.

"I'm in love with him," I whispered, as if Salvatore was still in hearing distance.

Shadow nodded.

"You knew?"

He rolled his eyes and I snorted.

"That obvious, huh?"

When he didn't move to respond, I said, "That's the thing. I know he wants me, I just don't know if there's anything else to it, but he shuts down. And earlier. He...." I trailed off and choked down the tears that threatened again.

"He convinced me to let him in and it got a little intense, and then he backed off. Like the room wasn't far enough away from me. And it feels like my heart is breaking," my voice cracked with a sob.

Shadow stepped forward, nuzzled my neck, and then rested his head on top of my shoulder. I hugged him back, wrapping my arms around him.

When I calmed down, he sat, pushed his nose into my chest, over my heart, and then looked up at me.

"Yes, I love him."

He shook his head and repeated the motion.

"He loves me?"

The white werewolf nodded.

I shook my head and then froze.

Of everything I learned about wolves, I never made the connection. If Salvatore was in love with me, then his wolf was too. Which made me his mate.

Salvatore wasn't just old fashioned. He was afraid of how I would react to being his mate, or how he would behave as a dominant male.

He was warning me about it the whole time. And I was constantly testing his control.

But if he and his wolf considered me as his mate, his urges would be that much harder for him to control. And I was pushing him enough that he thought he would lose control completely.

Not to kill me, a wolf would never hurt its mate, but to claim me. I sucked in a breath.

He kept warning me because I couldn't act the same way around another wolf without getting myself killed.

"You knew he picked me as his mate because he let me punch him? Any other wolf would have killed me."

Shadow nodded.

"Even you?"

I knew Shadow was just as dominant and having control over his instincts was par for the course, so if he thought he would kill me for it, then I was right.

When he didn't respond, I said, "Maybe?"

No response.

"Probably?"

He nodded.

"Did he say when he would be back?"

Shaking his head, he turned and looked at my bed.

"Yeah, yeah, I get it," I rolled my eyes and stood up. I needed sleep. "I'll try." I moved to my bed and moved under the covers while Shadow stayed on the floor. "You can come up if you want. I promise I won't bite."

He looked out into the hall and then back at me.

"Suit yourself then," I said and closed my eyes.

He jumped up, circled, and dropped down next to me a moment later.

### Chapter 20

I spent most of the afternoon tossing and turning, suspended in the in-between. Not asleep, but not awake. In a place where my mind was in control and half-dreams flitted across my senses.

At some point, Shadow jumped down and left me alone, but by the time the sun went down and Salvatore was still gone, I decided to get up.

After I ate a granola bar, I made my way to the bathroom. I brushed my teeth, showered, shaved, and then dressed. If my day was any indication, I doubted I would be able to sleep, but a shower helped some of the time.

When I finished and stepped out of the bathroom, I froze. The lights were off and I realized two things. Shadow was gone, and Salvatore was in the guest room. His door was closed.

"Salvatore?"

"I'll be out of your hair in the morning, Angela."

What?

Before I realized what I was doing, my hand went for the doorknob. It was locked.

"Salvatore, let me in."

The lock clicked.

I opened the door and stepped inside. Though I was only wearing panties and a black shirt, it still fell to mid-thigh.

Salvatore was under the covers, still wearing his gray shirt, with _A Tale of Two Cities_ open above him.

There was a small nightstand to my right and the bed on the opposite side. He was tall enough he didn't have to get out of bed to unlock the door.

He didn't look at me, but his aura told me enough. It was swirling with fear and sadness — a gray and dark blue glow that undulated around him.

Then I saw his bags sitting on top of the dresser across from me. I walked to it and opened the top drawer. Then the second. He already emptied them. He really planned to leave.

I ignored the burning sensation in my eyes, took a deep breath, and turned around to face him. "No. You're not leaving," I said.

He looked at me then. "What?"

"This is your home, too," I said as I moved to him and took his book. I put the bookmark inside, set it on the end table, and then clicked off the light. "And I don't want you to leave."

I pulled back the blue and white striped comforter and I felt him stiffen. "What are you doing?"

"Relax. I'm just going to lie down." Without waiting for him to respond, I climbed in.

He opened his arms and I snuggled against him, resting my head on his chest with my arm in front of me, running the length of his torso while he fixed the blanket and wrapped his arms around me.

I nuzzled him and breathed him in. "I'm sorry I overreacted earlier. I knew what I was doing and I still pushed you."

"You were right. I was being an idiot."

"I thought so too, until Shadow and I had a nice talk."

"He shifted?"

"No, he didn't have to. He mostly just listened."

Though I couldn't see Salvatore's aura, I could tell I was making him nervous. He was probably afraid I knew he wanted me as his mate. And he was right.

I knew.

But I wasn't going to push him. We went through enough that day as it was. And I didn't want to ruin the moment of just being in his arms.

"Please tell me you won't leave," I said.

"If you want me to stay, I'll stay. I promise."

I relaxed with relief. "I'm sorry I lied earlier, too. We both made mistakes today. But I never wanted you to leave. I could never regret what happened."

"I understood what you were doing. I just thought I hurt you too much."

"No, I just needed time to process it. Besides, before that, it was just too damn good."

He chuckled. "I did notice that."

I snorted. "I was beginning to wonder. Seriously, Salvatore. That was the best and most intense moment of my life."

"The best?"

"Oh, hell yes," I said and he chuckled again. "You barely touched me and it was still amazing. I don't think you realize how much I like what you do to me."

"I'll have to keep that in mind."

"Hmm, you do that," I said, surprised at how my voice sounded. It was like a purr. He growled deep in his chest and I pinched him.

"Ow!"

"Stop it," I demanded while he grabbed my hand and chuckled. "Today was enough of a disaster, let's not push it."

He stopped and kissed the top of my head. "You're right. I'm sorry. Do you mind if I ask you something?"

"What do you want to know?"

"Why did I smell Shadow all over your bed?"

I chuckled. "He wanted me to try to sleep, and I asked if he wanted to sleep too. He wasn't there for very long, I think my tossing around annoyed him too much."

"You didn't get any sleep."

"No, I don't think so. It was more of a light dozing. I couldn't stop worrying about what you were doing. Do you realize that's the first time you ever left?"

"I didn't think you wanted me here anymore. I really thought I screwed up. But I'm glad you want me to stay."

My first instinct was to throw a joke at him, but I thought better of it. Somehow, being with him in the dark made it less horrifying for me to tell him what I was really feeling. "I never want you to leave, Salvatore," I whispered.

"Then I'll stay. If you ever change your mind, just tell me." He kissed the top of my head again and said, "You should sleep."

Before I realized what was happening, I began to doze off.

While sleep lulled me, Salvatore spoke, but it was barely over a whisper. "Angela?"

"Hmm?" I sighed.

"Why did you really forgive me?"

I smiled into his chest. My werewolf knew me too well. I never actually told him.

I wasn't sure if I dreamed it, or if I said it, but the words, "Because I love you," escaped my lips as nothing more than a breath.

### Chapter 21

Something pressed into my back. It was warm like a furnace and ran the length of my body as I laid on my side. Part of it was draped over my middle, and I was using another part as a pillow.

I wriggled closer against it and I heard a low, throaty growl. And then I realized what was happening. I wasn't in my bedroom. Alone. I was with Salvatore.

At some point in the night, I turned away from him, but his arms were still around me. And he was pressed against me as I used his bicep as a pillow.

I shivered as I realized the reason why he growled. He was awake. And he wanted me. I could feel his body against me. It was all I could do to keep myself from wriggling again.

Salvatore lifted his head and nuzzled the side of my neck. His warm breath ticked against my skin and I shivered again. "Good morning," he said, low.

I turned to face him, which wasn't easy because he didn't release me or move away. By the time I stopped, his eyes were closed and his aura flamed with red.

My hand reached up and I touched his cheek. His eyes opened and locked with mine. We stayed like that for several moments while I silently pleaded.

When he made no move either way, I leaned forward slowly and kissed him. It was calm and it was gentle, but his arms still tightened around me.

Rather than try to push him again, I pulled back to wait to see if he would take that step. When he continued to do nothing but look into my eyes, I panicked. "I'm not trying to pu—"

He cut me off with a kiss and I moaned in response. With a groan, he pushed me back into the mattress and deepened it. And I forced myself to keep my hands from roaming over him.

The best I could do was ball the material of his shirt in my hands and hold on.

He pulled away and carefully avoided the bruise on my jaw as he made his way down towards my neck. That was when I knew he was losing control.

It took every ounce of willpower I had to say, "Salvatore, stop."

He froze, but he didn't pull away.

I released his shirt. "Look at me."

My hands moved to his face and I pulled him up so I could see his face. His hazel eyes were speckled with yellow, but he didn't resist me.

As much as I didn't want him to listen to me, I wasn't going to make the same mistake twice. "I know you value your control. And you're about to lose it. You need to calm down."

"Do you want me to calm down?"

"No," I replied and he growled, moving toward my neck again. "But—" he froze "—you will regret it. I don't want that to happen again. I don't want you doing that until you're ready."

I hope that's sooner rather than later.

"I'm sorry," he said and pulled back, but I held on to his face.

"No. Don't shut down. Listen to me. Whatever it is that's worrying you about your control, don't let it bother you. I know you won't hurt me, and I promise you, I can take whatever you give me."

I caressed his cheek and let that set in for a moment before I continued. "I've never once been afraid of you. And I certainly haven't minded what you've done so far. I'm not going to push you or pressure you. And until you're ready, I'm going to do whatever I can to help you stay in control. Okay?"

After a long moment of searching my eyes and clenching his jaw, he finally nodded.

"Good. Want breakfast?"

He nodded again, and released me with a grin.

I went to my room and dressed, pulling on matching black yoga pants, a tank top with a built in sport bra, and an athletic hoodie that was much warmer than it looked. I pulled on socks and tennis shoes and pulled my hair back into a pony tail.

Then I made breakfast and tried not to keep looking at Salvatore. Looking mouthwatering as always, he was wearing a white shirt and blue jeans with tennis shoes. And his aura was a deep pink as he sat at the table and watched me work.

I still couldn't figure out if I dreamed telling him I loved him, or if I really said it, but he never mentioned it. So I wasn't going to ask.

Either he knew and would tease me if I asked, or he didn't and he wouldn't stop until he got it out of me. It was a no-win situation. So I opted for silence. It was my best option.

We ate in comfortable silence and while I finished putting away the clean dishes, Salvatore's phone rang. He put the phone on speaker.

"Liam," he said in greeting.

"How is the situation?"

His aura glittered with light blue and I narrowed my eyes at him. Of course all of our friends, especially Liam would know about our problem the day before. "Everything is fine, no trouble."

As payback, I walked up to him and moved into his lap, just as I did the previous morning. His eyes widened and he growled at the same time.

"What is wrong?" the vampire's voice sounded through the phone's speaker.

"Nothing, Liam," I said and grinned at Salvatore.

His eyes narrowed in response as Liam said, "Indeed. Are you feeling better, my dear?"

I nuzzled Salvatore's neck and he wrapped his arms around me. "Much better," I purred and my werewolf growled again.

"Very well," the vampire coughed, "Salvatore, I was hoping to discuss the heliotrope antidote with you."

I kissed the curve of Salvatore's shoulder and ground against him without realizing what I was doing. The growl that tore from him was even louder. He always wanted me and I smiled, pleased I caused that kind of reaction from him. But I also knew I was about to push him too far.

"What is going on?"

I lifted my mouth to Salvatore's ear. I breathed, "I'm going for a run. You two have a nice chat."

Salvatore held up a finger for me to wait, but I got up and walked out of the kitchen, smiling as Liam said, "I heard that."

A growl escaped Salvatore's lips and he picked up his phone. "I'm going to have to call you back."

"Is she trying to leave without you?"

"It's Angela, of course she is," he growled as I walked out the front door, grinned, and started running.

Werewolves and vampires could move with a speed the human eye was incapable of following. To human eyes, they would move in a blur of motion with no distinguishable features. So I knew Salvatore could catch me without much effort at all.

He wasn't trying to run at my side, and part of me wanted him there, while the other enjoyed the time to myself. With the bitter wind at my back, I could smell him behind me, but I couldn't hear him. It was comforting to know he was there.

I pulled out my earbuds, put them in, and started my playlist, pacing myself to the beat of the music.

Running was one of the few things I could do that cleared my mind. Let me focus on the in and out of my breathing, and feel my body move.

My route wasn't complicated. I made my way past the library and through the town center, carefully dodging the shoppers as I went and then turned left down a side street.

The side streets weren't empty since there were shops away from the main drag, accessible through sidewalks and alleys, but they weren't nearly as busy as I expected.

But as I rounded the next corner, I stopped and took in the sight ahead of me. I understood why people were avoiding that part of the town.

It smelled foul. Like rotting flesh that baked in the sweltering summer sun for too long.

But that wasn't what froze me.

I pulled out my earbuds and gaped.

Salvatore rounded the corner and nearly ran into my back but he pivoted just in time and stopped next to me. His aura was pink and light blue. "Don't stop like that where I can't see you. I almost steamrolled you."

Without looking away, I said. "Two questions. Can you smell that?" I noticed out of my peripheral vision that he pulled on his jacket before he ran after me.

"Something smells rotten," he said.

"Second question. Can you see that?"

Looking around, he said, "See what?"

An empty soda can flew in our direction and he knocked it out of the way before it hit me in the forehead. He looked toward the source, but didn't see anything. "Where did that come from?"

I grabbed the bare skin of his wrist to pull him back behind the building and he froze, seeing it, too.

Damn, that's a nifty trick.

Over a hundred feet ahead of us, a group of about twelve ghosts were tearing through the trash that littered the ground from a ripped garbage bag. They didn't look like zombies, but they weren't little ghostly puffs of white smoke either.

They looked as they did in the realm.

Very dead. And very creepy.

The smell of rotting flesh was them. They weren't exactly corporeal, so the smell wasn't something I expected. I didn't smell them in the _Spirit Realm_. And that was both a good and bad thing.

What else was different about being on Earth to them?

The ghosts in front of us looked angry, and their bodies looked as rotted as they smelled. I didn't recognize any of them, but I was pretty sure I only saw a small selection of the realm's residents the few times I visited.

How in the hell did they get out?

There was only one explanation for their appearance. And there were several factors that brought me to that conclusion. First of all, there was a hole in the wall between their realm and ours. Otherwise they couldn't have crossed over.

Second, I could only assume they were in Nashville looking for me. The woman orchestrating everything both knew who I was and where to find me. Because she already sent one person to either obtain my power or, failing that, thrust me unassisted into the _Spirit Realm_. She must have been surprised to find out I escaped and made it back to my body. Not to mention her control over my mother was severed.

Without a clue what the ghosts were doing digging in the trash, I thought they were trying to find something that could lead them to me. A sudden image of a pack of dogs sniffing through rubble, trying to find a scent trail flashed into my mind. Maybe that was exactly what they were doing.

In a blur, Salvatore picked me up and ducked behind the corner so they wouldn't see us. "We need to get out of here," he said, low. His aura was purple and pink, so he wasn't scared, but he didn't want me in danger.

"I can't leave them here, Salvatore."

"Angela," he warned and glared at me as green started to bleed into his aura.

"I can't just let them tear through this town and scare the locals and tourists. Even if they can't see them. Besides, I think they were sent here for me."

"You think that woman is behind this?"

"Who else could it be?"

"What are you going to do?"

"I don't know, but you should stay back. I can only assume they can slash me just like they did in the realm, and I don't want you getting hurt. You can't fight them. You can't even see them unless I'm touching you."

His jaw clenched, but he didn't say anything.

"If my power works here like it does there, I can touch them and kill them. But I don't want to do that if I don't have to. I can try to send them back."

"I don't like this," he shook his head.

I snorted, "You think I do?"

His lips twitched and the green started to fade from his aura.

"At least let me try. If I can't do anything to them, then you can be my hero and rescue me." I smirked.

His aura shifted to light blue and he chuckled. The sound sent tingles down my spine. When he stopped, he looked me in the eye and growled, "Don't test me, Angela, or I'll carry you off right now."

Heat washed through me at the potential innuendo and his aura flamed with red as he finished speaking.

I wasn't sure if he was threatening to remove me, his chosen mate, from the potentially dangerous situation, or if there was a bigger threat behind his words.

But judging by his aura, I thought he meant both.

I realized then how little in control he was. There was a dangerous situation and every cell in his body screamed for him to get me away from it. I thought teasing him would lighten his mood, but it was only putting him closer to the edge.

"I'm sorry. I was trying to calm you down. That didn't work so well." My hand lifted to his cheek and his eyes slid closed as he took a deep breath. "I'd like to try to stop this, if you can handle that."

His eyes opened and locked with mine as the muscles in his jaw clenched. After a long moment, he nodded.

My hands moved to his neck and pulled him down. Though he stayed very still, he didn't resist as I kissed him.

Then I pulled back, released him, and stepped around the corner.

### Chapter 22

I leveled my gaze on the dozen faint visages ahead of me and walked toward them, still tearing into the trash by the alley, sniffing each piece like bloodhounds. The shop next to it was still closed, which helped lend a bit of privacy for what was about to happen.

They smelled awful and it only worsened the further I walked toward them. My feet kept walking as I forced the bile in my throat back down. Watching them closely as they sniffed trash and tossed it to the side, I dodged a half-eaten candy bar and kept moving.

When I was about thirty feet from them, I stopped. "Hey," I said. I didn't need to raise my voice. I knew they could hear me.

And they did.

The ghosts froze and slowly turned to glare at me. They were some of the most hideous things I ever saw in my life. Ghosts or otherwise. Their flesh was half rotted. And deep black wells where their eyes once were before they were eaten by carrion birds were still looking at me.

Their lips were mostly chewed away, and their grins were even more disturbing as they straightened to their full height to face me.

I forced myself to stay calm. They weren't just grotesque from their state of decay. They were massive. Their hunched forms over the trash didn't reveal their size.

They stood about the height of Jon, around seven feet tall each, and long talons stretched out instead of fingers. Something told me those weren't just ghosts anymore.

They were wraiths.

One of them snapped his teeth together with a loud crack and I flinched.

Then they sprang into action and rushed toward me without moving their legs. They were hovering, talons extended forward, and eyeing me like dinner.

They had no intention of letting me survive. I was beginning to think I would always be that woman's target as long as she and I were alive. She wanted power, and I impeded that.

Either she wanted mine, or she wanted me eliminated so hers would be the most powerful.

The first one swung out its arm and caught my shoulder, tearing open my jacket and the flesh beneath it before disappearing. I cried out from the searing pain that shot down my arm.

My hands shot out to shield my neck and face, and I ducked as the next one tried to remove my head. It came too close and grazed against my outstretched hand. It disappeared in the next instant.

Then something slashed across my back but not enough to break my skin. I reached back and touched something cool and then it evaporated.

Killing them wasn't something I wanted to do, because they weren't in control of their actions. But then again, they weren't just trying to injure me and give me a slow death like the angry ghosts in the realm. They were trying to kill me with each slash of their talons.

The nine wraiths that remained approached me at once. I held out my hands, but three of them either didn't notice or they thought I wouldn't touch them, but when they connected with me, they disappeared.

Rushing forward, the next one slashed its talons down my cheek, narrowly missing my eye and I cried out as I pushed my hand toward its chest but it was already gone.

"Angela?" Salvatore's voice hit me, he was moving closer.

The ghost to my left snapped its head in the werewolf's direction and started to glide toward him.

"Oh, no you don't," I growled.

You do not attack my mate.

I took two steps toward it and punched it. Right between its shoulder blades. And it disappeared.

My gaze locked with Salvatore's and his eyes widened. "Stay where you are. I've got this," I demanded and turned around.

The four remaining ghosts were hesitating. Or ... frozen?

Did I do that?

But before I could think about it, they lunged again.

"Stop this. Do you want to die?" I gritted, and they paused again.

As I spoke, their expressions resembled confusion, but it was hard to tell from lack of eyes and missing flesh. But they waited while I spoke, at least.

They were one of two things. Either they didn't understand what I said, or their minds were gone. Completely.

Which meant they weren't just ghosts turned wraiths that could return to their former selves. They were mindless wraiths. Was there a difference? Could they even go back to what they were before she took control?

Either way, I didn't know why they bothered to stop and listen, if they weren't capable of understanding my words.

Then it hit me.

My voice.

They were listening to my voice. Was there power in it? Every time I spoke directly to the ghosts in the realm, giving a directive, they responded. I wondered what else my voice could do — if the directive was there, just not spoken.

As soon as they started advancing again, I held out my hands in the universal signal for stop and started humming. They stopped moving once more.

I could smell the fear rolling off me and my heart was pounding so loud in my chest I thought Salvatore could hear it. My adrenaline was running on overdrive and I needed to calm down.

While I hummed, I closed my eyes and focused on my heart and my mind, letting Salvatore fill me. Of the countless hours we spent together, the previous night was by far the best of them. I slept in his arms. And I never felt such contentment before.

I let the feeling wash over me and my shoulders relaxed as my mind cleared. My breathing slowed and my heart rate followed as the sickly sweet odor of my fear dissipated until nothing but the stench of the wraiths filled my nose once more. But beneath that, I caught a whiff of vanilla. My scent.

Opening my eyes, my humming cut off and the ghosts swung their talons at me. "Stop!" I shouted and their arms froze, still hazy by their rapid movement, like a motion blur in a photograph.

I took a deep breath and steadied myself. I held out my hands. "You are not welcome here. This is not your home. If you continue trying to hurt me, I will kill you." My voice was strong and demanding, and it would make Salvatore proud.

Fear wafted off the wraiths in waves and they slid backward as I stepped closer.

Considering how they were obeying my words — whether they understood them or if it was because I _demanded_ it, it didn't matter — a thought crossed my mind. I didn't know if it would work. But it wouldn't hurt to try.

I also knew, if it worked, I would need to be very careful with my words. "I free you from the binds that place you under her control."

The four wraiths that remained lowered their arms to their sides. I watched in awe as their talons were replaced with fingers and they started to shrink in size. By the time they stopped changing, I saw four completely different people — ghosts — standing in front of me.

They each wore looks of confusion on their faces. And the acrid stench of death that surrounded them was gone.

I smiled at them as gently as I could, without any show of dominance or aggression. "You're okay now. Leave this place and go home."

They slowly became transparent until I couldn't see them anymore. I dropped my arms, leaned forward, and put my hands on my knees. Relief and exhaustion washed over me. Blood was dripping from my face and I could feel the blood on my shoulder seeping further into my jacket.

"It's over now," I breathed, knowing Salvatore could hear me.

A growl sounded in front of me. I wondered idly why Salvatore wasn't behind me, as he was moments before.

I froze. I knew his growl like I knew his voice. The growl didn't belong to my werewolf.

I didn't recognize it at all.

Lifting my head up, I saw it. He looked like a typical wolf, with his gray back and white body, but it was his aura and size that gave him away. He was about Shadow's size, about two hundred and fifty pounds. Creeping toward me with his head and his tail down. And his aura was swirling with purple.

I didn't move, and I didn't meet his eyes.

It didn't take a genius to see he was stalking me like prey.

Werewolves weren't all that dissimilar from regular wolves, except for a few things. They were much bigger and faster, and the person was still inside, aware. But the instincts were very similar.

Rather than cowering and waiting for the wolf to attack, I slowly rose to my full five foot three height. Though I wasn't very tall to begin with, standing my ground was the only way to make the wolf hesitate.

It did.

An unknown werewolf was invading both Salvatore and Shadow's territory. Either he was a scavenger, or he was just as dominant. I was hoping for the former. But the fact that it wasn't running away told me that wasn't the case.

I wouldn't meet his eyes, that would be an outright challenge, and incredibly stupid of me. I could only assume he was a dominant wolf, because he was still there despite Salvatore's presence behind me. I knew he was still there because his scent was still reaching me from the slight breeze.

A low growl spoke from behind me. A growl I recognized. "Angela." It was both a warning and to let me know he was moving closer. Whoever the wolf in front of me was, he wasn't a friend. I figured as much, but it still made the situation that much more terrifying.

The werewolf turned his attention to Salvatore. His ears went back and he snarled as gray seeped into the edges of his aura.

Damn. He is dominant.

I squared my shoulders and leaned forward on the balls of my feet as I growled at him, pulling his attention back to me.

His ears stayed back and his snarl intensified, throwing spittle around as his aura shifted to green and gray.

Then he lunged in a blur of speed. Coming right for me.

### Chapter 23

Before I could react, I heard a ripping noise and a blur of black streaked out from behind me on my right, knocking the strange werewolf to the side. He turned and clamped his jaws on Salvatore's shoulder, but then released him as he crashed into the brick building to my left.

The wolf shook himself and moved to his feet while I stood my ground. I couldn't really help Salvatore, but I wasn't going to run away either.

There was a brief moment for me to take in my werewolf's appearance. He was smaller than the other one by about fifty pounds. His body was all black except for his paws, which were white.

The strange werewolf lunged and Salvatore skirted to the side, snarling at him. But the tactic succeeded in putting my attacker between me and my wolf.

Without hesitation, he turned and leapt at me, aiming his jaws at my neck to rip my throat out before I could hit the ground. Salvatore chased, moving faster, as I instinctively let myself fall backward.

I impacted the pavement and the air whooshed out of my lungs as both wolves sailed over me. If not for the pony tail cushioning the back of my head, I would have seen stars from the impact.

Keeping my eyes on the wolves as Salvatore's large black frame connected with the gray and white wolf, they grappled for the upper hand before they both hit the ground in a blur of limbs, fur, and teeth.

Gulping in air, I moved to my feet and watched them. There was a yelp and then they froze.

Salvatore's powerful jaw held my attacker on the ground by his throat. They were both still snarling, but the wolf knew he was beat.

Releasing him, Salvatore backed up toward me. His black tail swished toward the trail of clothes and shoes that were scattered on the ground from his sudden change. Suddenly, I knew what that gesture meant.

I moved to the clothes and sifted through the shreds. His jacket was the only thing not completely destroyed, but the arms were ripped. "Your jacket is mostly intact."

He shifted. One moment he was a two hundred pound black wolf with white paws, and the next, he was human. And completely naked.

I blinked. From everything I understood of werewolves from being a Guardian, I never heard of a shift that was faster than a few seconds. Salvatore took nothing more than a blink of an eye.

To my disappointment, he kept his back to me and stayed focused on the werewolf in front of him. Though it _was_ a nice backside, I forced myself to keep from staring. It wasn't exactly appropriate to ogle when there was a werewolf intent on killing me in front of us.

Salvatore reached back and took the jacket. He wrapped it around his middle as best he could. "Shift, Nicholas," he told the wolf.

It took the wolf considerably longer to change. At least ten seconds by my count. Though the process was magical, it wasn't painful. The air charged and shimmered around him as he convulsed in a blur. By the time he slowed, he was on all fours, and human.

His skin was practically glowing for a moment before it dulled to his normal dark skin tone. He was either very tanned, or possibly Middle Eastern. His eyes were a honey brown and his raven-colored hair was cut short and spiked. A thick, well-manicured beard covered his jaw.

He could have been a model.

The werewolf stood up, unashamed of his nudity and then I realized what Salvatore was doing. He covered himself for my benefit. Werewolves weren't modest because of the nature of the change.

Both wolves were seething with anger and their bright green auras were validating it. It was almost blinding with as bright as they were glowing.

My lips twitched, despite myself.

"Why are you attacking my friend?" Salvatore asked.

"I was hired by Alfred Thompson."

I sucked in a breath. The council wasn't just trying to scare me out of the town. They were really trying to kill me.

"When were you hired?"

"Yesterday morning. I thought she would go home after they fired her, but she went toward town and I had to wait until she was away from human eyes."

Salvatore was practically vibrating with rage. I stepped forward and splayed my hand on his back, in between his shoulder blades. He took a deep breath and relaxed a fraction.

"She is under my protection, as well as the Earthen, the master vampire of this town, and another dominant werewolf. You would do well to leave it alone, Nicholas."

He didn't mention Connor's new status as an Earthen. No one outside our group knew about that. And that was a secret we planned to keep for as long as possible.

The man was eyeing us suspiciously, almost studying my hand on Salvatore's back. I dropped my hand, stepped closer to my wolf, and crossed my arms over my chest.

"At first it was just a job, but I can see it's much more than that, Salvatore. You know the true purpose I serve. _This_ —" he eyed each of us "—is an abomination."

I didn't know what he was talking about, but I could guess. Since werewolves lived much longer lifespans, though the true extent of that longevity wasn't recorded in the lore, many of them were older than they looked.

Many times throughout my life I heard about abominations. The older generations sometimes believed I was one, just because of the color of my skin.

"She is under protection. Do not pursue this."

I knew Salvatore well enough to know that he wouldn't betray a weakness in front of an enemy. He wasn't the type of man to go shouting what he felt for me on rooftops, anyway. Not that he ever expressed his feelings to me to begin with. But he was being careful with his words.

"It is much more than that. Anyone can see that. She is neither a werewolf nor the same _race_ as you. This abomination cannot live."

I couldn't believe what I was hearing. Because I wasn't a werewolf _and_ white meant I needed to die?

Anger washed over me and I stepped around Salvatore. I met the werewolf's eyes and didn't look away as I pointed my finger at him and spoke. "What are you, like a werewolf equivalent to the Ku Klux Klan?"

I didn't wait for him to respond. "You're living in the wrong century, mister. You don't come into _my_ town and start making threats like that."

He didn't look away from me, but he spoke to Salvatore. "I see why you like her. But it changes nothing. This has become more than a hired job."

Salvatore growled and pulled me back, breaking my eye contact with the werewolf. His aura flamed with emerald, and the edges around his body were beginning to blur as he fought the shift.

Part of me wanted Salvatore to kill him, but the other part didn't want a bigot dying just because he didn't agree with an interracial relationship. Both on supernatural standards and human.

As he stepped forward to shift and attack Nicholas, I grabbed his arm. "Let him go, Salvatore."

He turned, growled, and glared at me with yellow eyes.

"Or you can kill her yourself," Nicholas said with a chuckle.

"Oh, go fuck yourself," I snapped and he laughed. I looked back at Salvatore. "If we had to kill every bigot we come across, there would be a very high body count. Let him go. For now. If he attacks again, you can rip his head off and I'll help you," my words ended in a growl and his eyes widened. It was subtle, but I saw it.

I didn't know if he was going to listen and agree, but his yellow eyes searched mine for a moment as he considered my words.

But when Salvatore finally turned to say something to Nicholas, the werewolf was gone.

### Chapter 24

Salvatore sighed and looked back at me again. "Well that settles that." I watched as his eyes faded back to hazel, but the anger was still in his aura. He touched my cheek. "Are you okay?"

"I don't think it's very deep. Besides, Liam or Aisling can fix me up good as new. Thank you for letting me handle the ghosts. I know that tested your control. And I'm sure what happened with Nicholas didn't help."

His aura blazed with more green.

I froze. "Are you angry with me?"

Aura shifting to dark blue, he said, "Why would I be angry at you? This is not your fault."

"It goes against your nature — and mine — to let him live. But he's probably not the last person to disagree with this." I waved a hand between us. "Whatever this is."

Fear and indecision filled his aura with gray and splotches of green.

I wasn't sure what he was thinking, but I went on. "As much as I hate to admit it, I think it's time to go to Liam's. Thompson hired someone to kill me before they fired me, and that asshole wasn't exactly backing down."

"You don't get it Angela. Nicholas is a Cleanser."

"What the hell is that?"

He sighed. "I'll tell you later. You're right. We need to go to Liam's. And I can't walk around like this. Check my shoes and get my phone, wallet, and keys for me?"

Frowning, I nodded and then turned around. I picked up his shoes, pulling out the shredded socks that were still stuck inside. Luckily his shoes weren't cut. I took the items out of his ripped jeans and put them in my jacket pockets.

By the time I turned around, the two hundred pound black wolf was looking up at me with intelligent yellow eyes. I frowned. "Are you okay to run?"

He nodded and waited. But his aura was still gray and green.

I reached out my hand and rubbed the soft spot on his cheek. He leaned into the touch and grumbled in his chest as his eyes slid closed. "We'll be okay," I promised him. But even I could hear the indecision in my voice.

My hand dropped and I started to run, making my way back to my house. As I ran, my mind tried to wrap around what was happening. And why the council wanted me dead.

Neutrals ran by four simple rules. Everyone was expected to understand and follow them, despite being written in a convoluted legal jargon. Even I needed to translate them to understand them.

The first was to provide assistance if asked, but to stay within confines of neutrality — which was a fancy way of saying I couldn't offer someone shelter in the library, just like a Shelterer or Healer couldn't offer information — and maintain confidentiality.

If the request does not extend beyond the first rule, it must be granted, even if it meant someone would die because of it. From what the council knew, that part was my only violation by refusing to help a Kramer Scholar.

The next one involved broken rules. If a rule was broken, it must be reported. Failure to report is a violation. That was where the lines started to blur. If a rule was broken, the penalty was as Liam said — eye for an eye.

For whatever reason, neutrals weren't really doing that any longer, and I planned to find out why.

The councils that governed the neutrals were supposed to be protectors. The last rule, the part where _Thompson_ failed to accomplish, was retaliation. Humans and _others_ were forbidden to retaliate against neutrals, just as neutrals couldn't take action against anyone. Retaliations were not tolerated.

There were two problems with that. I asked and stood by to watch while Salvatore tortured a Kramer Scholar to get information about heliotrope to help Aisling. If they knew, their attempts to have me killed would be justified.

But they didn't. They only knew about Aisling's step-father killing a Shelterer's assistant — who probably didn't have a clue what was happening — and, when they failed to react, he kidnapped me and would have killed me if not for my best friend.

They did nothing.

If other councils were content with letting their people face danger or death, their whole system would crumble.

Salvatore stayed by my side the whole time we ran and by the time we made it to my living room, his aura was all green. But he didn't wait for me. His feet kept moving to his room.

Though a were-animal shift didn't make noise, it did change the air as it happened. I felt him shift after his tail pushed his door closed.

I didn't know what was wrong, but I wasn't going to push him, so I left him alone. Locking the front door behind me, I moved toward the bedrooms and set Salvatore's shoes down, putting his phone, keys, and wallet on the small bookshelf next to my bedroom door.

"Bugs, we need to leave. I know you can hear me, so please don't be a bastard and hide from me."

The gray feline poked his head from the kitchen with bleary green eyes that glared balefully at me. Then his eyes widened as he took in my appearance and moved toward me.

"Sorry I interrupted your nap, buddy. But we ran into a bit of a problem." I gestured to my face. "Courtesy of some wraiths that were sent to find and kill me."

His eyes narrowed and growled.

"Oh, it gets better," I said, stepping into to my bedroom.

The cat followed, padding soundlessly behind me.

Without bothering to change my clothes until I was healed, I pulled out my travel bag and began loading it up with clothes. "Apparently, Thompson hired a werewolf to assassinate me. _Before_ they fired me. I don't know if he hired a werewolf on purpose, but the wolf is a bigot and wasn't too happy to see me with Salvatore."

"That's right," my wolf said from the doorway as I put the last of my jeans into the bag. He was wearing hiking boots, black jeans and a matching shirt. And he made my mouth water.

He tapped on his phone's screen, typing something. It dinged an instant later. He read the screen, grinned, and then put it in his pocket. "Don't forget that he's a Cleanser, too."

Dammit.

Bugs growled again.

"That's great," I said as anger washed over me. "I'm a Guardian and I don't even know what the hell that is." I shook my head, pushed past Salvatore, and stepped into the bathroom.

I grabbed the toiletry bag from the cabinet and started shoving the essentials inside. First shaving supplies, then shower supplies, and finally, hygiene.

"What's wrong, Angela?"

Salvatore was leaning against the doorframe watching me. His aura was still the same, but concern was written in his features.

I put my palms on the counter and stiffened. "What's a Cleanser?"

"Ah, that," he nodded, understanding. "They work underground. Not many _others_ know about them, so it's not surprising you didn't know."

"Bugs knows, and he's a damn Sphinx, Salvatore."

The cat in question rubbed against Salvatore's legs and watched me.

He looked down at Bugs. "If Sphinx histories and Liam's knowledge is right, then you're a guardian between realms. You see what passes through in death."

"Meh," the cat replied and nodded.

My wolf grinned. "Of course he knew. I wouldn't be surprised if he knows a lot more than that. But back to Cleansers." He crossed his arms over his chest while I waited. More fear entered his aura with a sickly gray glow. "They are bigots, but they've been around for much longer. I told you I was born a werewolf and my parents adopted me."

"Yes."

"When I was fourteen, they were killed in a car accident, and with no other family, I couldn't be a ward of the state because of what I was, so I left. I was alone for almost seven years before I met Nicholas."

I had a feeling I knew what he wanted to tell me. "Go on."

"Despite the MDM, they still operated like a pack, and I wanted a pack. So, without really thinking about it, I joined them. Then I found out what they were really about."

I turned to face him and leaned my hip against the counter, waiting.

"Their mission is to find couples. _Others_. If they were different, in any way, they eliminated one or both of them. They want to keep the gene pool of _others_ as pure as possible. After the Earthens died, their cause wasn't so much of a priority because people didn't stay together for long, but they still did it."

He sighed. "You are like a trifecta of what's different from me, though they only know about two."

Nicholas may not have known I was a Shamaness, if he didn't see what happened before he arrived. I was still very different from Salvatore.

"I was only with them for about nine months. It took that long for me to gather the means to leave. They almost killed me for wanting out. If not for my dominance, they would have."

I regarded him for a moment and steeled myself. "Salvatore," I breathed. "You've sacrificed so much to help me. I ... I don't want you to get killed because I'm different." He didn't deserve to have that weight on his shoulders. Maybe it would be better if he left.

Pain erupted across my chest at the thought and I dropped my head.

He stepped forward and put his hand on my good cheek and waited until I looked at him. Caressing my skin with his thumb, he said, "There's always danger. In some form or another. You haven't been exposed to this world for long, so you don't fully understand that. Danger follows us." A tear slipped from my eye and he wiped it away. "There is nothing wrong with you. You're perfect the way you are, and you're worth it. Okay?"

Though his aura was unchanged, I could see the sincerity in his gaze. My eyes burned and I leaned forward and wrapped my arms around his middle, hugging him.

He hugged me back. "Are you ready to go? We shouldn't stay here."

I nodded and he released me. As we made our way outside, he locked the door behind him as I moved to the car.

"The car stays here. Liam will be here—" he cut off.

Swinging around, I looked at Salvatore, he was sniffing the air. I breathed in, and I smelled Nicholas too, the distinct scent of fresh cut grass hit my nose and my eyes widened.

Salvatore shook his head for me to stay quiet and act normal. As if on cue, Liam's limo pulled up in front of the house.

I heard it approach, but didn't realize it was the same car. "Speak of the devil," my wolf said.

Jon stepped out of the limo and caught the look on Salvatore's face. Then they exchanged some kind of wordless understanding. The vampire thumped his fist on the trunk and popped it open. Tobias and Liam stepped out, sniffing the air too.

The vampires nodded to Salvatore. They caught the scent. And if Nicholas wasn't able to see us, he would have no idea we could smell him nearby. If not for the houses being relatively close together, his scent wouldn't linger so well.

Jon tilted his head up, telling me to approach him in the small gesture. I handed him my bags and Salvatore walked up behind me to do the same.

While Tobias took Bugs out of Salvatore's arm, I stepped toward Liam. "Well, that didn't take long did it?" I asked.

The vampire's lips twitched. "At least you were not as stubborn as the last one."

He was careful with his words. Nicholas knew there was an Earthen, but her identity wasn't common knowledge yet.

"Please," he said as the trunk slammed shut, gesturing toward the open door to the limo.

I stepped inside and took a seat as the rest of them piled in.

As Jon pulled away from the curb, I looked at Liam sitting across from me. "So how is everyone?"

The vampire knew what I meant. "Fine. We left them sparring in the training room to pick you up."

"They were having much more fun than the situation required," Tobias added with a wrinkle of his nose.

I laughed and he relaxed. He was just trying to help me feel better and it worked. "They are adorable aren't they?"

"Only when Aisling isn't unleashed. She's a little too badass to be cute when she does that." He rubbed his hand over Bugs's back and the purr increased in volume.

We must have moved far enough away from Nicholas for Tobias to say her name.

Salvatore wrapped his arm around me, avoiding my shoulder, and I leaned against him.

"Would you like me to heal you, my dear?" Liam asked.

I eyed him cautiously. "Would it hurt like it did when Bugs brought me back?"

"No, my dear. That was to allow your mind to reconnect with your body. It should not happen again." He eyed Bugs with the unspoken question.

"Meh," he said in response.

I looked up at Salvatore.

His eyes locked with mine and he shrugged, "It's your call."

I nodded. "Thank you, Liam. That would be nice."

One second he was sitting across from me, looking every bit the rich and powerful businessman with his expensive suit and blood-red tie, and the next, he was on his knees in front of me with his wrist held out for me.

There were twin puncture wounds welling with blood. I leaned forward and accepted it. My mouth closed over the wounds and pulled a fair amount into my mouth. I released him and swallowed.

When I blinked, he was back in his seat as if he never moved. I hissed as pain spread across my shoulder, hand, and cheek as my skin pulled back together and closed. But just as soon as it arrived, the pain fell away. I touched my cheek. It was still a little sticky from dried blood, but it was smooth once more.

"Thank you, Liam."

"But of course, my dear," he grinned.

As we passed through the barrier of glamour that surrounded Liam's home, I felt a sudden urge to get out of the car and run back to the other side of the line, but the urge passed and I relaxed again by the time Jon parked the limo in front of the house.

If someone were standing at the other side of the barrier, they wouldn't see anything but a dilapidated home that was abandoned for decades. They wouldn't see the luxury limo or anyone if they were standing inside the line.

Jon carried our bags as we made our way inside. William, one of the vampires Aisling raised as a ghoul, was standing in the foyer as we stepped inside and he smiled at us. "Welcome, Angela and Salvatore."

"Thank you, William," Salvatore said, but his voice was tight.

Jon put the bags down next to the ghoul. He frowned and said, "I owe Shadow a fight," and disappeared down the hall in a blur of motion. He was still grieving over the blonde vampire and he was trying to hide it. I didn't think I would have that kind of strength.

I still didn't know much about ghouls, but I knew they were ... well, like cousins to vampires. They preferred flesh to blood. And the lore ended there. I needed to fix that.

Judging by his lack of an aura, I figured that was a similarity to vampires. Undead creatures in general must not cast auras.

William said, "I'll take your bags to your room. You are free to do as you wish."

"Actually, I need to clean up." I gestured to my face. "Dried blood and all. Not smart around a house full of vampires."

William laughed. "I assure you, no one will think to bite you." He smirked. "Or eat you."

I knew that, but something about Salvatore was different. He was tense and his aura was still the same gray and green. His default was purple and pink, so I didn't know what was wrong.

Though I did need to clean up, I thought Salvatore's control was thin, but he was hiding it. Having some space to cool off would do him some good.

"Very well, please follow me." The ghoul picked up the bags and started walking.

"My dear," Liam said.

I looked at him, "Hmm?"

"When you are ready, I would like to show you the library."

"Don't worry," I grinned. "I'll have Salvatore sniff you out if I have to."

A wheeze escaped the vampire while Tobias laughed.

Salvatore growled, "I'm not a bloodhound."

I looked up at him. His aura was still the same gray and green. He didn't find my joke funny. His control was really thin and the two vampires noticed it, too.

"I'm sorry. Let's go."

We left Bugs still purring in Tobias's arms, and followed William into the underbelly of Liam's home.

### Chapter 25

As we descended the stairs, Salvatore started vibrating against me. I reached out and laced my fingers with his.

His skin was heated, feverish, and it nearly made me gasp from the intensity of it. I ran my thumb over the back of his hand, trying to calm him.

I didn't want to say anything in front of William. But I needed to do something. I was afraid he might shift and be more like an angry wolf than the man I knew.

He held on, squeezing my hand almost to the point of pain, but I wouldn't let go. Even if it hurt.

We passed crystal light fixtures, gleaming mahogany floors, and, strangely enough, painting after painting of different actors that played Dracula on television and film.

I saw them before, but it still made me wonder about the master of the house.

Liam was old. I didn't know if there was something more to the character, or if he was just really enamored with the humans' portrayal of the fabled vampire.

William led us down the vampire-turned- _other_ housing hallway and took us down to the end of the hall. He turned to the last door on the left, unlocked it, moved inside and put down the bags.

He stepped back out and handed Salvatore the key. "Aisling and Connor will be staying here for a few days as well." He nodded toward the door at the end of the hall to our right. "Enjoy your stay."

"Thank you," I said, but the ghoul was speeding away in a blur of motion. I looked up at Salvatore. The muscles in his jaw were clenching so hard I could hear his teeth grinding.

Without breaking our contact, I pulled him inside the room, turned on the light, and shut the door behind us, flipping the lock. I turned around and took the key from his outstretched hand and set it down on the dresser next to me.

The room had an obvious theme to it. The forest. The walls were a deep green, the Persian rug in front of the gas fireplace was a faint green, and the silk sheets on the bed were the same shade of green as the walls.

Though there was only one bed in the room. It was enormous. Aisling wasn't kidding when she described her suite to me. It was at least the size of two king beds.

The four-poster was hand carved with different scenes in the forest. And the dim lights of the crystal sconces, combined with the flickering light of the fire, made my skin erupt with goose bumps.

To Aisling and Connor, their room screamed sensuality and sex with the reds and pornographic carvings on their bed. But to me, the room in front of me was far more erotic than I could have imagined.

I was suddenly hyperaware of the low thrum of energy emanating from Salvatore as I realized he thought the same thing.

Oh, shit.

"Salvatore," I hedged as I slowly turned around to face him.

He growled, gripped my hand harder, almost painfully, and yanked me toward him.

I crashed into his body, all hard muscle as he struggled to keep himself still. My heart hammered in my chest as I breathed in his scent. I leaned back and looked up at him. His eyes were all yellow and they were fixed on me.

Not wanting to challenge him and test his control even more, I dropped my eyes and looked at his mouth.

I wanted to kiss him so bad my free hand balled into a fist and my nails cut into my palm. "Salvatore," I said firmly. "You need to calm down. You're losing control."

He growled again and turned toward me. I took an involuntary step back, but he didn't release my hand. I knew then that my step backward was a sign of fear, and it was inciting his wolf.

"Salvatore, stop," I tried again, but he pushed me back against the door with a thud, pinning me there with his body.

I never wanted him more than I wanted anything in my life. Every cell in my body screamed for him, and I was struggling to hold on to my control so that I might help him regain his.

If he kept it up, I might not last long enough to do that.

I wasn't afraid he would kill me. If Shadow was right, and I believed he was, Salvatore considered me his mate, and he was in love with me.

He was stalking me like prey, but he wasn't after the kill.

I reached up and splayed my hand across his chest and pushed, but he didn't move. He pressed against me and I felt him.

Every inch of his need.

In a blur of motion and a snarl, he buried his face into the curve of my shoulder and I tilted my head to give him more access. A shaky groan escaped me.

Then his teeth grazed the sensitive flesh.

My knees went limp and I gasped. If it weren't for him holding me against the door with his body I would have sunk to the floor.

He lifted his head and watched me with glowing yellow eyes.

"Please," I breathed, clinging to the last bit of logic I had left. "You need to stop. If you don't, you're going to hate me for it." I closed my eyes as my vision blurred.

"No," he growled and touched my chin with his free hand, forcing me to look at him. His eyes were hazel again. "Don't you understand? You could have been killed today. Twice. I don't _want_ to stay in control, Angela."

"And after? You'll turn your back on me again. I can't do that. Please don't put me through that."

"I'm a werewolf. I have very ... particular tastes. And you may not like them. I can't ... I can't stop it."

"Is that what you've been worried about? That I won't like what you do?"

He nodded.

I pulled my hand away from his, surprised he released me. Reaching up with both hands, I held his face and stared into his eyes. "Have I given you any indication that I haven't liked what you've done so far?"

"No."

"What makes you think that will change?"

"I don't want to hurt you." He started to move, but I held on to his face.

"Salvatore, stop. You do what you need to do, and I will love every second of it. I know your nature. And I like that about you."

"You don't understand, my wolf, he's—"

"I'm your mate," I nodded.

His eyes widened. "You knew?"

"Shadow helped, but it wasn't hard to figure out." I let my hands slide down to his chest. "You said yourself that I'm more like a wolf than anything. So trust me when I tell you I can take it."

He shook his head, "No, it's not that simple."

"Would you shut up? If you're only worried about losing control because you think I won't like it, then you can forget about it."

I dropped my hands, fisted the material of his shirt, and tilted my head to the side, revealing my neck. "Give me everything you've got, Salvatore. Give me hell, and I'll still beg you for more." The last few words were a growl.

By the time I finished talking, his eyes were yellow again, his aura was flaming with red, and there was a deep rumbling in his chest.

Then, instead of biting me with a snarl, he kissed me, hard.

### Chapter 26

I moaned into Salvatore's mouth as he ravaged me. He tasted so good it made my toes curl. I cried out as he bit my tongue and then he reached up to the back of my head.

He turned my ponytail in his hand until he had the whole thing in his grip. Then he yanked my head back to give him more access to my mouth and growled.

I reached behind him, snaked my hands underneath his shirt, and raked my nails down his back. Not hard enough to hurt him, but just enough that he could feel their bite.

Wrenching his mouth away, he trailed his mouth and teeth down my jaw and made his way to my neck again, using my ponytail as leverage to move my head to the side where he wanted me.

My heart was thundering at dangerous speeds as he descended slowly. "Oh, god, Salvatore," I moaned breathlessly.

His growl of response vibrated against my body and I shivered. He bit down at the curve of my shoulder and I cried out, losing my footing as my nails dug into his shoulder blades.

The snarl that tore from him was almost my undoing, but I pulled in a ragged breath as his teeth held me in place.

Then he released me and moved back. His eyes were still yellow as his gaze raked over me. "Take off your clothes or I'll rip them off you."

I took a step forward, grinned at him, and waited.

True to his word, he flashed forward and ripped my hoodie open down the zipper and pushed it past my shoulders, but arranged it so my arms were stuck behind my back. And my chest was pressing forward, straining against the tank top.

He looked down, eyeing my cleavage and another growl rumbled in his chest. His hand lifted, revealing one sharp claw before he ripped the material down the center. It didn't cut all the way through the attached sport bra, so it still covered me. But only barely.

"Hmm," he rumbled as his eyes moved over me. His hands flashed out and ripped what was left of the bra and he licked his lips in response. "Flawless," he said, low.

He moved to his knees and hooked his fingers inside the waist of my yoga pants and yanked them down, taking my panties with them. As he stood up again, he said, "Take them off."

While he stripped slowly, pulling his shirt over his head, I kicked off my tennis shoes, pushed the socks off my feet, and shoved everything to the side.

I wriggled free of the ruined jacket and tank top and stood in front of him as he kicked off his boots and began to unbutton his jeans, slowly. My hand reached back to pull my hair out of my pony tail.

"Leave it," he growled and I dropped my hand.

As he pushed the zipper down, I licked my lips and took an involuntary step toward him. He snarled and flashed behind me, but I didn't turn to face him.

His fingers followed down my neck, over my shoulder, and down my arm. Warm breath hit my neck and I balled my hands into fists. "If you want me to stop, you need to tell me before it's too late."

In response, I turned around and pressed against him, reaching up to his neck and yanked him down. If he didn't want to move, he could have resisted.

He stopped less than inch from my mouth.

"Show me what you've got," I growled and pushed up on my toes to bite his lip.

His arms wrapped around me in a vice grip and he kissed me, hard. The force of it had me bending backwards so far I would have fallen to the floor if he wasn't holding me.

I laced my fingers through the curls at the back of his head and pulled him closer. He couldn't get close enough to me. And I needed him more than I needed to breathe.

He moved to the bed, carrying me with him and pressed me beneath his body. I tried to move. Tried to get my legs out from under him so I could feel him like I could in my kitchen the day before.

But he was everywhere, surrounding me. And it was amazing.

Then he bit my lip.

When he released me, I whispered, "Please, Salvatore."

Shifting his weight, he let me move my legs as he flashed down and took my breast with his mouth and cupped the other with a hand, rolling the aching nipple between his thumb and forefinger.

One of my hands held on to his head while the other moved down his back. I slipped my hand beneath his jeans and underwear and then dug my nails into his ass. He ground against me in response.

"Oh, god, _more_."

He growled again and the vibration in my nipple shot all the way down to my toes. He bit me lightly and I arched up into him as I cried out.

Grinding against me again, he moved his mouth to the other side and then bit that nipple. I cried his name and he growled his appreciation.

With my mind barely with me, I reached down and tried to push his jeans past his hips but he didn't let me.

He moved to his feet. "Stay where you are."

I lifted up on my elbows to get a better view and watched as he unzipped his pants the rest of the way and pushed them down along with his boxer briefs.

My eyes widened as he straightened and I got a good look at him. I swallowed. He was big, much bigger than I imagined from my brief glimpse of him before, and it made my legs shake from anticipation. "Get back over here," I all but moaned.

He flashed forward and flipped me over, straddling my legs and bit my shoulder in the next instant. I cried out, gripping the dark green silk. My hips lifted of their own accord as I tried to push up on my hands to move into his bite.

His hand reached for my breast and I nearly collapsed to the bed under the sensation. "Salvatore," I hissed. "Please."

He let go of my breast and his hand traveled down my stomach as he pulled his mouth away from my shoulder. I knew where he was going but I didn't anticipate how good it would feel when he found it.

"Hmm," he groaned. "You're so wet." And then his fingers circled my clitoris.

My breath caught in my throat and my arms couldn't hold me up from the overwhelming sensation. My hips moved with the movement of his fingers.

He bit my shoulder again and I exploded. Lights flashed behind my eyes as I crashed against him, screaming from the intensity of the orgasm.

As my cries lessened, he released my shoulder and growled, "Let's see how many more of those I can get out of you." He moved so his legs were inside of mine and then stopped. In a clearer voice, he said, "You know I don't carry disease and can't get you pregnant, right?"

I nodded, unable to speak yet. Then I bit my lip, anticipating what he was going to do next.

"Good."

My eyes closed and rolled in my head. The sound of that one word coming from him traveled over every inch of skin and nearly made me come again.

He lifted me up on my knees and slid against me, teasing himself against my clitoris and I cried out. It was too good. The way he moved, in rhythm with my heartbeat and my breathing, igniting a fire within me without much effort.

"Please," I begged and tried to move my hips so he would enter me.

At last, he slid inside and I came instantly. He stopped moving and groaned with me, letting me calm down. Then he pushed the rest of the way in, and started moving.

It felt better than anything I ever felt in my life. My veins lit up with flash burn and it scorched me all the way to my toes. But he was holding back.

" _Fuck_. Give me more," I moaned.

He moved faster. Faster than I thought possible and it felt too fucking good. I came again and he only slowed a fraction, groaning at the increased friction it caused him.

Then he grabbed my ponytail and pulled my head back. It forced me to arch my back and changed the angle of my hips. I didn't know such a subtle change could be so intense.

After an untold amount of minutes and an unquantifiable number of orgasms for me, Salvatore pitched forward and his fingers found my clitoris again, circling me slowly. He bit my shoulder, hard, and I came again, screaming his name.

Before I realized what was happening, he flipped me over and impaled me. He dropped to his elbows and moved slower.

His mouth claimed mine and I forgot what it meant to breathe while he was kissing me. When he kissed me like that, I didn't need air.

He moved in a perfect rhythm, a steady motion that resulted in a slow agonizing grind with each thrust. By the time I came again, throwing my head back into the mattress and screaming, his arms were snaked under my back and his hands where holding the top of my shoulders.

When I finally came down from the wave, I opened my eyes to see his face was shifted. He was still moving, but he was slower.

I reached down and gripped his ass, digging my nails in, yanking him toward me as hard as I could, and growled. "Don't. Hold. Back."

He snarled and lunged for the curve of my shoulder as his pace increased tenfold. His teeth clamped over me and I came, hard.

Following immediately after, he threw his head back and howled.

When the last of the waves subsided, he moved and dropped to the mattress next to me, pulling me into his arms. His face was normal again and he looked more content than ever before.

"That was ... amazing, Salvatore," I breathed and nuzzled his chest.

He chuckled.

"You had a lot more control than you thought, you know."

"I didn't think I would. It's not easy to stay in control around you."

"Don't worry about me. Feel free to lose control anytime."

He laughed, throwing his arm over his eyes as he held me tighter with his other. "You are unlike any human I've ever heard of."

I lifted my head to look at him. He moved his arm and met my gaze. His hand caressed my arm and I shivered. "What do you mean?"

"Humans are supposed to have a limited capacity on how much they can do before they need to regenerate. Sex especially. But you don't seem to have that limitation. You just kept going without showing signs of tiring."

"That's because I wasn't tired. I'm still not," I grinned at him.

He let out a breathy growl. "Don't tempt me."

I laughed and laid my head back down. He was tempted, alright. I could see it, and I shivered in response.

Snuggling against him, I sighed. "I love you."

He stiffened, "What?"

Oh, shit.

My mind wasn't working correctly and I was so embarrassed, I tried to bury my face in his chest.

"Look at me, Angela."

I sighed and lifted my head, not meeting his eyes.

"Don't shut me out. Not from this."

"I-I." I sighed. "Yes, Salvatore. I love you. I loved you before I realized it." I shrugged. "Maybe I always have."

When he didn't respond, I panicked. "Look, I thought if you wanted me as your mate, you would love me too. Just forget I said it." I tried to pull away from him, but his arms tightened.

"Angela." He waited until I looked up at him. "You were dozing off last night and I asked you why you forgave me. You told me you loved me but I thought you were too far asleep to realize you said it. I've been waiting a very long time for you to say it. Ever since I first saw you, I knew I wanted you as a mate. And yes, that means love too. Werewolves don't pick a mate if they don't love first."

"You love me?"

"Yes. I love you."

I smiled and a tear slipped from my eye.

"What's wrong?"

Before I realized what I was doing, I straddled him and lowered myself down on him with a breathy sigh until every inch of his hardened flesh was inside me.

Salvatore groaned as his eyes rolled in his head and I pulled him up to meet me. He sat up and held my face in his hands.

"Just shut up and kiss me," I demanded and started to move.

### Chapter 27

Three insanely incredible hours later, we were both hungry. We showered and dressed. Salvatore looked so mouthwatering in his gray shirt and jeans that I almost forgot we needed to eat.

While I pulled on dark wash jeans and a black, sleeveless scoop neck shirt, I wondered why a man like him would ever want a woman like me. I shook my head and sighed.

He did want me. That much was obvious. He said he loved me, too. Just like I loved him.

With my back to Salvatore, I didn't see or hear him approach. He was sitting at the edge of the bed, pulling on his boots, and in the next instant he was behind me. He spun me around and pinned me against the door again. His aura swirled with red and dark blue.

I gasped and actually forgot I was hungry. I kept my eyes on his chest, because I didn't think I could look at his face without losing myself completely.

His hand moved to my chin and lifted, forcing me to look up at him anyway. "What's wrong?"

I didn't cast an aura because I wasn't _other_. But yet, my wolf knew there was something bothering me with nothing more than a sigh and a small shake of my head.

My lip trembled and I blinked, trying to keep my eyes from watering. "Um," I said in a shaky sigh. I steeled my shoulders, swallowed my misery, and spoke. "After I left my family, I didn't have anyone until I met Aisling. Everything was always for her. But it's not just the two of us anymore."

I splayed my hand on his chest. "Everyone came together because of her, and I was just her best friend that happened to be a Guardian. No one thought twice about my safety. Especially you, when you were only hired to protect me."

A tear slipped from my eye and I rolled my eyes. "I hate crying."

His only response was to wipe away my tear and wait for me to finish. The sadness in his aura was fading away with every word I spoke.

"I've been alone for so long that it's difficult to grasp that any of you really want to be here. Because of that, it's hard to accept that you love me. I know you do. It's just, after everything I've been through, I continue to doubt that I'm capable of being loved."

"Angela, everyone may have initially taken the time to look out for you because of Aisling. But once we knew you, it wouldn't have mattered if you were just a human with no clue about this world. We would still love you. I would still love you."

He kissed me then. It was slow and gentle. A reassurance in the strength of his resolve. My hands went up to his face to hold him there.

Too soon, he pulled back and grinned at me. His aura was a fiery red. "We need to get food before you fall over, and if you keep that up we won't get beyond this door."

That was when I realized my hands weren't on his face anymore. I froze. Then laughed. I let go of him and pulled my hands out from beneath the front of his pants. "Well, I just made a seamless transition into second base without realizing what I was doing."

Salvatore chuckled and stepped back.

When we walked in the kitchen, Connor and Aisling were cooking lunch. They were standing in front of the industrial size range, talking quietly as we approached.

The food smelled amazing and my mouth watered. I loved Aisling's cooking.

My best friend turned around and beamed at me. Her aura was a deep pink and purple. When Connor caught sight of us, his aura shifted from the same combination of contentment and love into light blue and he grinned.

While Aisling gave me a hug, Connor looked at Salvatore and his lips twitched. "Feeling better?"

Aisling and I both snorted. "We heard you a little through the door after we went back to our room earlier," she said.

I flushed, all the way down my neck. In a nest full of vampires and another werewolf with superhuman hearing, they probably heard everything. I turned to Salvatore and my lips twitched.

His aura was a mixture of dark pink and light blue as he grinned back at Connor. "Much better," he replied.

I glared at him and his eyes flickered to mine. "You knew everyone could hear us, didn't you?"

"Yep. But I don't think that would have changed anything."

"It's okay, everyone can hear us all the time, too," Connor said with another grin and Aisling turned and pinched his arm. "Ow!" he laughed.

"Considering how our suites look, I wouldn't be surprised if that happens more often. We just can't hear it like they can," I nodded toward Salvatore. "You'd think Liam was Hugh Hefner or something."

"More like a cherub," the vampire said as he strode into the kitchen with a smile.

That conniving bastard.

I narrowed my eyes at him. "You did that on purpose."

"But of course, my dear."

I laughed, despite myself. "Good job then. You were successful."

Salvatore looked down at me with a look of surprised awe. The light blue and orange in his aura did nothing but amplify the effect.

"What?" I shrugged. "He probably heard it all anyway."

My werewolf chuckled and wrapped his arm around me as the vampire said, "Everyone heard you, my dear. It sounded like you were being mauled by a bear."

My jaw dropped as Salvatore, my best friend, and her mate burst with guffaws.

When the chortles died down, Liam said, "Congratulations," and shook Salvatore's hand.

Aisling went to the pot of food simmering on the range and took the lid off. The smell hit me and my stomach yowled in protest. She turned to look at me and her eyes widened. "You want some? I made plenty. Living with a werewolf and sometimes a nest full of humans and vampires, I've learned to make large amounts of food."

"I would love some Gramma's Spaghetti."

Shadow trotted into the kitchen a moment later with Bugs trailing behind. The wolf licked his chops and sat down, looking at Aisling expectantly.

"Of course I'll give you some food," she rolled her eyes and then grinned at the white werewolf that more than doubled her weight.

An hour later, we were finished eating, and Aisling left what remained of the pot of spaghetti simmering on low heat for the next empty stomach. She assured us the pot would be empty within an hour or two. Then Liam led us through the underbelly of his home and up to the main levels.

He took the stairs in the foyer, and we walked past the massive painting of Vlad Tepes, the man that inspired _Dracula_. When we reached the top of the stairs, he opened a set of double doors and stepped inside the library.

It was incredible. Except for the open foyer, the library took up the whole second level. And Liam's house wasn't small. The ceilings were about sixteen feet high, and the walls were lined from floor to ceiling with stuffed bookshelves. And though the exterior revealed windows on the house, there were none in sight. Just endless bookshelves.

More were bolted to the floor in long rows and a few desks were scattered throughout the space with crystal reading lamps on their surfaces. One large mahogany desk sat across from the entrance where four large monitors sat –- my desk.

Aisling and I stepped forward, taking everything in with wide eyes. My eye caught sight of a medium-sized bookshelf near the big desk and I moved closer. I gasped, "Aisling."

She moved toward me and I nodded at the bookshelf. Her jaw dropped and she spun around to look at Liam. I couldn't get a read on what her green aura meant. Either she was angry or conflicted about something. But there was also a hint of amazement with little speckles of orange. "You have my book?"

The vampire's green eyes flashed and he nodded. "I made arrangements with your publisher for an exclusive early release and obtained enough for every member of my various nests, plus about twenty additional books per nest for visitors." He waved a hand. "I probably didn't order enough."

By the time he was done speaking, Aisling was grinning at him, her aura completely orange and pink. In a blur of motion she moved and crashed into him with a fierce hug. "Thank you, Liam."

He laughed in response and hugged her back. That was the first time I ever heard him laugh. "You are most welcome, my dear," he said and released her.

She wiped a tear from her face and hugged Connor, burying her face in his shoulder. He looked slightly confused and I rescued him.

"If Liam purchased this many copies for each of his nests, which are probably widespread over the globe, since he has one in Austria — am I right?" I looked at the vampire.

He nodded.

"That means Liam's bulk purchase probably made Aisling a top priority before the book's even been released. By doing that, the publisher is going to spend more money to advertise her and get her more shelf space in bookstores as well. It will probably make her book an instant bestseller, if it hasn't already."

Connor's eyes widened as he absorbed the enormity of Liam's action. He bent his head down to her neck, hugged her tighter, and breathed in her in. "Oh, honey, I always knew you could do it," he said as she pulled back. He wiped her tears and kissed her. Both of their auras engulfed with red.

"Go," I told them through twitching lips. "Before you embarrass yourselves and end up giving us a show."

Shadow let out a coughing chortle and Salvatore chuckled as their auras engulfed with light blue.

Connor pulled back and laughed as his aura bled with light blue, exposing his throat in the process. Aisling pushed up on her toes and closed her mouth over his Adam's apple and my jaw dropped as his laugh cut off.

Liam coughed and Aisling froze. She released him and laughed against Connor's chest. "Sorry," she said through giggles.

Connor was shaking with suppressed laughter as he hugged his mate. "Thanks for that," he told Liam. "Enjoy the library, Angela. We'll be back ... later." Then he pulled her out the door and they started descending the stairs.

Liam called after them, "And try to make it to your room this time."

Connor's laughter traveled up to us and I snorted.

"My dear," the vampire began, stepping toward the desk with the monitors. "This is where you can work to generate your own vault. It has a hundred terabytes of space and can be expanded. And it is backed up in six different locations. I am afraid I don't have a vault to get you started."

I waved my hand and moved to Bugs, rubbing against Salvatore's ankles. "I knew they were going to fire me," I said as I took the charm off the gray cat's collar. "I don't really know how, but I grieved first and then this intense desire to back up the vault came over me. So I did." I pulled the charm apart.

"You fit it all in one flash drive?" Salvatore asked.

"Since I started working, I focused on file compression and deleting duplicate information, because the computer system wasn't powerful enough to handle so much data."

I shrugged. "Since there was so much information, I stored most of the images and the biggest of the files online under an encryption that has five levels of defense. I never meant it to be permanent, but I created a script that would grant me immediate access to download those files. It's all on here," I wriggled the drive in my fingers. "I just have to run it and start the download."

"Angela Williams you are a genius," Salvatore said and I grinned in response as I plugged in the drive and let the computer get to work.

I shrugged. "It'll save me a lot of time."

"My dear." Liam said.

"Liam," I smirked.

"Will the council know you copied it?"

I shook my head. "They shouldn't. They didn't even have a firewall. Any hacker could have accessed the system at any time. Luckily, they think libraries are boring, so they don't bother."

"Very well, my dear. I will leave you to it. Enjoy your new home." He was gone in the next instant.

Goose bumps broke out on my skin at his words and I froze.

Home.

Straightening, I looked up at the space that surrounded me.

I wasn't just a former Guardian. I was Aisling's Guardian. A library was once again under my care and I was in love with a werewolf that loved me enough to make me his mate.

I was home.

Before the first tear fell, Salvatore's arms encircled me. I hugged him back with every ounce of strength I could muster as the tears fell from my eyes. The scent of the woods after a rain shower filled my nose and I relaxed.

He buried his face into my hair and breathed in.

"Angela, you will always have a home. Right here in this library. With Aisling, Connor, all of our friends. With me. You will never be alone again. You are my home."

I sucked in a shaky breath. "Where the hell have you been all my life?"

"Looking for you."

### Chapter 28

I pulled back and looked up at Salvatore. His eyes locked with mine as his aura swirled with red.

Before I realized what I was doing, the front of his shirt was balled in my fists and I pulled him down to my mouth.

Strong arms lifted me up on the desk and he pressed between my legs in the next instant, holding my hips against him. I clawed at the front of his shirt, desperate for more and then wrapped my arms around his neck.

A cough sounded from behind him and my werewolf froze, growling. I pulled back, leaned over to see behind him and grinned.

Tobias was standing there with his lips twitching. "Apologies for the interruption, Angela. We're gathering in the training room for sparring if you'd like to join us. Liam wants to show you a few things."

"Thank you, Tobias," I said and he disappeared from the doorway. I looked back up at Salvatore. His eyes were yellowed and he was clenching his jaw. My hands reached up and touched his face.

He leaned his forehead against mine and breathed in. "It's taking every ounce of control I have left to keep from taking you right here and right now."

Heat washed over me at his words, which were barely over a whisper. As appealing as that sounded, Liam wouldn't have sent Tobias with the invitation unless it was important. "Will sparring help you calm down?"

"Maybe."

"Are you willing to try so Liam can play teacher?"

He growled in response.

"How about this? I'll make you a deal. Give it a try. If it fails, you can have your way with me the rest of the night. And you can do—" I kissed him lightly "—whatever—" another kiss "—you want." I kissed him a little harder, biting his lower lip for emphasis.

He groaned and his arms stiffened around me. "Do that again and we won't be going anywhere."

I grinned at him. "I know," I said and waited for him to calm, trailing my nail absently down the middle of his chest.

Shivering, he caught my hand and pulled it up to his nose, closing his eyes. Then he inhaled.

My other hand reached up and I rested my fingers on the side of his neck and caressed his cheek with my thumb. His eyes opened and locked with mine. "Just breathe, Salvatore. You'll be fine. I'm not going anywhere."

He pulled me into a fierce hug and buried his nose into my neck, breathing me in again.

I understood then why his control was still so thin.

After the time we spent in the suite, I thought he felt better. But his reaction to my words told me that wasn't the case.

Salvatore was a dominant wolf, and I was his mate. It went against his nature to let me face danger without him.

The wraiths hurt me, and they could have done much worse if it wasn't for my instincts. But I thought what came after was what really bothered him.

Nicholas, someone he once thought was a friend, was hired by the town council to kill me. It was worse that he was a Cleanser and realized what was happening between us, declaring me their next target. I distracted Salvatore long enough that the wolf escaped.

The danger was still out there, and though I knew he could appreciate Liam's help, both by offering us safe shelter and showing me some things in the training room that could help me, Salvatore was still on edge.

Danger like that was keeping him from calming down. The need to protect and claim me was overwhelming him.

"You know, if I die, I'll just haunt you."

He snarled and bit my shoulder.

I cried out, both from the desire that shot through me, but also from the strength of his bite. He didn't break my skin, but he was close. I knew he wouldn't, but he didn't like when I joked around about things that were important to him.

"Okay, bad joke. I'm sorry." I sighed and tried again. "I love you, Salvatore," I whispered. "I'm not going anywhere."

He nodded and breathed me in. "Very well, let's go before I change my mind." He stepped back and grabbed my hand.

When we finally made it to the training room, there were vampires everywhere. I even recognized some of the new ghouls. Shadow was a massive blur of white fur and teeth on one mat, while Jon and Tobias grappled with Connor and Aisling on another.

My best friend and her mate were fighting together with impeccable skill. And their speed came to their advantage, leveling the field against the speed of the vampires.

Despite being Earthen, their increased physical abilities ended there. They didn't have supersonic hearing like vampires and werewolves, and they didn't have the strength behind their blows like the vampires, but they were still working together and holding their own.

Liam was definitely skilled in training his people. In all situations. It saved my best friend and her mate when they were taken to Germany.

I didn't have special abilities unless I was fighting against ghosts, so I didn't know what advantage the vampire could possibly give me.

Salvatore vibrated with energy next me. I stopped to face him and squeezed his hand before releasing him. "Go play."

His eyes searched mine for a moment and then he bent down and gave me a quick, searing kiss before he released me and moved in a blur to the mat to join our friends.

Damn.

I stared at the werewolf that claimed me as his mate with awe. He was moving fluidly at blinding speeds. His eyes were yellow as more vampires and a few ghouls joined them on the mat.

Liam approached me and I barely noticed. "My dear, would you like to watch them for a few minutes?"

Without answering, I walked closer to the mat.

Aisling grinned at me and extricated herself from the fight. She stepped to my side while Liam moved forward to stand next to her.

Her lip was bloody and a nasty bruise was developing on her jaw. "Um, are you going to take care of that, Liam?" I asked. As far as we knew, her abilities were limitless. Except for healing herself.

It was Aisling that spoke. "Connor is still learning and he wants to try to heal me, so I'm fine waiting," she shrugged and smiled as the fighters blurred. They fought for a few minutes before the vampires and ghouls stepped back to let Salvatore and Connor spar.

Circling the mat, my wolf's eyes were hazel once again. The two men blurred into flashing fists and kicks, but then slowed again and someone would have a new injury.

Aisling and I took turns hissing as our mates started to get bloodied from the fight. But neither one seemed to have the upper hand. Pride swelled in my best friend as her aura blazed orange.

While they continued to spar, she explained that her mate used a combination of several different types of martial arts that his enemies didn't anticipate. Most of Liam's nest learned it, but it was the first time Salvatore sparred with Connor, so he wasn't anticipating the moves.

At some point during the fight, Salvatore's eyes shifted to yellow again, but his aura remained purple and pink, so he wasn't angry. The two men exchanged laughs from time to time, so they were both enjoying themselves.

Connor landed an uppercut to Salvatore's jaw and his head snapped back, but he followed through with the motion, smoothly twisting around to knock Connor's feet out from under him.

As he crashed to the mat, Salvatore dropped to his knee to punch his chest. I flinched, thinking he might actually hit Connor when he stopped at the last second.

Salvatore's fist opened and instead, patted him. Then he held out his other hand and Connor took it. They moved to their feet, smiling. "Nice job, I wasn't expecting your skill," Salvatore said.

"Not many do," Connor responded with a grin through heavy breaths.

Connor grinned at us as they approached. One of his eyes was nearly swollen shut and his lips were bloody in two places.

Salvatore didn't look much better, but his eyes were hazel again and I smiled up at him.

Aisling hissed and raised her hands but Connor caught them and stopped her. "You're still hurt, honey. Let me try to heal you."

He put his hands on her face as his eyes slid closed and their auras shifted to red. I felt something charge the air for an instant but it crackled and faded away. He frowned and opened his eyes. "It didn't work."

My best friend opened her eyes and smiled at him. "You need time to learn it. It's okay. You'll figure it out."

Liam's wrist flashed out between them with twin puncture wounds welling with blood. Aisling rolled her eyes but took a pull. The vampire dropped his hand as soon as she finished.

I chuckled. Neither Connor nor Liam would allow her to be hurt a moment longer than necessary. She was a lucky girl. I watched as the cut on her lip smoothed over and the bruise faded from her jaw.

"Alright, your turn now," she said and raised her hands to Connor's face.

Power filled the air and it felt like static electricity, like the room would erupt in a powerful thunderstorm at any moment. I watched as the cuts and bruises faded from Connor's face and his shoulders relaxed.

Her power faded and Connor opened his brown eyes. They were dilated for a moment before they returned to normal.

"Thank you," he breathed and kissed her. Their auras darkened but he pulled away and she frowned in response.

My best friend looked up at Salvatore. His injuries were healing, but not nearly as fast. "Come here. You're next." Without waiting for him, she reached up and touched his face. Power filled the room again and I watched as his wounds faded as well.

When she finished, she dropped her arms and smiled. "There you go."

He opened his eyes and they were dilated, just like Connor's, but they weren't hazel. They were rimmed with a glowing yellow. Then, they faded back to hazel. "Thank you, but I'm not going to kiss you."

Aisling and Connor's auras shifted to light blue as they laughed, but Salvatore didn't join them. He grinned devilishly and his eyes locked with mine.

His eyes darkened and his aura shifted to red as Liam stepped behind Aisling and into my peripheral vision. "Shall we, my dear," he said and held out his hand.

My breath was caught in my throat as Salvatore's gaze held mine. With a shudder, I forced myself to look away and turned to Liam.

"Lead the way."

### Chapter 29

Liam walked to the far end of the training room and took a gun from a hook on the wall. "Do you know what this is, my dear?"

"Is that trick question?"

He shook his head.

I didn't need to assess the weapon to know what it was. "It's a Glock."

The pistol was sleek and glimmered against the fluorescent lights in the training room.

"Right you are, my dear. However, this does not use regular bullets. It is used with iron." He nodded toward a metal basket on the wall with several magazines inside it.

"Okay." That didn't exactly surprise me since iron was like kryptonite to most _others_.

"Since Cleansers have marked you, you need some protection should one of us not be able to assist you. Do you know how to use one?"

I took the gun from him and, though it was too light to have one, I glanced on the underside to make sure a magazine wasn't inside. Then I pulled back the slide to check for a bullet in the chamber. Finding none, I released it, pointed the gun at the wall and pulled the trigger, releasing the firing pin.

Noticing my friends where staring at me, I asked, "What?"

"Since when do you know how to use a gun?" Aisling asked.

I shrugged, as if it was no big deal. "My father made me clean his guns when I was little."

Salvatore growled.

"I obviously survived. He wasn't all bad, but he was gone most of the time, so I didn't have to clean them very often."

"Very well," Liam said. "Keep it with you at all times. With the safety on of course."

I knew the weight of the semi-automatic, and it felt right in my hands. Better than my father's ever felt in my little hands as a child. Even without the magazine of iron bullets in it.

The vampire reached behind him, grabbed a magazine and handed it to me. I glanced at it, pushed the magazine into place, and then pulled back the slide once more and released it, readying the gun to fire.

"Fifteen rounds, right?"

"Correct, my dear," Liam said, still looking a little surprised at my gun knowledge.

I flipped the safety and then tucked it into the waist of my jeans at the small of my back as the vampire eyed me.

"Now, tell me what happened."

I explained everything I remembered about that morning's encounter with the wraiths. My voice somehow controlling them, how they seemed to be less sentient than the ghosts in the realm, and touching them destroyed them, according to Dead Girl.

While I talked, I watched the auras of Aisling, Connor, and Salvatore shift from their normal colors to orange with their amazement. By the time I finished, Aisling was grinning at me.

"You really are badass, Angela."

I chuckled. "I guess."

"My dear," Liam said, pulling my attention back to him. "I have never before seen a Shamaness with your abilities. Most Shamans are only able to communicate with ghosts. But you can also _command_ them and kill them, both here and in the _Spirit Realm_."

Everyone was telling me I was something special, but I found it difficult to grasp. Sure, I could do more than any other Shaman that Liam knew about, and I had Bugs, a Sphinx, as my guide to the _Spirit Realm_. But I didn't feel special.

"So what about everything else?"

"What else is there?"

"Well," I held out my hand to tally everything, "we've already established my enhanced sense of smell. And then there are my instincts to behave more like a wolf than human."

"What do you mean?"

"She behaves like a dominant wolf," Salvatore said. "She stares people down for dominance. Even me. She almost won, too."

That was news to me, but I grinned up at my wolf at the memory.

"When did this begin?" Liam asked.

I shrugged, "Couple weeks ago maybe, it's more apparent recently with everything else that's happening."

"Interesting." He rubbed his chin. "Anything else?"

I shrugged. "I can growl apparently. Um, I am stronger than I should be and I don't tire like a human would, either." I flushed as Salvatore grinned like a wolf, pleased with my increased energy and regenerative properties. His aura brightened with orange and red.

"Very interesting." He shrugged and dropped his hand. "I do not know, my dear."

"You're not telling me everything. What does it mean?"

His shoulders stiffened as my friends turned to look at me.

"What?" I asked them.

"How can you tell he's not telling us everything?" Aisling asked.

I shrugged. "I just can."

"I do not know, my dear," he shook his head. "Not for sure. But if you can do more as a Shamaness, you will realize it in your own time. If anything comes of your new heightened abilities, you will know it before I will."

That wasn't exactly an answer, but I could understand that he didn't want to tell me anything that I might falsely rely on later.

Liam clapped twice, his signal for the end of training, and everyone started filing out of the training room.

I looked at Connor, still lingering with Aisling, "Do you have any idea what might be happening to me?"

"Not that I know of, I'm sorry. But anything is possible. Remember that." He gave me a reassuring smile and then they left.

I felt the cold, heavy weight of the gun at my back and sighed, hoping I wouldn't need to use it at all.

Then Salvatore stepped up to me and his eyes started to dot with yellow as his aura flamed with red.

"I believe we made a deal," he growled.

### Chapter 30

Salvatore's words ran down my spine like molten lava and I shuddered in response. "We did," I grinned up at him. "However, since we're alone, I was hoping you could show me some basics on how to protect myself."

My wolf's jaw clenched as he assessed me. "I thought you already knew the basics of self-defense."

"I know a few things, but I'm useless in an attack."

"I can show you more," he nodded. "But you already have some very strong instincts. The problem is that you're both human and fragile. You can't match up to the speed of a werewolf or a vampire. So what I can show you only goes so far."

A thought flitted across my mind, but I dismissed it. Even if turning was tempting, it wasn't a viable option.

I smirked. "I probably looked like I was having convulsions when I was fighting the ghosts."

"No you didn't. I couldn't see them, but you have great form, you kept your weight forward and you followed your instincts. Those are the best two things you can do in a fight. Honestly, you would do better to rely on your gun so you don't have to be close enough to need to defend yourself."

"Ah, but the goal is to adequately prepare myself for every situation, is it not?" I asked him in my best impression of Liam.

He chuckled and his aura turned light blue. "Touché, my dear," he replied in his own falsetto. Then, normally, "Alright take your position. Treat me as if I'm dangerous."

"You are dangerous," I grinned.

"As if I'm dangerous to _you_."

I angled my body to the side, leaned forward, and raised my arms.

He knocked my arm to the side. "Lesson one, hold your ground. Don't let me knock your arm away. That just opened you up to a greater attack. Again."

I put my arm back up and held firm.

When he hit my arm it moved a little, but not enough to expose me to a shot to my side.

"Good. Lesson two. Always watch the core. The core cannot lie of the body's intentions. If I feign right—" he moved to the side at normal human speed "—you should still see in my posture that I already mean to move back left."

"I can't do that if you're blurring around, though."

"No, you can't. If you're dealing with someone that fast, you better hope you have that gun ready, because you won't be able to react fast enough even if you are anticipating moves. Watch me."

Twenty minutes later, I was panting, but feeling pleased with myself. Even my wolf's aura was swirling with red and orange by the time we were done.

I landed two punches and didn't miss his intentions with his slowed movements. Salvatore rubbed a hand over his chest and said, "Damn, woman, you sure hit hard."

"Did I bruise you again?" I asked, smirked, and then pouted. "Poor baby."

His eyes narrowed but his aura swirled with light blue. "I'll get you for that."

I grinned. "Good."

When we made it back to our suite, Salvatore grinned as I unlocked the door and stepped inside with him right behind me. His aura flamed with light blue and red. Then Bugs slipped through before I closed the door behind us.

"What?" I asked cautiously, eyeing his aura as I kicked off my flats.

"Connor and Aisling weren't kidding when they said they knew everyone could hear them. They don't seem to care at all."

I froze and listened. I thought I heard a faint cry, but it could have been my imagination. My eyes flickered up to Salvatore.

He grinned. "Aisling is having a lot of fun at the moment."

"Oh, my god! I don't want to hear that. And you don't need to hear it, either." I walked to the dresser, set the Glock down, and picked up my phone. I pressed play on my playlist and turned the volume all the way up.

The strong beat and sounds of a bass guitar filled the air, drowning out the sounds of my best friend and her mate. Hopefully, that was enough to keep Salvatore from hearing them too.

Setting my phone down, I turned around and froze. My werewolf's head was cocked to the side and he was giving me an expression I couldn't define.

Realization dawned and my jaw dropped. "Oh, is that too loud? I forget how well you can hear sometimes."

He didn't respond at first, he just kept staring at me like a predator stalking its prey. Then he took a step forward.

I took an involuntary step back and realized what I was doing.

Salvatore's eyes glittered with yellow, but his aura still looked normal, blazing with red. " _Paradise Circus_?"

My face flushed, and I felt the warmth spread all the way down my neck as I realized what I just did. Not only could Salvatore hear Connor and Aisling in the next suite, but the room itself set him on edge.

And I just turned on my playlist, not thinking how the sexy music would entice him that much more. "Yep, and I happen to like Massive Attack," I replied, trying to pretend as though I didn't just trigger him to lose control. "I have a whole playlist like this. Do you like it?"

His red aura was brightening as he took another step toward me and my body was practically vibrating in anticipation of what was about to happen.

"Salvatore?" My voice sounded raspy. To my ears it sounded more like a moan.

"Angela," he growled.

I took a deliberate step back toward the bathroom, as if I was trying to retreat from him. But I knew what I was doing. I was inciting him. Setting him on edge. On purpose. "Why are you stalking me like I'm something you want to eat?"

A rumble sounded from his chest as he took another step toward me. His eyes weren't mostly hazel anymore. They were yellow. And they dropped to the apex of my thighs before he blinked and dragged his eyes back up to mine.

"Because that's exactly what I plan to do." It wasn't a growl, but the sound of his low voice carrying over the beat of the music sent another heat wave over me.

Like the whole room just heated to the level of a hot, humid summer day with the sun beating down on everything it touched.

My knees wobbled, but I managed to stay on my feet as I took another step back, provoking him more. "Then why isn't your mouth on me?" I said, low, knowing he could hear me over the music.

Before he could respond, Bugs sauntered over to me. And an instant before he rubbed against my ankles, I knew what he was doing.

But I didn't have time to react. I was pulled from my body the moment his fur touched my jeans and I felt my body crumple to the floor.

### Chapter 31

When I opened my eyes, I was standing inside a storefront near the town square. The window faced the strange manticore statue within the fountain.

I still couldn't look at it directly without feeling like it would be my worst and last mistake. And I couldn't be sure, but it looked like it was in a different position than it was the first time I saw it.

Its severed head, extended outward in its hands, was no longer screaming some kind of war cry. The face was devoid of emotion, and its attention was focused on me.

I shivered and forced myself to look away and assessed the rest of the square.

There were four different groups of ghosts brawling, making the derelict and constant dusk-ridden town look even more pitiful. Glass was broken, and bricks were crumbling from buildings as ghosts were thrown into them.

Yet none of the ghosts looked harmed in any way.

"Angela," Bugs said from behind me.

I spun around to see the considerable five hundred pound frame of the Sphinx. His glowing green eyes locked with mine.

"Do you know why I brought you here?"

"Judging by the state of things, I'd say the situation is worse." I figured as much. "I don't know what I can do. Tell me that, at least."

He started pacing the small space, his massive paws kicking up a substantial amount of dust as he moved. "I cannot see who is behind this. Which is not normal for me. I can see a great many things, but all I know is that this person is _she_."

His voice was riddled with anger, and though he didn't cast an aura, I could also feel the rage rolling off him and see it in the stiff posture of his shoulders.

"Okay, so what do I need to do?"

"You need to figure out who she is and take away her control of this place. I do not know how you can do that, because I have never met one with power like yours."

He shook his head. "The state of this place is deteriorating quickly. If more ghosts get through to our realm it would be a very, very bad thing."

Bugs might have been a Sphinx and several thousand years old, but he learned to adapt over the years and he was not only making sense, but the weight his words carried chilled me to the bone.

Dead Girl said something similar during my last visit, before Bugs arrived to bring me back to my body. I had a decent idea of what might happen, but I needed to hear it from him. "She plans to collect souls through wraiths, right?"

"With every moment that passes, she is taking control of them, erasing their identities until there is nothing left of them but anger and violence. From what I heard you telling Liam, you only saw a small amount of what they would be capable of."

I didn't see him in the training room, but he always was skilled at lurking, it didn't surprise me that he was there and heard what I said.

"They were wraiths when you encountered them. And they were under her direct control until you spoke. Your voice is a Siren call, Angela. Even though she was controlling them, you broke through. Not only did you remove her control, but you returned their minds, allowing them to become ghosts once more. Then you forced them back here. Those ghosts out there," he nodded toward the window, "they aren't completely under her control, but she is one step closer. They are stripped of who they were. All they know right now is anger."

He took a step toward me. "Your Siren call will still work on them, but there are thousands of ghosts in this realm. Your voice will not reach them all before her work is complete."

"Bugs, I know she wants to turn them into wraiths, but I don't understand why she wants to kill people and collect souls. What does she plan to do with them?"

"Essences are the souls, and in just about any application, they offer more power. Think about her plans for those essences once they have been collected."

I knew enough about dark witches to know they wanted souls just as much as magic when they took from other witches in their quest for more power, because essences gave them more of a power boost.

It was the same thing the demon Bilu was doing to obtain ascension. He needed souls to empower him. And he killed a lot of people before Aisling stopped him.

Whatever that woman was after couldn't be good if she wanted souls.

"Is she after _others_ or everyone?"

"I do not know, probably everyone."

He cocked his head to the side, waiting for me to fill in the blanks.

"Don't look at me like that, Bugs. There are two obvious answers to what she could be after, and I don't know if it's one, the other, both, or something completely different."

He waited.

"Fine. The first option is the Earthen," I said carefully. "This mystery woman wants to obtain more power than that, so she can either eliminate it, or take the power. Either way, the Earthen would end up dead. She's also using a power that Earthen magic can't access, which means there's no way to stop it."

"Go on."

"The second option is me. Apparently I'm special and can do all these things that normal Shamans can't. If this is the kind of power she possesses, then it stands to reason that maybe she wants more power so that she can be a match for me, if she isn't already more powerful."

I started pacing. "But that's the thing, Bugs. She can do all of this," I waved my hand, gesturing to the realm. "How is it she isn't already more powerful than I am? She tried once before to get my power through my mother. And when that failed, she tried to kill me via wraiths. So she must not really want it that bad, or she wouldn't try to kill me. Right?"

"You are right." He grinned, showing his lion teeth. "I believe she wants both. Though, I believe she is more interested in being the most powerful, not necessarily if she obtains your power, the Earthen magic, or both."

There was another crash outside as a ghost landed against a building and bits of brick and glass went flying.

"So she's like an evil queen that's jealous there are prettier people than her? If she can't take our beauty, she'll be happy killing us so there won't be anyone left to challenge her superiority."

Bugs chuckled, which sounded odd coming from such a large body. It sounded like boulders crashing together. "That is one way to put it. Emma was correct in that you need to embrace what you are if you are going to stop her. Even I do not know the limits to your power, and there is not much I do not know." His last words ended with a snarl.

Dead Girl had a name. Emma. I wasn't sure which one I liked better.

"So basically what you're saying is that I need to embrace what I am by trying anything I can think of, hoping like hell it works?"

"I would say to try anything, and _believe_ it will work. Do not hope. Hope leads the way to doubt. There isn't much time left before the walls will crumble and fall."

"How much time?"

"Days at the most."

"Okay, something is bothering me. If I am a Siren, or whatever, why is it when I stared down a ghost blocking my way did it take him so long to finally move?"

"How long did it take you to speak the directive?" His tail swished and more dust flew into the air from the breeze it created.

I blinked. He was right. I stared down the ghost and only told him to stand down at the last second.

"Consider your talents this way," he continued with a nod. "If the Earthen can use magic through will, use your power through your mind. _Make_ it happen, believe it will happen. Because in your mind, it _is_ real."

"I'm going to try something. If it gets too dangerous, I trust you'll pull me out before they kill me?"

"Yes," he nodded.

I opened the door and stepped out, leveling my eyes on the ghosts still brawling. They weren't showing any signs of tiring. They just kept fighting and fighting.

"Hey," I shouted, and dozens of rage-filled eyes snapped to me before abandoning their fights and rushing toward me.

### Chapter 32

The ghosts moved toward me with a blinding speed. And I let them come. I forced my mind to clear and I closed my eyes.

Focusing on Salvatore, the one Emma told me was the key to unlocking my potential, I let my love, my desire — everything that called me to him — surround me until I was filled with him.

Salvatore. My wolf. My mate. _Mine_.

A rush passed through my body and my mind was free of thoughts, just a belief that I would stop the ghosts. Without hurting them.

My eyes opened and the ghosts were frozen in place, nearly a dozen feet away from me while Bugs watched from the doorway to my left.

"I don't know if you can understand what I'm saying, but I know you will respond to the sound of my voice. You are not yourselves. Someone is controlling you."

Holding out my hands, I continued. "Release her from your minds. Feel her leave you and come back to yourselves. See with your eyes and be whole again."

The ghosts started blinking and looking around.

"Can you understand me now?"

They nodded.

"Do you want to kill me?"

They shook their heads.

I dropped my arms, eyeing one of the ghosts that made strange movements with his mouth, like he was a fish out of water. He looked like he was around thirty years old when he was killed and his throat was slit almost all the way through.

"Do you wish to speak?"

He nodded and his head almost fell back from the motion. His hands shot up and caught it, as if it was a normal occurrence for him.

"Please, speak."

"What is happening?" The strange thing was, his mouth no longer moved.

"That's what I'm trying to figure out. I'm here to help you. I will fix this."

Bugs stepped out of the doorway and took careful, steady steps toward me. It reminded me of the way Salvatore stalked me while he was overwhelmed with the instincts of his wolf. But I didn't look away from the ghosts. I knew Bugs wouldn't hurt me. Whatever he was doing, I could worry about that later.

"Be strong and fight this. I will make it right again. For all of you."

As I finished talking, I realized two things. Bugs was stalking toward me for a reason. And I saw that reason out of the corner of my eye just before it opened its mouth impossibly wide and screamed at me.

Bugs lunged, caught my wrist in his jaws and yanked me back before the ghost could slash through me with a wicked looking sword.

The ghosts attacked the one with the sword in a blur of motion as Bugs pulled me all the way back into the store.

He released me and growled, "That is Ghost King. The situation is worse than I thought." He shoved his head into my hand, just like countless times before with Aisling while in his feline form.

Then everything went black.

The next thing I noticed was the sound of my music playing in the background. I stretched, like I was waking up from a deep sleep. Not just a trip to the _Spirit Realm_.

It didn't surprise me that I wasn't on the floor in front of the bathroom, where Bugs yanked me from my body. The soft silk sheets felt amazing against my skin, and the mattress felt like a cloud.

Salvatore growled and I opened my eyes. He was staring into Bugs's eyes, fighting for dominance while his aura swirled with green.

The gray cat was wedged between us and his tail twitched as he stared back at my wolf, purring up at him. After a few more moments, and a few more growls from Salvatore, Bugs finally sighed and looked down. Then he shoved his head against my wolf's chin and rubbed his face against him.

Salvatore scratched the top of his head. "I could eat you in one bite, you know."

Sneezing and spraying mist out his nose into Salvatore's face, Bugs grinned, as much as a cat could grin. "Meh," he half-meowed and I thought he was poking fun at the werewolf. Then he turned his green eyes toward me.

As Salvatore wiped at his face with another growl, I sighed. "I know. I heard you before you pulled me out. There's not much time left."

He nodded in response and rubbed his body against Salvatore as he stood up before jumping down and sashaying toward the bathroom.

Hazel eyes locked with mine and I shivered. I scooted toward Salvatore and pressed against him. He wrapped his arms around me. Fisting the material of his shirt, I pulled him down.

He knew what I wanted. He leaned his head down and kissed me, but then he pulled back. I frowned. His aura was still green, but it was mixed with red.

"Are you angry with me?"

"No, I just don't know what to do right now."

I pulled away and sat up. "What does that mean?"

He sat up and caught my hand. "It's not what you think, so don't shut down." He sighed. "When Bugs touched you and you fell to the floor, I felt like the wind was knocked out of me. Part of me wants to kill him for doing that, but I know he wouldn't have done it if there wasn't a good reason."

"He had to show me how bad it was over there. I think I helped release some of them from her control, but Ghost King, whoever that is, tried to kill me right before Bugs brought me back." I told him the rest of what happened.

By the time I was finished, Salvatore's aura was still unchanged.

"What's wrong?"

"I know what you are and I fully support that. It's just hard for me to see you gone, where I can't do anything to help you if you're in danger."

Moving to his lap, I straddled him, wrapping my arms around his neck. His eyes widened a fraction and he wrapped his arms around me.

"Listen to me. It's just like when you and Aisling went to fight the demon and left me here. If you were in the _Spirit Realm_ with me, I would be so worried about keeping you safe that it would probably end up getting me hurt or killed. Besides, I'm the most vulnerable here. Someone has to protect my body while I'm gone."

His aura shifted to red and orange as his hazel eyes searched mine. He smoothed my curls away from my face. "You are unlike anything I ever dreamed of."

I held his face with my hands and kissed him, biting his bottom lip as I pulled back. "I love you, too."

Bugs might have broken the intensity of Salvatore's need, but I could feel that he still wanted me. I wanted to see if I could get him back to that level.

Reaching down, I lifted his shirt and he raised his arms to let me pull it off. I ran my fingers over his smooth skin, reveling in it.

Damn, he was gorgeous. Mouthwatering.

"What did I do to deserve this?" I mumbled, eyeing the flawless skin stretched over hard muscles.

He chuckled and pulled off my shirt. "I could say the same thing about you."

Reaching behind me, I unhooked my bra, and let it fall away. Red flamed brighter in his aura, but he didn't move. "You have two choices," I purred.

I stood up and took a step back, keeping my eyes locked with his. "You can come get me." For emphasis, I unbuttoned my jeans and pushed the zipper down. Then I took another step back.

"Or, you can sit there," I finished and grinned.

Salvatore was already on his feet, and his eyes were yellow again.

I hooked my thumbs inside the waist of my jeans and panties, wriggling my hips a little as I pushed them down.

Salvatore's gaze was locked on the motion and I grinned, letting the material fall to the floor. He moved forward and I stepped back in response, leaving my jeans and panties behind. He growled.

My werewolf lunged forward and his hands protected me from the impact as he took me to the floor in the next instant. Then he pushed my arms over my head and held them there with one hand.

His mouth ravaged mine with his kiss as his other hand claimed my breast, rolling the nipple between his thumb and forefinger as he ground against me.

I cried out into his mouth and he devoured it with a growl. The sensation of the rumble in his chest against mine sent tingles all over my body.

Moving with a blur, Salvatore picked me up without breaking the kiss and carried me to the bed. The silk sheets felt better than I could have imagined against my skin, but Salvatore was so much better.

My legs were still wrapped around him when he pulled away and lifted up to his knees, dragging his hands from the top of my shoulders, over my breasts, and then down my abdomen toward my thighs. He tugged at the back of my knees and I unhooked my ankles, biting my lip with anticipation.

He stayed like that, watching me like he couldn't decide what to do next. "Salvatore," I moaned, shivering. His mouth wasn't on mine. He was barely touching me. And it was driving me crazy.

I needed him more than I needed to breathe. All of him. Inside me. Surrounding me. "Please," I whispered and reached up for him.

He trailed his finger absently over the top of my thigh, keeping his yellow eyes on mine.

"If you keep that up, I'm not going to play your helpless victim anymore, Salvatore," I growled.

His mouth curled in a devilish grin and he reached out to tease my nipple between his fingers.

My eyes narrowed.

Damn, that's exactly what he wants.

"Game on, mister," I growled and knocked his hand away. I sat up and let my mouth roam over the rippled flesh of his abdomen, swirling my tongue and tasting him as I went.

Since the button on his jeans was already undone, my fingers worked the zipper, dragging it down with a slowness that left him groaning by the time it was open.

For once in my life, my short height came to my advantage. Salvatore was nearly a foot and a half taller than my five foot three frame. Being on his knees put him at almost the perfect height for what I planned next.

As I pushed his jeans and underwear down, I took him in my grip and worked my mouth toward his hip. Then I bit him. His head fell back with a groan and I grinned, focusing my attention on the part that made my mouth water.

Before he composed himself, I gave him a long, slow lick from the base all the way to the tip. He shuddered, but then said, "Whoa, stop." It sounded like a moan, but I froze and waited. "You don't have to do that."

I grinned. Salvatore was old fashioned to the core. Even when his baser instincts told him otherwise. "Salvatore," I purred, locking my eyes with his. "If I didn't want to do something, I wouldn't."

He didn't respond, he just stared at me with those yellow eyes and my grin widened. I took him in my mouth and he hissed, while both of his hands went to the back of my head to hold me there.

While the minutes dragged on, Salvatore's breathing increased and breathless moans escaped him. Then, I took a chance on something I never tried before. With one more, long lick, I took him in my mouth as far as I could take him.

Salvatore shuddered and his arms stiffened as a cry tore from his mouth. "Okay," he said, pulling himself away. "If you don't stop I'm going to come in your mouth."

I raised an eyebrow at him. "As if that would slow you down." And then I gripped his hips, dug in my nails, and took him in my mouth again. Sure enough, he threw his head back and cried out a minute later, shuddering from his orgasm.

He pushed me back on the bed and kissed me, hard. He licked my mouth and damn near left me moaning from it. I loved his wolf nature.

Then he trailed his mouth down my body, capturing each breast in his mouth to tease them with his tongue and nibble lightly on them. By the time he made it to his destination I was a mindless jumble of writhing limbs, anticipating what he was about to do.

His teeth bit into my hip as he pushed my legs out, revealing me to him. "Exquisite," he breathed and then licked me, long and slow.

I arched up, pushing my head back into the mattress as I gripped his head. "Oh, god, Salvatore," I moaned. "Please."

He groaned in response and the sensation shot through me like a bolt of electricity. His fingers slid inside as his tongue circled my clitoris.

My mind left me as my hips moved of their own accord. While my hands pulled at Salvatore's head, I gripped his hair, frantic. My breathing increased dramatically as he increased the speed of his tongue and fingers.

But I didn't expect what happened next. He swirled his tongue again and followed immediately after with his teeth. The gentle nibble was my undoing. I screamed, practically levitating off the bed from the intensity.

Before I came down from it, Salvatore moved in a blur. He impaled me until he was completely buried inside with a grind of his hips. The power of it forced me to crash around him again.

His hips started moving slowly in and out while I rode the wave. He said, "Shit, Angela, this feels so good," but I couldn't register the words.

Then he bit my neck and I lost it again. I faintly thought I wouldn't have a voice after we were done, but I couldn't bring myself to care.

### Chapter 33

When Connor told me that I was in for a wild ride when it came to Salvatore, I failed to fathom just how intense that would be. Salvatore was a very dominant werewolf, but he was also capable of deferring his control to me.

There was nothing about him that didn't call to me like a Siren. Nothing about how he looked, sounded, or felt. Nothing he did turned me off, either.

Before him, I never knew how much I would love to be bitten. Claimed.

But what amazed me most of all was that he understood I was dominant, too. Even though I wasn't a wolf, he let me take the lead when I needed to. I didn't have much opportunity to take advantage of that yet, but I would.

_Oh, yes_ , I would _._

When I woke the following morning, Salvatore was gone, but I found a note on the nightstand. _Back later — love, S_ , was written on it.

I grinned and reluctantly moved to my feet. There were plenty of things I needed to do. First on my agenda was a shower. I washed, conditioned, shaved, and then brushed my teeth after I stepped out while I teased my hair into submission.

Pulling on jeans and a green shirt over matching black panties and bra, I slipped on my flats. I didn't bother taking the Glock because I wasn't planning on leaving, but I did slide my phone into my pocket. Then I headed for the kitchen. I grabbed a granola bar and made my way through Liam's home to the library.

My library.

It was odd thinking of it that way. As far as I knew, Liam never appointed a librarian before. Sure, it was kept clean and orderly, but I didn't think there was much actual organization to the stacks.

Just the thought of being able to curate collections and manage a library without a council's oversight was damn appealing to me. But it was _knowing_ that I could continue as a Guardian — Aisling's Guardian — that was most satisfying.

But it wasn't just her anymore. I was protecting Connor, Liam and his nest, Shadow, and Salvatore. Even those little pixies, if they ever needed it. They never had a Guardian of their own before. One devoted to helping them, looking out for potential dangers.

While I worked at Nashville's Public Library, I tried to do that as much as I could, but it was hard to do with the council watching my every move. I didn't know what tipped them off, but they wanted me dead for breaking a rule.

A rule with no basis for such a harsh punishment.

There was something else going on, something much higher up than the council, and I was going to figure out what that was. There were plenty of indications that they — all of the neutrals — were shifting away from neutrality, _others_ needed to know about it.

That was one thing Martin was right about when he directed Salvatore to kidnap me for questioning. He wanted to know why I betrayed my kind — humans.

I told him I didn't, and played it off that Aisling was nothing more than someone who came in to the library for help. He bought it, but I thought it was more from insanity than anything. He was too focused on Aisling's power to realize she was my best friend.

If he knew, he would have tried to kill me. And Salvatore would have ripped his head off.

That thought made me smile.

Then it faded. I might have been human, since Shamans weren't _other_. They were just more spiritually connected to everything. But I didn't consider myself among the humans anymore.

I never fit in with them. Never felt at home.

In the company of vampires, ghouls, werewolves, and Earthen witches, I felt more at home than I ever felt in my life. My enhanced senses and tendencies to act like a dominant wolf, just amplified that.

I was more _other_ than I would ever be human.

By the time I pushed through the doors into my library, I was grinning like a loon as one thought crossed my mind.

Home.

I sat down at the desk and loaded up the vault on the computer. Then I got to work.

Sometime later, I heard footsteps coming up the stairs. I smelled almonds before she spoke. "Hey, Angela," Aisling said from behind me a moment later. I glanced at the clock. Four hours passed since I sat down.

"Oh, hey," I turned around and saw she was alone. "Where's Connor?"

She snorted and rolled her eyes. "Playing poker with Liam, Jon, and Tobias."

I grinned at her. "Yeah, I'd rather be here, too."

"Is the vault working?" she asked as she moved closer and pulled up a chair next to me.

"Yeah, I still can't figure out who summoned the demon, but I've been checking up on the Kramer Scholars' heliotrope bombs. There's both good news and bad."

"Give me the bad first."

"Okay," I nodded and pulled up my analysis. "First of all, they sent out teams all over the world to those detonation sites, utilizing the help of some local sects. But I don't know how the KS knew to go to Hoopeston while you guys were fighting the demon. They didn't send any of the Indianapolis MDM."

Her blue eyes locked with mine. "I'm not entirely sure, but I think Bilu told them what to do before he was summoned."

I nodded. "That makes sense. Anyway, those teams took advantage of the situation and attacked anyone they thought was _other_. A lot of people still died."

"How many?"

"About two hundred, as far as I can tell. What I don't know is if they were all _other_." I shrugged. "Either way, people were killed. It's hard to quantify exactly the effect of the drug because the humans still don't know there were any drugs in those bombs."

Aisling's aura was swirling with dark blue, but she was holding on to her control. Even though her emotions were so much more potent, she was still a pro at keeping them in check when she needed to.

I waited for her to process the information.

She sighed, "What's the good news?"

"The bombs that went off were packed with an awful lot of that poison, but they didn't get the composition of the bombs right. Or something. I don't know."

I looked at the clock on the screen and frowned. "Salvatore isn't here to ask him, but my guess is they didn't get the aerosol content right and the poison didn't travel through the air like they wanted."

"Why do you think that?"

"Because the deaths that were recorded, either by unknown causes, which means the drug, or they were murdered within about a one mile radius of where the bombs went off. They're calling it a rash outbreak of violence across the globe. The death toll could have been much worse."

Aisling nodded but her aura was still dark blue. "That is good news."

"Hey, you," Connor said to my best friend as he walked in behind us. The smell of wood smoke hit me next. "I was wondering where you ran off to."

I snorted, "Let me guess, this was your first stop?"

"Of course," he grinned.

My eyes rolled and I looked at Aisling. Her chair swiveled around and she grinned at him. Her aura shifted to a deep pink and I smiled, happy that Connor could so easily bring her out of sadness.

Bumping my shoulder against hers, I said, "He's a keeper, honey."

"I know," she said as Connor reached us, and bent down toward her.

I glanced at the clock again and frowned.

Aisling reached up, held Connor's face as he pressed her back into her chair, kissing her deeply, and their auras brightened with red.

I grinned. "Uh, Connor?"

They took their time, but eventually, he pulled back and looked at me, unashamed. "Yes."

"Can you help teach me some of your martial arts? I need something to do and my eyes are shot from staring at these screens for so long."

"Alright," he looked at Aisling. "Want to help?"

"Oh, yes," she grinned up at him, and their auras darkened.

I snorted. "Why do I get the feeling you guys aren't talking about the same thing."

Connor chuckled and his aura turned light blue. "Well, first of all, we are. But second, it's actually quite enjoyable to spar once you figure it out." He grinned at Aisling, raised an eyebrow, and turned back to me. "It is also very good foreplay if done correctly."

Aisling laughed and blushed.

"Ah," I said.

My best friend looked at me. "What?"

"Oh, after you guys left the training room last night, Salvatore showed me a few things, but it wasn't for very long or very involved. But we didn't spar, he just showed me how to watch body movements."

"You really should spar with him, Angela," Aisling said as she stood up and laced her fingers with Connor's.

"I will," I said and stood up. "Whenever he gets back. I have a lot to learn anyway."

Connor's aura shifted to green.

"What?" I asked.

"Look, Angela," he sighed. "I'll teach you because you need to be prepared. But Liam was right to give you that gun. If you're attacked, you're better off using it. I know what it's like to be limited like a human and not too useful against anything stronger and faster. Just promise us that if it comes down to it, you'll use the gun first."

I didn't like the idea of fighting in hand-to-hand combat any more than they did, but they had the advantage of speed. And that nifty perk of being able to heal each other. At least, they would as soon as Connor figured out how to use his magic. I could do neither of those. The gun really was the best option.

"I promise."

We made our way to the kitchen and picked up a snack along the way to the training room. Kicking off our shoes, we stepped on the mat and Shadow bounded over from across the room to sit down and watch. He thumped his tail and yipped a greeting as Bugs sauntered over and rubbed against the werewolf's large, white legs.

"Alright, Angela, the first thing we need to do is work on long form — the stances and moving your body from one stance to the next."

I followed their movements, recognizing some of it, but couldn't grasp how he managed to get everything to work together. "Jesus, Connor," I said as I tried to keep up and remember each stance. "How many different forms have you meshed together?"

"About seven, I think," he grinned.

I was panting, and the feeling in my stomach that something wasn't right was starting to wear on me. "The men that developed each one is probably rolling over in their graves." As soon as I said it, I regretted it. I was covering up what I was feeling by a reflex of humor.

Connor's aura flashed light blue and he chuckled. "You're probably right, but it is a useful method. No one expects it if they don't know it."

That was a good point. Even Salvatore couldn't anticipate his moves. I sighed.

I didn't know if it was Salvatore I was worried about because of his absence. Maybe it was just an overreaction. The last thing I wanted was to be _that_ girlfriend. Always worrying where he was going, how long he would be gone. The thought left a bad taste in my mouth.

But I did know if Salvatore was with us, he wouldn't have approved of my joke. Not because it wasn't funny, but because he would be able to tell I was covering up how I was really feeling. He always knew.

It was my defense mechanism. And I was on edge. I just didn't know why. For some reason, I didn't think what was bothering me had anything to do with being a controlling girlfriend. It went deeper than that.

I followed Connor and Aisling to the next stance, lunging forward on my right leg and extending my arms ahead of me. "Damn. I'm sorry guys," I said stepping out of the stance.

They stepped out too. But Aisling was the first one to speak. "What's wrong?"

Shaking my head, I said, "I don't know. Something's not right. It's been getting worse all day and it's really starting to bother me."

Liam approached and stopped at the edge of the mat. His shirt was off, revealing pale, scar riddled skin that stretched over taught muscle. His black pants were loose enough that he could move freely while training. Then his bright green eyes flashed. "You must _feel_ something."

I threw my hands in the air, letting my frustration win. "I don't know what it is, Liam!" I sighed. "I'm sorry. I don't know why I'm so upset."

"My dear," the vampire continued, holding his hands out in surrender. "You must calm down and open your mind. You cannot _see_ what is wrong because you are letting the feeling overwhelm you. There has to be something that has set you on edge."

My shoulders slumped. "I feel like an idiot."

"You're not an idiot," Aisling said and reached out to touch my shoulder.

"I keep thinking something is wrong with Salvatore. He left a note, but the longer he's been gone, the worse it's getting."

"Clear your mind, Angela," Liam commanded. "If there is something wrong with Salvatore, you need to allow yourself to know it."

I blinked. Liam was right.

"Angela!" My eyes snapped to the vampire. He was glaring at me. "Do not let your thoughts distract you. Clear your mind."

Closing my eyes, I forced my thoughts to stop and I focused on Salvatore while I took deep breaths.

Then my stomach clenched, turned to stone, and I doubled over.

### Chapter 34

"Liam, call Salvatore," Aisling said as she moved in front of me. "Talk to me, Angela. What's wrong?"

I sucked in a shaky breath. "I don't know. Something's very, very wrong." My eyes opened as I heard the sound of a phone ringing.

Liam's hand was extended, holding his phone in the palm of his hand. But that wasn't what I heard.

Somewhere down the hallway, Salvatore's phone was ringing.

The vampire made it to the door first and opened it, using his body to block my escape.

Salvatore opened the door to the hallway that led to the suites for _others_. He looked normal, except for three things.

First, he didn't seem to notice that his phone was ringing and wore a far-off look in his hazel eyes. Second, his aura was unlike anything I ever saw. It was a dark green, similar to the deep hunter's green of our suite.

"What does that color mean, Liam?"

The muscles in his jaw clenched. "I do not know, Angela."

I slipped past him and hurried down the hall as my wolf disappeared through the door. It was the third reason he didn't look normal that was the most disturbing. Terrifying, even.

His hands were covered in blood.

"Aisling," I called out behind me. "He might need some of your healing magic." Then I increased my speed, trying to catch up to him.

When I made it to the door leading to the hallway, I pushed it open and broke out into a run. There was a trail of blood on the floor. I caught the sight of Salvatore's backside as he slipped into our suite and the door closed behind him.

I pushed the door open, trying to keep up as much momentum as I could in bare feet, and ran into the bathroom. My mate stood in front of the sink, washing his hands methodically.

"Salvatore?" I asked as I slowed my pace. Without a clue on what to make of that dark green aura, his appearance was all I could go on. He looked distracted. So distracted, that he gave no indication that he knew I was there.

The blood was worse. If he hurt or killed someone, in combination with his behavior, his wolf was probably more on edge than I ever saw from him before.

"Are you hurt?" I asked louder.

He still didn't respond.

I stepped to his right, putting him between me and the door to help keep him from feeling trapped.

Catching sight of Aisling as she took a step toward the bathroom, I held out my hand behind my werewolf and shook my head. She stopped as Connor, Liam, and Shadow stepped into the room behind her.

I turned my focus back to Salvatore. As gently as I could, I lifted my hand and touched his shoulder.

He snarled and turned toward me. His eyes were yellow and glaring at me. I held my hands up in surrender, but kept my eyes on his. Though I might have flinched at his reaction, I refused to fear him.

First of all, Salvatore wasn't dangerous to me. But even if he was, fear would incite his baser instincts for the hunt. "It's okay. Are you hurt?"

When he didn't respond, I nodded toward his hands. They were dripping pink on the marble floor.

"Aisling, we need you upstairs." Tobias's voice hit me and my brows furrowed.

What's going on?

"Can this wait?"

"Sorry, love, but no. Jorge and William are both brawling over some kind of bloody carcass left out in the street."

Jorge and William were two of the newly risen ghouls.

"What?" Liam asked.

Then, Aisling asked, "Why can't you guys just pull them apart?"

"They're lashing out at anyone that gets too close. They're just as fast and they're not afraid to bite. Mason lost a chunk of his arm trying."

I didn't know who Mason was, but knowing the ghouls weren't in control of themselves was disturbing.

Liam sighed, "Very well. It seems, my dear, we are needed elsewhere. You two stay here and we'll be back as soon as we can."

"Alright," Connor said and the room went quiet.

My eyes dropped from Salvatore's and eyed his hands. They were still bloody, though not nearly like they were. And the water was still running from the faucet.

Tobias said _bloody carcass_.

My eyes widened and snapped back up to Salvatore's glowing yellow eyes. He grinned. But there was no humor. He was baring his teeth.

He growled and took a step forward.

I took an involuntary step back as fear washed over me and Salvatore's aura turned to black.

"What the hell?" Connor muttered. Then, louder, he asked "Angela?"

"I've got this." I was surprised at how calm I sounded. My hand lifted to touch Salvatore's cheek, but his gaze dropped and his smile faded into a snarl.

Black auras were only found on dark witches.

Because black meant evil.

Salvatore was evil.

I dropped my hand. "Salvatore. What's wrong?" I asked as powerfully as I could. But he took another step forward.

Panic washed over me as I realized he was stalking me. Whoever it was in front of me, it wasn't Salvatore. I forced it down and resorted to the only tactic that was left. Bravado. "You know what? If you're going to act like this, I'm going to go." I squared my shoulders and walked around him.

I locked my gaze with Connor tried to tell him with my gaze that something was very wrong. Connor inched toward the dresser and Shadow was advancing forward as I reached the bathroom door.

Salvatore snarled from behind me. I froze mid-step and turned around. His head was bent forward and that grin flashed white teeth at me.

"Shadow, go get help," Connor said, low.

The wolf whined but the smell of leaves in the fall beneath the scent of blood lessened and I knew he left without a sound.

"Angela, back up slowly toward me," Connor said.

"Um, every time I take a step away from him he thinks I'm prey."

"From where I'm standing he already does. Back. Up."

I took another step and Salvatore was a blur of motion and snarls.

One second he was on two feet, and the next he was a two hundred pound black wolf lunging at my throat with his white paws extended and teeth bared.

He crashed into me and I fell back, hitting the mahogany floor so hard, my head bounced. The air whooshed out of my lungs as Salvatore's teeth clamped down on my throat and tore his head back and forth like a shark.

Warmth flowed from me and I realized I was bleeding. A lot. I couldn't get air as I tried to push the werewolf off me. His teeth were clamped in a way that blocked my windpipe completely.

I tried to push him off, but he was two hundred pounds of pure predatory muscle.

Sharp claws shredded my shirt and bra as he tore into my skin, trying to inflict as much damage as he could. My vision was darkening and I could hardly feel what he was doing to me.

My werewolf. The man I loved was gone and left behind something that was evil. And he was killing me. A tear fell from the corner of my eye as I realized I was going to die.

I wouldn't be able to save the _Spirit Realm_ or the ghosts. Couldn't be my best friend's Guardian. Wouldn't see the man I loved and tell him I loved him one last time. I didn't even know if he was alive inside the wolf that was ripping me to shreds.

Two shots went off and Salvatore collapsed on top of me right before my vision went black.

"What happened," Jon's deep voice bellowed an instant later.

Salvatore's weight left me and I heard a gurgling noise. Realizing, too late, that it was coming from me.

Something cold clamped down over my neck.

"Do you want me to heal her?" Jon asked.

"Why are you asking me? Just do it. But only enough to start the healing." Connor responded.

"Very well."

Something cold pressed against my lips and I tasted more blood, but it was cold.

It didn't matter, though. I knew it was too late.

How odd it was to find my home. To finally find a place I felt accepted and loved. Only to have it ripped away in a matter of days.

That was the last thing I thought before I died.

### Chapter 35

One of the biggest goals of my life was to be there for my best friend. Aisling's life was incredibly hard on her, and she deserved to be surrounded by people that would love and protect her. Because she didn't really have that growing up.

Her step-father was every bit the monster that preyed on a little girl until he murdered her mother for being _other_. But that turned out to be a blessing in disguise, because her grandmother took her in and sheltered her.

But the damage was done. The hurt and the learned responses were deep and ingrained into Aisling's mind and body. After Jade Green died, I was all she had left. Her grandmother didn't have to ask me to take care of her. Because she knew I would. And she _knew_ that Connor, Liam, and many more would come to her aid.

Aisling would be Earthen, the hope for everyone _other_.

I would have freely given my life to protect her. But I failed. Something changed the man I loved into a monster, and ripped me from my life in barely more than a blink of an eye. I wanted to help. Wanted to be there.

But it was all lost in a matter of seconds. And I could never take it back.

My biggest mistake that day was ignoring that feeling of wrong. I let it build. And I was killed because of it.

I was separated from my body, but not by anything of Bugs's doing. It was like hanging on the precipice. Clinging to the last bits of what was my life while the _Spirit Realm_ , or whatever was a final resting place for souls, called to me.

Begged me to let go.

But I dug in my nails, refusing to release to my grip, or even lessen it for a fraction of a second. I wouldn't leave Aisling behind. Even if I was a ghost no one could see. If ghosts could touch things, then by god, I was going to be around to protect her. Even after my death.

I wouldn't let some promise of a happy afterlife lull me into giving up on that quest. I would never give up on her as long as I possibly could.

And because they would give their lives to help her, I would do anything I could to help the vampires, the ghouls, Shadow, and especially Connor. He meant everything to Aisling and he was the one person in the entire world that was perfect for her.

In every way.

I didn't know if Salvatore was alive. If he was, there was no telling what kind of state he was in, or even if it could be reversed. But if he was alive, I would try to help him too. He meant too much to me to just turn my back.

Even if I was only a ghost.

So I let myself grieve for a while. Time wasn't something I could quantify. There was nothing around me but blackness. No external senses to help guide me. There were only my instincts.

Despair hit me like a thousand bolts of lightning, ripping my heart from my chest and showing me it no longer beat as a last effort to tear me down.

Screaming without a voice, tears flowed. The one place I felt like I could just let go. Let my emotions rule for once. In doing so, I felt like dying all over again.

I didn't want to be dead. I didn't want to stay in that place. I couldn't just wallow in the darkness and grieve what I was leaving behind. Even ghosts had a purpose.

So I pulled myself by my nails. Tore at the darkness. Fought against it. And I didn't stop. I wouldn't stop until I found my way back to my friends.

They were my home. And I would never leave them behind.

My eyes opened and I sucked in a breath, but it was weak and raspy.

I'm alive?

I blinked and looked around. The room was white and bland, like a hospital room. But there were no windows in the small space. Big fluorescent lights were in the ceiling, but they were off. Small crystal sconces were lit, casting a faint light throughout the room. And I was in a bed. A quick glance at my wrist and I saw the amulet was still there.

Someone was holding my other hand and I turned to see who it was. Aisling was curled in Connor's lap, with her head resting on his shoulder. They were both asleep, but Aisling kept her hand on mine.

Both of their auras were swirling with pink, white, and gray. They were scared for me, but hoped I would pull through.

Tears slipped from my eyes.

I'm not dead.

I couldn't believe it. How could I not be dead? Did Jon give me blood in time?

Squeezing my best friend's fingers, I watched her eyes open and she lifted her head to look at me. "Hey, honey. I was worried about you," she whispered, and moved carefully off of Connor's lap, but he stirred and his eyes opened.

"Hey, Angela. You had us worried for a while."

"Sorry about that," I croaked.

Aisling sat down next to me on the bed and moved my hand into her lap. "You can't talk very well because you're not all the way healed yet. Your throat was torn. Jon couldn't give you much blood."

"Why not?"

She blinked. "Oh, I thought you knew."

I might have known quite a bit from my exposure as a Guardian, but my knowledge was still limited. "Knew what?"

Her lips thinned. "An attack by a werewolf, if you aren't _other_ , can force you to turn. One bite could do it. But a mauling, like what you went through, there's a higher chance you won't turn because your body would be too busy trying to heal itself than to fight off the effects of the werewolf's saliva. That fight triggers the change."

She swallowed, "If we healed you, you would turn. I didn't know that, and would have healed you without thinking."

I processed her words. "So I could still change?"

It was Connor that answered. "It's not likely at this point, or we would have seen signs of it, like your wounds would have healed much faster than the few drops of blood Jon gave you would have allowed. But we'll know for sure at the next full moon."

"How long was I out?"

"About twelve hours."

I nodded. That meant it was December twelfth and the last full moon was about a week before. "Listen, Aisling," I rasped. "If you healed me, and I would have turned, I'd be okay with that. Even if it meant I couldn't be a Shamaness anymore. I'd much rather be alive and useful than dead."

A tear escaped from my eye and I sucked in another deep breath. "Is Salvatore...?"

"He's alive," Connor answered.

Aisling's hands shot out to my shoulders before I could sit up. "Easy, Angela, you'll hurt yourself if you move too fast."

She smiled. "I used magic to heal him after you passed out. And then I had to use magic to keep him subdued until we could get him secured so he wouldn't hurt anyone else."

I knew what that meant. They took him to the dungeon. My eyes slid closed and I swallowed, wincing from the pain. "Do you know what happened?"

Connor answered, "I've never seen anything — other than a witch turning dark — go from being normal to evil quite so fast. We can only assume something was done to him. Last we heard from Liam, Salvatore still wasn't talking."

My best friend squeezed my hand and a combination of gray and dark blue filled her aura. "I tried to get into his mind, but I couldn't penetrate it. I'm sorry, honey."

"Are they torturing him?"

Their eyes widened.

"God, no, Angela," she said. "That's not even a consideration."

I nodded and squeezed her hand. "I'm not angry or upset with you that you couldn't help him, Aisling." I sighed.

Something wasn't adding up to me. Everything that happened, in the several days prior to Salvatore's change, either had something to do with the council, Cleansers, or the troubles in the _Spirit Realm_.

The council wasn't _other_. They wanted _others_ gone. So I didn't think they would have the means or the desires to try to do anything beyond hiring someone to have me killed.

Cleansers were a completely different beast. They were _others_ , but they weren't evil. They were interested in the purity of bloodlines. Which included both race, and status of _other_.

They were racists to the core. And though they wanted me dead just because Salvatore and I were involved, they didn't strike me as the type to try to kill a dominant werewolf, even if they could.

That left the _Spirit Realm_ and the mysterious woman behind its problem. She was powerful, but not _other_ , so her powers were more in line with what I could do, but not as potent, from what I could tell. Her abilities allowed her to control ghosts and weaken the walls between our world and theirs.

Combining that with what happened to the wraiths in the alley, and the other attacks within the realm, it was painting a nasty picture. But it was what happened with my mother that had me out of the bed before Aisling could protest.

I gasped from the pain that shot through my neck. My muscles ached like I ran a marathon while dehydrated, and my head was spinning.

Aisling was by my side in the next instant and Connor wasn't far behind.

Steadying me on my feet, she asked, "What's wrong?"

"Take me to him. I think I might know what happened."

"Do you want me to carry you?" Connor asked.

I rolled my eyes. "I'm not crippled, Connor."

He snorted and his aura shifted to light blue before returning to pink and gray. "Right you are. Alright, we'll help you, then."

I sighed. "Fine."

Liam's dungeon was in another section of his home, underground. So we needed to take the stairs up to the main level of the house and then down another set of stairs to get there. It was inconvenient, but I could see how total separation was beneficial for everyone.

One arm was draped over Aisling's shoulders while Connor walked by my other side. He was almost a foot taller than I was and it was too awkward for him to walk hunched over so far without forcing me to stretch painfully.

He was perfectly capable of carrying me, I knew. Even before his transition to Earthen from binding with my best friend, he was stronger than most human men. But his strength wasn't obvious, like it was on someone like Jon.

Salvatore was taller than Connor, but he oozed strength and power. And he had the muscles to show for it. It was just a side effect of being a werewolf. Not much room for fat stores.

I could tell Connor wasn't happy about Aisling carrying some of my weight. He didn't want either of us to be burdened or potentially hurt from the unnecessary strain. But I wasn't putting much weight on her. And he was lifting me as best he could under my arm.

As we descended the stairs to the dungeon, the smell of blood and wet stone hit my nose. There were plenty of other scents, mostly faint and I could smell Salvatore over the blood. He was nearby.

Connor broke the silence. "They were able to get Salvatore to shift, but as far as we know, that's the only progress they've made."

"Who else is working with him besides Liam?"

"Jon, Tobias, and Shadow." He smiled and looked down at me. "Shadow shifted and challenged the wolf with his eyes. I'm not sure if it was a dominance thing, but it triggered him to change."

Shadow rarely shifted. It was so rare that in the decade since he and Connor became friends, he shifted once to tell Connor his name, and then to help Aisling when the demon haunted her dreams and controlled her body while she slept.

Other than occasionally shifting privately to indulge in coffee, he stayed in his wolf form. The fact that he shifted to help Salvatore spoke volumes to the friendship they shared.

Though they didn't consider themselves as part of a pack, they were very dominant werewolves, and from what I understood of both werewolf lore and wolf pack structures, alphas were rarely on friendly terms if they shared the same territory. Both werewolves never ran into any problems working together.

We moved toward an open door in the middle of the hallway and stepped inside the cell. The three vampires were standing in the far corner discussing something in hushed whispers that didn't even reach my enhanced ears.

Both Liam and Jon were still dressed as if they were about to attend a formal gathering. And Liam's blood-red tie was still in perfect order.

Tobias was more relaxed, wearing jeans and a black shirt. The vampires might have been dressed to appear as anything but the warriors they were, but their appearances didn't fool me. They were every bit as deadly as one could imagine.

Salvatore was chained with iron to the wall while Shadow stood in front of him.

If it wasn't for his distinct scent of leaves in the fall, I wouldn't know it was the same werewolf. He was standing as a man, and his lack of an aura made me do a double take.

Sure, Liam told me about it, but it was still odd knowing he was a werewolf without an aura in his human form.

Both werewolves were wearing matching black pants and tanks. The same kind all the men in Liam's nest used for training.

Salvatore looked the same as before. His aura was black and he didn't seem to recognize anyone or anything. They must have cleaned him up, because he didn't have any blood on him and his hands weren't pink anymore.

As Shadow turned to face us, his jaw clenched and he shook his head once. Barely enough for me to notice. But I caught it.

Then Salvatore's eyes flickered to mine and he snarled, snapping his teeth together.

### Chapter 36

Damn.

Salvatore still wanted to kill me.

My eyes burned as I struggled to stay calm.

Liam approached, blocking my view of Salvatore. "Angela, my dear, how are you feeling?"

"A little sore, but I'll be fine. How bad is it?" I rasped gesturing behind him.

The vampire shook his head. "No change. He doesn't recognize anyone and he is still hostile, especially towards you."

I looked into his eyes and they flashed against the torchlight in the room. "He created the distraction, didn't he?"

With a nod, he continued, "Yes, my dear. He brought a deer and left it to draw out the ghouls. Jorge and William were the first to find it. Something about that deer made them both behave as if they were starving."

"Do you have any idea what happened to him?" My voice still sounded like hell.

He shook his head. "I do not know."

"I think I might. I don't know how, but I'm pretty sure the woman trying to ruin the _Spirit Realm_ is behind this."

"What would you suggest we try?"

I looked at Shadow. His light blue eyes were stark in contrast to the low light in the space. His brown hair was light, almost blonde and flopped over his forehead. It was odd not seeing him as a wolf.

"Is he secure?"

"Yes," he replied.

I let go of my best friend and stepped around the vampire, not bothering to ask to approach the person that was once Salvatore. His jaws snapped again and he grinned at me with his teeth.

His eyes met mine and I stopped, staring him down with all the power I could muster in my gaze. Whoever the person was in front of me, it wasn't Salvatore. And I wasn't going to let it dominate the situation.

If I was right about what was happening, that woman, whoever the hell she was, was trying to kill me. And she was using whatever methods she could to get to me.

She didn't want my power. She just wanted to be the most powerful, and I needed to be eliminated. My mother failed. A dozen creepy wraiths failed. From everything that happened with the werewolf chained to the wall in front of me, it was like he was a completely different person.

At least I didn't know a better term for it. Possessed maybe?

Possessed.

My jaw dropped.

That was it.

Knowing that _she_ was behind what happened to Salvatore was one thing, but knowing what was actually happening was another.

"Stop," I commanded, surprised at the strength of my voice. "You will listen to me. Whoever you are inside this body, stop."

Salvatore's eyes widened and he stopped resisting against the iron chains that held him to the wall. The grin faded from his mouth, but his eyes remained locked with mine, still fighting for dominance.

"Do you hear me in there?" I pointed at my chest, "I am in charge here. Not you. I am a Siren. You will listen to me. Drop your eyes and follow my command."

His eyes dropped and I heard a few gasps behind me, but I didn't look away.

I stepped closer and Aisling moved to my side. "It's okay," I told her with a rasp. "Keep an eye on him, but I think I've got him under control for the moment."

She nodded and stepped back, still staying within my peripheral view.

My hands reached up and Salvatore sucked in a breath as he raised his head, trying to back away from me as if I was going to hit him. "It's alright."

He relaxed, but kept his eyes on my hands with caution. His aura was still black, so I wasn't going to trust it, but it was following commands, so I pressed forward and rested my hands on the warm fabric covering his chest.

My muscles screamed in protest but I refused to drop my arms. Salvatore flinched, but he didn't struggle. His eyes moved to my chin and stayed there. Then his aura shifted to gray.

"You're not yourself. You have my permission. Push her out and be yourself. I want you to keep your mind, and not fall under her will again."

His aura shifted to white and his eyes widened. "W-Who are you?"

It sounded like a child beneath the deep baritone of Salvatore's voice and sadness washed over me. That bitch used a child to her gain. In an attempt to kill me.

I knew the implications of names in the realm, so I wouldn't ask the ghost for one, even though I could command it. The poor kid went through enough. "You're safe here. How old are you?"

"S-Seven."

Aisling's aura flamed with dark blue and she raised her hand to her mouth, covering her gasp.

Jesus, he was younger than I thought. That woman had no sense of right and wrong. "How long have you been a ghost?"

"I-I don't know."

"That's okay. Don't worry about it." I gave him a reassuring smile. "I'm so sorry about what happened to you. Do you remember anything?"

"N-No. I've been h-hiding from all the fighting. And t-then all of a sudden I was gone. It feels l-like I've been sleeping, but I haven't slept in a long time."

I nodded my understanding to the boy inside Salvatore. "You did good, honey. I want you to keep doing that. Stay hidden. Stay safe. Do you understand me?"

His lip trembled and a tear filled his eye. "I'm scared there. Can I stay here with you?"

Dammit. I wish I could talk to Bugs.

I sighed and dropped my hands. "Liam?"

"My dear."

"Does this kind of thing happen very often?"

"I have seen a few cases where Shamans have ... adopted ghosts, yes. Can you be certain this will not happen again?"

"If you're right about how Sirens work, then yes. Can any of you see ghosts?"

"I cannot speak for ghouls," Liam said, "but vampires can. We are neither living nor dead, so we can see both sides."

I looked at Aisling.

She raised her hands in surrender. "I have no idea, but either way, I'm not opposed to this."

Connor shook his head and pointed at my best friend. "I'm with her."

"I agree with Aisling," Shadow said from behind me.

It was Liam that spoke next. "The choice is yours, my dear."

"One more question. Can ghosts learn?"

"Yes my dear. They are not that dissimilar to vampires. Their minds remain intact and they are capable of growth."

I looked at Salvatore again — at the ghost within him. His lip was trembling and the fear was apparent in his eyes as his aura swirled with gray and white. "Before the fighting started, did you have anyone to look out for you?"

He shook his head.

It didn't take me long to decide. I longed for a family. Children. I never really thought it would happen. But there was the ghost of a seven year old child in desperate need of a home. I couldn't say no. "Very well, you can stay."

His eyes lit up and a smile broke out on his face.

"But that comes with rules." I raised my finger. "You're seven years old. That means school, five days a week, in the library. If I'm not there to teach you, someone else will help you. If you don't sleep, then you will have quiet time."

While Salvatore's aura shifted to all white, I looked at Aisling for help. She shrugged and said, "What if we need help with something?"

"What about touching him?" Liam asked from behind me.

Damn.

Liam was right. I didn't hurt the ghost because I wasn't touching it directly, but that wouldn't always be the case. I had an idea, but I didn't know if it would work. So I filed it away to ask Liam later.

I turned back to the ghost. "Until I figure out how to stop it, you have to be very careful not to touch my skin. Otherwise you will go away and I won't have any way to get you back. And we may have some situations where we will need your help to do something."

Chewing on my lip for a moment, I said, "No going off on your own without asking first, including if you want to see your old family. Rules can be changed, added, or removed as necessary. Anyone I approve can give you instructions. But I will be ... your new mother. Is that okay with you?"

He was still beaming at me. "Yes."

"What's your name, honey?"

"Peter."

"Welcome to the family, Peter." I smiled at him and stepped back. "I'm Angela. Please, release that body now."

In response, he closed his eyes and went limp.

### Chapter 37

Salvatore's aura shifted back to gray and I watched the transparent visage of the little boy move away from his body. It was obvious that Peter was Asian, but I couldn't tell which nationality.

He looked to be about four feet tall but looked so frail, like a stiff breeze could knock him over. His hair was black, almost with a bluish sheen to it, fine and cut short. I couldn't tell what color his eyes were, because they were faded to the point I could barely tell where the iris ended and the rest of his eyes began.

I winced, taking in the rest of his features. One of his cheeks looked like it was scraped off, like he was dragged across pavement. Other than his ripped and dirty clothes, he looked okay.

Peter stepped to my left and I caught Shadow out of the corner of my eye and turned to look at him. His eyes were following the boy. "You can see him?"

Shadow's eyes flickered to me, nodded, and then looked back at Peter.

I turned to my best friend and her eyes were on him, too.

"I can let them see me," Peter said in that same ethereal way all the ghosts in the realm spoke. He glanced around the room, smiling at everyone.

"That's a nice trick, little man," Connor said appreciatively from behind me.

Salvatore made a noise and my head snapped up painfully. I moved forward and touched his face. "Salvatore?" I asked as gently as I could, but my voice still sounded weak.

His head lifted and he looked up at me. Then he flinched and his head cracked against the stone wall behind him. He didn't seem to notice, but I winced enough for the two of us.

"No. Oh god, Angela. I thought I was dreaming. Please tell me I didn't hurt you."

"It wasn't you. That woman took control of a ghost and then possessed you."

"You could have died."

"I almost did, if it weren't for a little bit of Jon's blood."

He sucked in a breath and the gray in his aura brightened. "What?"

"He only gave me a couple drops to keep me from bleeding out, but so far I'm not feeling any different." I shrugged. "Either way, I'd rather be alive."

"If it happened to me once, it can happen again." His eyes flickered to Liam. "You were right to bring me down here."

"No. Listen to me Salvatore. I knew something was wrong. It was my fault for not paying attention to it. If I would have paid more attention we could have anticipated what was happening. Besides, she doesn't seem the type to recycle old tricks. She hasn't repeated anything so far, so I doubt she will start now."

A growl erupted from my chest. It was low and throaty. Salvatore's eyes widened a fraction and I said, "I'm going to kill that bitch for what she did to you."

And then I grimaced, dropped my hands, and looked at the ghost. "Sorry, Peter." I was going to need to watch my mouth around him.

"It's okay," he spoke without using his mouth and grinned up at me.

"And for what she did to you," I added and looked back at Salvatore.

His wide eyes were on the boy.

"Salvatore, meet Peter. The little boy she forced into your body. He's back to his old self now." My voice was getting stronger, I realized.

"Peter," he nodded.

The boy waved a little and beamed at him. But his smile faded and he dropped his hand. Without moving his mouth, he said, "I'm sorry I possessed you."

He looked at the boy for a long moment before he spoke. "That wasn't your fault, so don't beat yourself up for it, okay?"

Peter smiled faintly and nodded.

I turned my attention to the shackles around Salvatore's wrists.

Shadow stepped forward and moved around Peter. "Here, I'll get them," he said and opened the first shackle. He moved gracefully, like he was comfortable in his skin and I realized he was just short of Salvatore's height, and built the same. "It's good to see you, Salvatore," he said as he released my werewolf's other wrist.

He nodded, "Shadow." Looking confused, he rubbed his wrists.

"He shifted to help you," I told him.

The confusion cleared from his face and his eyes widened as he looked back at Shadow.

As the werewolf stepped back, Aisling pulled him into a hug, but not before I caught the look of sadness on his face. Her aura swirled with orange and dark blue. From what Liam told me, Aisling's perception of Shadow was right. He was lonely, and he hid it very well.

After an instant of hesitation he hugged her back and buried his face in her neck to breathe her in. He pulled back a moment later and released her. "Let's not make Connor upset," he grinned.

"I meant to do that before, but I was freezing, and you were, well, naked. It might have been a little awkward," she rolled her eyes and the werewolf let out a brief chuckle and nodded in agreement.

"Hey, buddy," Connor said with a grin and shook the werewolf's hand. His aura was swirling with light blue, so the hug didn't seem to bother him.

I grinned at them and then turned back to Salvatore. He was quiet, still, and staring at the floor.

My hand reached out and took his, lifting it so I could look at his wrist. There were a few cuts from where the shackles dug into his skin and bruises went all the way around.

Salvatore didn't look up.

"Aisling?"

Shadow stepped out of the way and stood next to Connor.

"Here, Salvatore, let me take care of that." She reached out, touched his arm, and her eyes slid closed. I felt her magic fill the room with humidity and static electricity for an instant and then she opened her eyes.

While Aisling stepped back, I turned his hand over and saw his skin was free of cuts and bruises. When he still didn't look up, I lowered his hand and frowned.

"Sorry I shot you, Salvatore," Connor said from behind me.

"You should have killed me," he responded so low I barely heard it.

My hands shot to his face and lifted him to look at me. His eyes met mine and I threw every bit of power behind my words. "You listen to me, Salvatore." My voice was strong and powerful. "You are not going to wallow around like this. If you had any control, you never would have allowed it, neither would Peter."

Hazel eyes started to dot with yellow as he met my challenge for dominance. He growled. The smell of leaves in the fall increased and I knew Shadow was right behind me. I didn't look away from the brightening yellow eyes. "Shadow, it's fine. Back up."

When his scent decreased, I spoke to my wolf again. "Don't do this to me. Do you hear me, Salvatore? Snap out of it. None of this was your fault." A tear fell down my cheek as my eyes searched his, fighting him with everything I had.

At last, he dropped his eyes and nodded.

"Remarkable," Liam said from behind me.

### Chapter 38

I rolled my eyes at the stone wall. "Relax, Liam. He already beat me once at a dominance contest. The only reason he dropped his eyes is because he's still upset." I was surprised how strong my voice sounded as compared to what it was just a few minutes before.

When Salvatore didn't respond, I took it as an agreement. "Alright then," I said, returning my attention to the man in front of me. "First, you need food, then a shower, then sleep. You'll feel better after."

About twelve hours passed since the attack, and there was no telling how long he went before that without eating. With his high metabolism, he was probably both dehydrated and starving.

"Can you walk? I'm not exactly strong enough to carry you, even in my current condition." I smirked.

Sure enough, he growled and looked up at me with hazel eyes, not appreciating my humor. Salvatore knew me well, but I didn't cast an aura, so it made it slightly easier to fool him. Maybe it was the hunger, but he responded exactly the way I hoped he would, and didn't realize I did it to stir a reaction in him.

"That's better," I said. "But seriously, I'm pretty sore and a little wobbly on my feet. So if you're weak, I can have Connor or Aisling help me."

He shook his head. "I'm fine." His stomach rumbled in protest. He grinned and his aura dotted with light blue. "Hungry, but fine."

Pushing away from the wall, he straightened to his full six and a half foot height.

I turned to the ghost. "Um, Peter, how do you like dogs?"

His pale eyes brightened and he smiled. "I love them."

I glanced behind me at the werewolf in question, still looking completely human standing between Connor and Aisling. His eyes locked with mine and he nodded. He clapped his hand over Connor's shoulder, squeezed it, and then started shifting.

A few seconds later, the black pants and shirt were on the floor and a two hundred and fifty pound white wolf stood in his place. He turned his head and licked Aisling's arm.

Their auras lit up with light blue and she laughed and scratched behind his ear. Looking up at Connor, she said, "At least he didn't kiss me before he shifted."

I turned back to Peter. "Good, because Shadow likes to play catch. Would you like to play catch for a little while? Maybe you can get a few more people to play with you."

The ghost started vibrating with excited anticipation. I smiled at him, happy to see some joy on the poor kid's face.

"And Peter?"

He stilled and turned his attention back to me.

"You can listen to anyone in this room. Understood?"

"Yes," he grinned without moving his mouth. "Thank you, Angela."

"You're welcome, kid. Go have some fun."

He moved toward the white wolf with awe.

"I have the perfect ball, Peter," Connor said. "Why don't you come with us, and see if you can talk them into joining us." He nodded toward the three vampires.

Then in a whisper loud enough even I could hear, he said, "And if you do, see about getting them dirty in the process." He winked at the boy and grinned, his aura brightening with light blue.

Liam wheezed and Tobias laughed, but Jon stayed quiet.

Peter didn't hesitate and walked up to Liam first, jabbering about how much fun it would be to play catch as a big group.

The vampire grinned down at him and the two walked out of the cell, with everyone following after them.

When we were finally alone, my shoulders slumped and I nearly lost my balance.

Salvatore caught me with his strong arms, but released me as soon as he settled me on my feet again. I turned around to face him, confused. And then I froze.

His aura was swirling with dark blue and gray, and he was trying to keep his distance. Hazel eyes locked with mine and searched between them. "I'm so sorry, Angela."

He looked like he wanted to say more, so I waited.

"I...." He sighed. "You could have died. I thought there would be time. I thought just knowing you were my mate would have prevented anything like that from happening. A wolf would never hurt their mate. Ever. But it still wasn't enough."

He shook his head and much quieter, he said, "I understand if you don't want to take that chance again."

Without hesitating I moved toward him and ignored the pain shooting through my body as I flung my arms around his neck and hugged him. He picked me up and hugged me back, burying his face into the curve of my shoulder.

I wrapped my legs around him and held him as tight as my muscles would allow and I breathed in his scent of the woods after a rainstorm. "Never. Ever. Talk like that again, Salvatore. I love you. I never want you to leave. Okay? Please, tell me you won't do that to me."

He chuckled. "I thought you were going to tell me to leave. I love you so much. I wanted to bind with you, but I thought there was time. I had no idea something like that could happen. I'm so sorry."

I froze. "Wait, what?"

Pulling back far enough to look at me, he said, "I wanted to ask you to bind with me. But later. I know it's fast, but—"

I cut him off and kissed him, hard. As hard as I could, given my depleted strength and lack of control over my weak and sore muscles.

He responded instantly, opening his mouth to give me access and I took full advantage of it, biting his tongue and licking him with mine.

I growled. He tasted so damn good. I couldn't get enough of his kiss. I always needed it more than I needed to breathe.

When he pulled back, I whimpered in response and he chuckled.

I panted, growled faintly, and then my mind cleared enough to remember why I kissed him. The muscles in my legs failed me and I slid down his body until my feet touched the ground. "You wanted to bind with me?"

Binding was unheard of after the Earthens were killed. It was so much more than a marriage. It was a permanent connection between two people. Mates. But the uncertainty without the Earthens to help keep everything in balance and keep all _others_ from harm prevented the rituals from happening. The rituals were so scarce that the lore in the vault barely referenced them beyond the fact that they existed, but I never exactly went looking either.

Aisling was an Earthen, but her powers only started a little over a month before. The fact that Salvatore was willing to bind with me in such a short amount of time told me two things.

His faith in Aisling and Connor to rule the supernatural world was strong. And he loved me. Far beyond what I could have ever imagined.

"Yes. I just didn't want to push you so fast."

He was old fashioned to the core. I grinned. "Are you kidding? I would bind with you in an instant, Salvatore. If that's what you wanted."

"You would?"

I didn't answer him. Instead, I kissed him with the same vehemence. Devouring him with a hunger that had me clawing at the back of his neck and fisting his hair. Doing anything I could just to get him closer.

He pulled back with ease.

Damn these weak muscles.

I growled and he chuckled once more, his aura swirling with bright red and light blue. Then, the light blue faded from his aura and he leveled his gaze on me. "You didn't answer my question."

"Yes, Salvatore. I would. A thousand times, yes." I smiled and tried to kiss him again but instead, he straightened.

"First of all," he began, "we aren't doing that down here. Second, I'm going to need to eat first or I won't be on my feet much longer, let alone anything else. And you're still hurt."

As if on cue, my strength failed me and if it weren't for Salvatore's arms around me, I would have fallen to the floor. But his strong arms caught me with ease and helped me regain my footing.

Then he led me out of the cell and we started making our way through Liam's home.

Luckily, enough strength remained that I could walk on my own, though it was slow going. But by the time we reached the kitchen I was leaning heavily against Salvatore with my arm behind his back and he kept his arm across mine, helping me stay on my feet.

I hated being weak, but I didn't like it when I could see the strain in my wolf's body. He was struggling to keep his strength up for both of us.

As we stepped through the doorway of the kitchen, smells of the morning's breakfast hit my nose, but there was no one in the room. I didn't have the energy to cook a big meal, but Salvatore needed to regain his strength and that was the best way for that to happen.

So I moved to the gigantic stainless steel fridge and opened it. There was quite a bit of lasagna left and I pulled it out, almost falling over in the process. Salvatore caught me with a grin.

"You sure are clumsy," he said, his aura swirling with light blue.

I narrowed my eyes at him and growled. "I won't be clumsy for long, mister. Just you wait. I'll get you back for that."

He chuckled, "And bossy." Then he took the casserole pan from my hands, and led the way to the table.

"Don't you want me to heat that up for you?"

He shrugged, "It's fine this way." Picking up a fork along the way, he set down the lasagna and helped me into a chair before heading back to the fridge. He grabbed a water bottle, then a banana and granola bar from the basket on the island before making his way back to me.

"This'll work for now." He sat down heavily in his chair, not with his usual grace, and took his first bite.

I opened the granola bar and took a bite, wincing as I swallowed.

My wolf's aura turned dark blue. "I hate that you're in pain, Angela."

I reached up and ran my fingers through his hair at the back of his head. He grumbled in contentment and closed his eyes. "I know you do. But I'll be fine. I'm actually surprised at how well I feel considering I was almost killed a little over twelve hours ago."

"It's probably a good thing it happened the way it did. If it was me in control, I could have killed you before you even hit the floor. It didn't seem like either the ghost — Peter," he clarified, "or that woman knew how to utilize my wolf."

"Peter is just a little boy, but she used him as a conduit. I mean, I know he's a ghost, but he's still a person. He's still there. I can't believe she has no morals left to recognize that. I hope you don't mind, but I kind of adopted him."

Salvatore's eyes flickered to mine, but he didn't say anything. His aura was a mixture of orange and pink.

I panicked. "You weren't back yet and I couldn't ask you. He's been alone and he was scared. I couldn't just send him back to that place and let him fend for himself anymore. So I made the decision to let him stay."

He put down his fork and turned to face me. "Angela, you are the strongest, most independent woman I've ever met. I would never tell you not to adopt something if you wanted it. Not only would you probably do it anyway, but you're perfectly capable of making up your mind. And you're plenty dominant as it is."

His hands reached up to my face and he smiled. "You adopted a little boy that looks like his life was just as rough as his afterlife. I could never be upset with you for that, and I would have adopted him myself if I was there. Peter deserves a good family. And he's found one."

"So much for your old fashioned values," I smirked but it faded quickly. "Seriously, Salvatore, we have a kid now."

"If my time with you has taught me anything, it's that my hesitations and traditions have been moot anyway. You've proven time and time again that those limitations weren't necessary."

He shrugged. "So you adopted a kid. Not only is that boy going to have everyone wrapped around his little finger in no time, but he's going to have you as his mother. At least he will see it that way."

"That's what I told him. And I want kids, too. But," I hedged, not sure how to say the rest. "If he sees me as his mother, then he's going to look to you as his father because you'll be with me. I should have asked you if that's what you wanted. I'm sorry." I dropped my eyes.

"Hey, look at me." He waited and caressed my cheeks until I looked up. "No matter where you go, you're my home. I've always wanted children. And if you want me to be both by your side and a father to him, I would be honored. I love you, Angela Williams. Now and for the rest of my life."

### Chapter 39

Before I realized what I was doing, I was in Salvatore's lap, kissing him like there was no tomorrow. He responded instantly with a groan of pleasure and wrapped his arms around me.

I pulled away and trailed kisses down his jaw to his neck and hugged him as hard as my muscles would allow. He grunted again and chuckled, "You might still be weak, but you're still plenty strong."

"Sorry," I chucked, loosening my grip from around his neck. "You are my home, too, Salvatore. You mean everything to me. Thank you."

"For what?"

I leaned back and shrugged. "For being so supportive, for letting me pretend I can dominate you at times, for understanding my actions, and for being everything I could have hoped for and more. I don't have to hide anymore."

His aura swirled with red and orange as he stared in my eyes. Moving with a blur of motion, he pulled me by the back of my head back to his mouth and kissed me so hard it took my breath away. I forgot that I needed to breathe, because nothing else mattered but his mouth against mine.

He finally pulled away and I pulled in a ragged breath while I whined at the same time. Chuckling, he said, "If we don't stop we'll never finish eating."

I took a few more deep breaths, nodded, and then moved back to my chair.

As I took another bite of my granola bar, a wave of exhilaration washed over me. It wasn't a bad omen. It was that sensation right before riding a roller coaster. I knew what it was, and it was going to be one hell of a ride.

My mouth went dry for a moment, but I forced myself to keep eating. And by the time we both finished, I was practically drooling while my body vibrated with anticipation.

Salvatore cleared the table and I watched him with fascination. The way he moved, the way he smelled and looked. Everything about him called to me like nothing I ever felt in my life. And he was _mine_.

I licked my lips.

Damn that's a fine ass.

I blinked.

What the hell?

I never felt so charged in my life. It felt like I was hooked up to electricity and it was setting off every nerve in my body.

By the time Salvatore moved back to the table, I was almost mindless with the desire coursing through my system.

"Uh oh," he said, cautiously. "I know that look, Angela. You need to calm down. We're going to get cleaned up first, so cool the jets, okay?"

I growled at him and met his eyes. They flashed yellow and held my gaze.

It didn't help that he was standing and I was still sitting, so the added height gave him that much more of an advantage over my fight for dominance. Then he leaned forward and loomed over me, growling back.

Damn.

I dropped my eyes. "Fine," I sighed.

Salvatore pulled me to my feet and we made our way to our suite. Shutting the door behind him, he flipped the lock and then helped me into the bathroom.

The low light from the crystal chandelier over the white egg shaped tub bounced off the shiny surfaces of the dark green marble tiles, walls, and mahogany floors. It made the space look like twilight in the woods, with hundreds of tiny fireflies floating around.

We crossed the space to the huge shower and Salvatore turned it on. Steam filled the room a few moments later and he turned his attention to me.

He started with the bandages on my neck, carefully removing them and examining the wounds. I couldn't see them, but judging by his expression, it didn't seem like they were too bad.

Then he pulled off my shirt and assessed the deep scratches on my chest. They didn't look nearly as awful as I thought, considering what happened, and I began to wonder if I really was about to die, or if it just seemed worse than I thought.

But then I forgot as Salvatore pushed my pants down and then repeated the gesture with his. I growled. It was all I could do to keep from drooling down my chin. He was so beautiful. Every goddam inch of him.

"None of that," he chided. "We need to get clean first."

"Fine," I said, hunching my shoulders. "But I make no guarantees about my behavior afterward."

He grinned, flashing that smile at me that always made my knees weak. "I'm looking forward to that."

My eyes slid closed and I groaned breathlessly at the unspoken challenge. And I balled my hands into fists to keep myself from moving into him. Finally, I opened my eyes and met his.

"Ready?"

I didn't think I could speak, so I just nodded.

And then we stepped into the shower.

Hot water hit me from the sides and from above, but it wasn't so hot that it burned my sore skin. Salvatore positioned me so my back was to him and set me directly beneath the waterfall.

I leaned my head back, wincing from the stretch of the broken skin on my neck and let the water run through my hair. His hands worked through the curls until they were soaked. He worked a gentle shampoo through them and took his time making sure all the suds were washed away before he spoke.

"Step forward," he said and I obeyed, grinning.

He added a light conditioner to my hair next, working his fingers through any tangles that remained.

When he finished, I wiped at my face and blinked the excess water from my eyes and turned around.

Salvatore's face was turned up in the water and streams of it were sliding down his tanned skin. I picked up the body wash, poured some on my palm, and set it back on the shelf.

Hazel eyes were dotted with yellow and locked on mine while his aura swirled with red when my soapy hands reached his skin. I worked from his neck, taking great care at the curve of his shoulder, to the front of his chest.

The water was washing the soap away faster than I could clean him, but he didn't seem to mind.

"Turn around," I breathed and then repeated the gesture over the back of his neck, shoulders, and down his back. The more I worked, the more his muscles relaxed under my touch. I cleaned his arms next and by the time I finished, his aura was a mixture of red and purple.

Turning to face me, and though his physical appearance was unchanged — he still wanted me — Salvatore's gaze was different. It was darker, heated, and his yellow eyes made me shudder with anticipation.

He took a step forward out of the downfall of hot water, and I took an involuntary step back and ended up in the corner, away from the water. He took his time, letting me watch him clean the rest of his body.

My eyes widened as his hands moved with careful precision, letting me see how the soap moved over his sun kissed skin. By the time I realized what was happening, I was practically arching toward him.

With my head pressed into the corner and my mouth open as I panted, a devilish grin spread across his face as he stepped back and let the suds wash down his body. But when he opened his eyes something changed.

I didn't know if it was the look in my eyes, if it was just that he couldn't keep control any longer or....

Oh, shit.

I was idly trying to knead my breasts to ease the ache in them without even realizing what I was doing.

It didn't matter, because he growled, flashed forward, and kissed me, hard.

### Chapter 40

He pulled my arms behind my back and held them by the wrists with one hand, forcing me to arch my back even further and my breasts to press deliciously into his chest. His mouth ravaged mine with a hunger that I met with fervor to spare.

His tongue licked and teased mine in a way that set my blood to boiling and my bones to steam and I growled in response. It was overwhelming how powerful his kiss was. He knew just what to do to start an uncontrollable fire that ripped through me like a bomb went off.

And he was barely touching me.

I needed him closer. Needed him inside me more than I needed anything else in my life. But he wasn't close enough. He was driving me higher and higher by the tease of his mouth.

My legs were shaking as I struggled to keep on my feet. I wanted nothing more than to have him. Right then and there. Right up against the wall of the shower.

A helpless whimper escaped me and he growled in response, lifting me up with his other arm. I wrapped my legs around him and he impaled me in the next instant. I came, shattering around him and cried out into his mouth.

He held still, waiting for me to relax while a groan escaped him. The rumbling traveled through his chest and spread through me, leaving behind goose bumps until it made my toes curl.

Then he started moving with an agonizing slowness, still kissing me with the same slow, torturous licking of his tongue. His mouth wrenched away from mine and I gasped and cried out as he held my wrists tighter and tightened his grip around my waist.

I thought idly that the back of my head and my neck would be sore later, but forgot when he bit the curve of my shoulder and I came again, screaming. The orgasm wracking through my body was so powerful, it forced Salvatore to take a step away from the wall.

By the time my mind returned again, I barely noticed we weren't in the corner of the shower. My wolf was sitting on the floor at the opposite end and I was on top of him.

My nails were raking over his shoulders, trying to get him closer, trying to increase the intensity of his kiss, but he was still taking his time, teasing me and it just made me burn hotter.

I started moving of my own accord, barely recognizing how well my body was moving compared to minutes before. His hands moved to my breasts, kneading them and rolling my nipples between his thumbs and forefingers with careful precision that left me crying out into his mouth.

Unable to control myself, I bit his tongue and then threw my head back as another wave took me away. He groaned, "Oh, god Angela, _that's so good_." And then his mouth closed over a nipple, torturing me with his tongue.

Leaning back, I rested my hands on Salvatore's thighs and kept moving, but even though his mouth was on me, he still wasn't close enough. "Salvatore," I begged and straightened.

He must have noticed my desperation because he reached up and took my face in his hands, coaxing me to open my eyes to look at him.

I slowed, but couldn't bring myself to stop moving. "Please."

"Tell me what you want."

Before I could respond, I crashed again, throwing my head back with a shaky groan. My wolf's hands slid down gently over my neck and I barely noticed that it didn't hurt. The only thing I could focus on was how my need for him was only growing, despite multiple orgasms.

I leaned forward again, still unable to stop myself from moving. "Please, Salvatore," I breathed.

Why do I sound like I'm crying?

Salvatore's hands went to my face again. "Angela? What's wrong? Tell me what you want."

"I don't know," I breathed and my lip trembled. "Please, I just ... I can't get close enough to you."

Everything was a blur of motion as Salvatore moved and took me with him. The next instant I was laying on the floor where he was sitting and he was hovering over me on his elbows. But not close enough. "Please," I begged and clawed at his back, trying to pull him down.

His arms moved under me and his hands wrapped over the top of my shoulders to hold me in place as he let his body cover mine. He kissed me then, taking my breath away at how forceful and dominating he could be. Far different than those slow agonizing licks.

Then he started moving and my nails dug into his back.

Yes.

That was what I needed. He was everywhere. Inside me. On top of me. Surrounding me.

Before I even realized I was so close to the edge, I shattered. Arching as much as his body would allow, I tore my mouth away from his in the process.

" _Shit_ ," he hissed in pleasure as he waited for me to come down again. "Is that what you needed?"

"Oh, god, yes. Don't. Fucking. Stop."

He chuckled and kissed me again while his speed increased.

Lights flashed behind my eyes at the intensity of each thrust and I writhed beneath him, urging him on through my muffled cries, since my mouth was otherwise occupied to give him words. But it wasn't until my hands traveled down his back toward his ass that something changed.

On the next thrust, I yanked him toward me as hard as I could and dug my nails into his flesh. He growled and his speed increased tenfold, meeting each thrust with a grind of his hips that sent me soaring higher than I could have ever imagined.

I came one after another, and each orgasm was more intense than the last. Until, finally, Salvatore wrenched his mouth away from mine and howled out in a shuddering release.

And it was the best fucking thing I ever felt in my life.

### Chapter 41

When Salvatore's breathing slowed to a less dangerous level, he helped me to my feet and turned off the shower. He grabbed a towel and started drying me off. "Are you okay?" he asked.

I didn't think I could speak, so I just nodded and he chuckled as he dried himself off next. Stepping forward, I reached up and took his face in my hands. My thumbs caressed over his short beard and it tickled against my skin.

He stopped moving and looked at me.

"I love you," I breathed.

Dropping the towel, he pulled me into his arms and hugged me. His face buried into the curve of my shoulder and he breathed in. "Angela?"

I nuzzled his shoulder. "Yeah?"

"Will you bind with me?"

That question took my breath away.

Talking about it was one thing. It told me he wanted me –- loved me that much in such a short amount of time. But I thought talking was just that. Thought he would still want to wait.

I knew how upset he was that his mind was hijacked by the ghost of a little boy that was under the control of _her_. But the supernatural world was still in shambles. And it was full of danger.

Tears leaked from my eyes and I smiled into his shoulder. "Are you sure? I mean, you want to do it now?"

He pulled back and his hands lifted to my face to wipe away my tears. While his hazel eyes searched mine, he smiled. "I've wanted to bind with you almost since I met you. What difference would it make if we did it now, or if we waited?"

I shrugged.

"Right. But if we're bound and _she_ tries to take over my body again, it wouldn't work. The bind would never allow it. Without it, she was too powerful to suppress the drive to protect you. So, as long as you're okay with it, I see no reason why we need to wait."

My lip trembled and I couldn't figure out how to form words. Fresh tears fell from my eyes as I stared into his.

How in the hell did I get so lucky?

The smile faded from his face and his aura shifted from red to gray and dark blue. They swirled together like a thunderstorm in the fall. "Well, will you?" He waited a few more moments and panicked. "A simple yes or no would do—"

"Yes, Salvatore."

White bled into his aura, but the gray and dark blue remained. "You hesitated."

I shook my head. "I couldn't talk, that's different. Listen to me, Salvatore. You are my home. And I love you. More than I ever thought possible. If you want to bind with me, I'll happily do it. Right here, right now. No hesitations. You are _mine_."

By the time I finished speaking, my wolf's aura was back to red, but then orange creeped in around the edges with my last words and his eyes widened for an instant before narrowing.

"If I didn't know better, I would say you think of me as your mate. Are you sure you're not a werewolf?"

I shrugged. "I've felt like this for a while now." Then I sighed and grinned, "I guess we'll find out at the next full moon."

He grinned back at me. "You're not going to turn. We would have seen changes by now."

"So what do we do?"

He led the way out of the shower and I followed. Grinning back at me, he said, "Are you squeamish around blood?"

"Nope. I'm not a big fan of pain though." As I said those words, I realized I wasn't hurting any more. I wasn't even sore.

What the hell?

While Salvatore picked up his travel bag on the counter, I looked at my reflection in the mirror. My first chance to look at the extent of the damage.

And then I froze.

I looked ... fine. My head tipped back and I ran my fingers over the smooth skin on my neck. "Holy shit."

Salvatore looked up at me in the reflection of the mirror. "What's wrong?"

"How hurt was I when I was attacked? I could have died, right?"

"Yeah, if Jon didn't give you a little blood."

"Should I be healed already? I didn't even wake up until a little while ago."

"He probably gave you a few extra drops, but no, I'm not entirely surprised with the rest of your enhancements." His eyes turned yellow, dropped to rake over me, and I shivered. " _Which I really enjoy, by the way_." His words were half groan, half growl.

I knew what he meant. _Others'_ energies were higher, and could regenerate faster than humans. That meant that if I was normal, I wouldn't be able to keep up with his sexual appetite.

But up to that point, my energy met his without any signs of slowing. And considering how many times he could push me over the edge with pleasure, I could regenerate fast enough that I didn't get sore in the process.

I grinned back at him. "I enjoy that too." It sounded like a purr and he growled his approval before turning back to his search. He pulled out a straight razor, pulled it open, and I gulped. "I take it you're not planning on shaving my legs with that."

He shook with suppressed laughter. "It's not that bad, I promise."

"Alright, do you know how we are supposed to do this?"

"I took the liberty of looking it up at the library after I ... _convinced_ that Kramer Scholar to talk."

He just admitted he violated a rule. The neutrality system operated on a basis that assistance needed to be requested. If he wanted to know something, he _should_ have asked. I didn't care. But that wouldn't stop me from teasing him. So I narrowed my eyes at him. "Thief."

He grinned, unashamed. "It's kind of like a blood brothers ritual. A small cut on each palm. Then we put our hands together. I'll say the binding, and then you say it back."

"Okay," I said and held out my hand. I felt like I was hooked up to a car battery with all the anticipation flowing through my veins. If binding with Salvatore would be anything like what Aisling described, _a very intense supernatural wedding_ wouldn't come close to describing what would happen.

He must have felt the same anticipation, because his eyes were yellow and he was looking at me with a hunger that made my toes curl. And he was practically throbbing with need. I wondered if he ever wasn't ready.

"You must have significant issues with priapism."

He snorted but didn't say anything. Then he took my hand and led me to the bed. When we sat down, he finally spoke. "I'm getting used to it. Though, I don't get nearly as sore as I did before."

Light blue swirled with the red in his aura and his eyes twinkled with humor. I flushed and grinned. "I sincerely apologize for that. How will I ever make it up to you and the ache I caused?" I pouted.

He laughed, low and throaty and then leveled his yellow eyes on me. "I'm sure you'll think of something."

My eyes dropped lower on his body. I licked my lips, letting him know exactly what I had in mind. And then I forced my eyes to drag back up to his. "You're damn right I will," I purred.

His aura was engulfed in red and lit up like a bomb went off at my words and he growled.

I held out my hand and looked at him innocently. "Ready to get started?"

### Chapter 42

"Woman, you are going to drive me crazy," Salvatore said, low, and then turned his attention to my outstretched hand. Pulling out the blade, he made a quick slice across my palm and I hissed.

"Ow!"

His aura swirled with red and light blue. "Don't be a baby," he grinned.

I narrowed my eyes at him. "You're right. That wasn't that bad. Please don't tell me I have to cut your palm."

My werewolf chuckled. "Are you afraid you'll hurt me?"

Dropping my eyes, I said, "I don't want to hurt you."

He smiled, bringing my attention back up to his face and I forgot why I looked away. "It's okay, I can do it." He lifted his hand and sliced the blade across his palm without even wincing. Then he closed the blade and set it on the table next to him.

His palm pressed against mine and tingles shot up my arm. "With my blood, I bind myself to you, Angela. From this moment forward, I am yours and you are _mine_."

The tingles spread across my body and started to increase with intensity. I swallowed and said, "With my blood, I bind myself to you, Salvatore. From this moment forward, I am yours and you are _mine_."

By the time I finished speaking, the tingles were almost painful with the intensity and I was gripping Salvatore's hand like he was a lifeline. And, in a way, he was.

I barely noticed that the throb in my palm stopped, and I hardly registered that the cut healed before I let go of Salvatore's hand and flung myself on him. My hands gripped the sides of his neck and I kissed him, hard, not caring if my hand was still bloody.

Without breaking away from the kiss, I pushed him back on the bed, let go of him, and reached for his arms, which were already wrapped around me. I pushed them over his head and held them there.

He was perfectly capable of overpowering me, but he was playing along and kept his arms where they were. I pulled back slowly, pulling his bottom lip between my teeth and biting down a little. He groaned and his arms stiffened but stayed where he was.

I let go of his lip. "Stay," I growled, and then started working my way down his body. I tasted as much of his flawless skin as I could, enjoying every moment of it. And he tasted as good as he looked.

While I moved, I let my breasts glide over his skin and that just seemed to rile him up even more. And I wasn't afraid to drag my teeth over him either. I had a feeling I knew what would work the best and I was saving that for last. As long as he let me take the lead, that was.

I worked him in my fist while I kept moving, mostly because I couldn't resist. And by the time I made it to his hips, they were writhing under their own accord. Smiling, inwardly, I bit his hip and he arched up with a shaky groan.

"Angela," he warned.

I grinned and made my way to his other hip. Then I bit down in time with my hand and he cried out with another powerful arch of his hips.

He hissed as I released his hip and I looked up at him. His aura was flaming with red and his yellow eyes were locked on mine. His hands were even clenched into fists.

Without bothering to tease him further, I took him in my mouth as far as I could and he cried out, shuddering as he tried to keep his hips from rising.

His hands moved to my head and I growled, letting him feel my teeth. He groaned again and let me go, but he deserved more of a punishment than that. I released him and straddled him faster than I thought possible and impaled myself on him in the next moment.

He didn't hold back the arch of his hips that time and I nearly came from the intensity of it. When his hips hit the bed again, I ground against him and I let out a breathless gasp. He groaned and his hands went to my hips.

I grabbed his wrists and leaned forward until my weight was on them, pressing them into the bed on either side of his head. "Stay," I growled. "Or I'm just going to keep torturing you. Do you want me to keep torturing you?" For emphasis, I ground against him again and he shoved his head back into the mattress.

"No," he hissed.

"Good. Can I let you go? Or do I need to hold you down."

"I'll behave," he moaned as I moved over him again.

I sat back and pulled him up with me. He kept his hands down and his yellow eyes stayed locked on mine. I grinned devilishly, held on to his neck, and started moving again.

The sensation was so intense that it didn't take long for me to near the edge. A groan escaped Salvatore as he sensed it and his eyes stayed focused on my face.

I was close. So damned close. " _Oh, god, Salvatore. Touch me_."

His hands shot up to my breasts and kneaded them as he rolled their sensitive tips between his thumbs and forefingers, in just the way I loved. It was nearly my undoing, but I held on just a little bit longer.

I kissed him, hard and he groaned as his hands shot to my hips to help increase the friction. I cried out into his mouth and tore away, throwing my head back as I crashed around him harder than I thought possible.

He leaned forward and took my nipple in his mouth, teasing with his tongue but I barely noticed. I was still mindless.

But then he bit me gently and I crashed again. He let me calm, but I still couldn't stop moving. I didn't want to stop. Ever. It felt way too damn good.

Once my mind returned, he lifted his head and I kept my attention on his face. I took my time, ravaging his mouth, teasing him with my teeth against his tongue and on his lips.

But I wasn't immune to my actions. The intensity and the frequency of my pleasure didn't stop, but my focus changed and it was all about him. And what I could do to bring him closer to the edge.

His breathing increased and I could feel him tensing under me, and I knew it was time. I pulled away from his mouth and trailed my mouth down his jaw. By the time I reached his neck, he was nearly there.

My werewolf grabbed my hips to help direct my movements and I bit the curve of his shoulder on the next grind and he screamed, throwing his head back with his release.

And I followed immediately after.

But that was only the beginning.

### Chapter 43

I lost all sense of time while we were together. It was like nothing else mattered. Because nothing did. I existed only for him. To hear his cries, taste his mouth, and feel his skin against mine.

Before I met Salvatore, I wasn't inexperienced, but I wasn't exactly well versed in all things sex, either. I didn't know I liked so many of the things that he enjoyed.

Who knew I would like the feel of teeth in the curve of my shoulder? Who knew I would like the sound of his growls so much? Or when he would stalk me like prey.

But even though I loved those things with Salvatore, I knew, deep down, I wouldn't have enjoyed it with anyone else. It was like Salvatore woke something within me that responded only to him. Needed only him.

Because I was his. And he was _mine_.

It felt like we went forever after we bound ourselves together. And yet, it only felt like a few minutes. Who knew? As a human, I could still meet his insatiable need and still crave for more.

Though I felt it for a few days, whatever it was that was happening to me, either those enhancements that made me more like a wolf without actually being one, or my talents as a combination of clairvoyant, Shamaness, and Siren, I wasn't just a human. I wasn't _other_ , but I was different enough that I didn't count myself as a human.

With as different as I was, I still felt like I was home. With Salvatore. With my best friend. Even the vampires, ghouls, and the ghost of the little boy I adopted. I felt more at home as whatever I was, than I ever did as a human.

But when I woke up less than an hour after I fell asleep in Salvatore's arms, something was different.

My skin was practically crawling off me. It was an uncontrollable need to get out into the open air and just ... run. Three days passed since my last run, and it was cut short by a bunch of crazed wraiths and a Cleanser that wanted to kill me.

I slipped out of bed as smoothly as I could, and amazed even myself when I didn't wake Salvatore in the process. He was probably exhausted after everything that happened over the last day. I was surprised I wasn't.

While I pulled on matching black yoga pants, a tank top with built in sport bra, tennis shoes, and my last athletic jacket, I debated whether or not to take the gun, but decided I would rather have it.

I slipped it inside the waistband of my pants, and grabbed my phone and earbuds as I slipped out the door. It took every ounce of will I had to force myself to keep from running through the house.

Vampires didn't exactly sleep on a schedule, but from what I saw and from the information in the vault, they were less active near dawn, and that morning was no exception. They were still milling about, but they didn't pay me any attention as I slipped soundlessly through the house.

I was expecting one of them to stop me, but nothing happened.

My speed increased as I caught sight of the front door.

"Hi, Angela!" Peter's voice chirped.

I stopped and turned to him. "Hey, kid," I managed. "Did you have fun playing?"

The sound of his giggle hit me, but he didn't move. "Shadow's funny."

Despite the uncomfortable urge to run, I couldn't help but melt at his little laugh. "I hear he can be. Did you convince Liam to play too?"

"Yep, and I made sure he got nice and dirty, too. Just like Connor said." He puffed his chest out with pride.

I blinked. Salvatore was right. He was going to have everyone wrapped around his little finger in no time. For Liam to not only play catch with the ghost of a little boy and a massive white werewolf, but to allow himself to get dirty, especially when he valued his appearance above all else, spoke volumes to the character of the old vampire.

He prided himself on power and control, and his careful exterior amplified that. But he cared. That much was obvious. He was willing to sacrifice everything for Aisling, and by extension, me. He conceded power even to me when he wasn't obligated to do so.

To play with Peter and no doubt ruin his expensive suit in the process made me wonder if the vampire ever had any children, either in life or after death, since male vampires could have children with women that were alive. The man would make a good father.

"Nice work, Peter," I beamed at him. I wanted to hug him, but remembered what would happen if I touched him and my heart sank.

I could see it in his pale eyes too. Salvatore was right again. I was the one that adopted him and told him I would be his new mother. He was looking at me with an admiration that made me melt.

Kneeling down in front of him, I was a little shorter than his four foot height, but I still met his eyes. "Listen, Peter. I know this isn't ideal, but I have an idea. If you can be patient, I think we might be able to come up with a solution so this—" I gestured at the space between us "—so it doesn't have to be a problem."

His lip trembled. "I'm just happy to not be alone anymore."

Damn that kid is adorable.

"You have a home now. With me, Salvatore, and all of our friends. You don't have to worry about being alone again, okay?"

He smiled, but I could still see the overwhelming relief on his face.

I stood up. "I'm going to go for a run, see if you can't find someone awake and not otherwise occupied and ask if they'll play with you for a while. I need to order books for you before we can start school." I made a mental note to get him some toys, too.

"Okay," he said, and then chewed on his lip.

"What's up?"

"Angela?"

It took me a moment, but I realized what he was asking me. I forced myself to keep from reaching out to him. "Peter, you can call me whatever you want. If you change your mind and want to call me something else at any point, that's fine too."

He nodded and I made my way to the door.

"See you later, little man."

By the time I closed the front door behind me, I let out a sigh of relief. The cool, early December air hit my face and I took a deep breath. I cued up my playlist and put in my earbuds. Then I ran off into the pre-dawn morning.

While I ran, I thought. It was just my way of processing things. I couldn't keep putting off what was happening in the _Spirit Realm_. The ghosts' world was crumbling around them and they were losing their minds in the process.

All because some crazy bitch wanted to be more powerful.

I knew time was running out, and over two days passed since Bugs last took me to their realm. Waiting wasn't an option.

Releasing the ghosts from her control wasn't going to be very hard, since I was a Siren. I hoped. But getting her out of the realm and fortifying its walls was a different story. That was something I was still confused about.

If my ability to do that was locked in my mind and body, then hopefully all I needed to do was open myself up and let it happen. _Believe_ it would happen.

Salvatore gave me that ability. To just let my mind clear. To not worry about anything else but being in the moment and let it happen without pushing it behind a wall.

If there was ever going to be a time when I would be ready for such a battle, it was then. After the binding.

I would finish my run. And then I would put a stop to it, and make sure that bitch couldn't hurt anyone in that realm ever again.

It didn't matter to me where I was running. I just needed to run a little longer before I would go back. I paced myself with the beat of the music, and followed my instincts through the streets until I reached the park. I took the Friends Trail and started sprinting.

Running as fast as my legs could carry me through the uneven terrain made me feel more at ease with myself since I first woke up. And then I skidded to a stop and terror washed over me.

I wasn't paying attention. I was running to the beat, but wasn't paying attention to how many steps I took in between. Without a way to know how far I actually ran, I knew Liam's house was on the Southeast side of Brown County State Park.

I made it to the North side.

The park took up over twenty square miles.

And the first song just finished playing.

"Oh, _fuck_."

### Chapter 44

"Angela?"

I froze as the sound of Salvatore's angry voice reached me from behind. The cool winter breeze was at my face, so it made sense I didn't smell him first. I pulled the earbuds away and turned off the music before I turned to face him.

Keeping my eyes down and my lashes low, I hoped to keep from angering my wolf. "I'm sorry I left without you, but you were sleeping."

He took a step forward and I saw his aura was green. I winced. "You should have asked someone else to come with you. You know how dangerous it is out here."

"I wasn't thinking. I just needed to run. I don't really know why. It's like my skin is crawling."

"Look at me, Angela."

I steeled myself and lifted my gaze.

He sucked in a breath and his eyes widened. "Jesus, Angela. Your eyes."

I tilted my head. "My eyes?"

"They're ice blue."

Oh, shit.

"Am I—"

"This shouldn't happen. It's like you're turning, but not."

"What does that mean?"

"If you were turning, nothing would physically change until the first full moon. Do you realize how fast you were running?"

I nodded, still in disbelief. "I didn't until I stopped. So I'm not turning?"

"I don't think so. If everything else started all at once after I attacked you, then I would say yes. But I've never seen anything like this before. Partial changes are so uncommon anyway. And you still don't have an aura."

"So why are my eyes different right now?"

"If it's anything like what happens to me — and if you were a wolf — I would say something has excited you or you're going through bloodlust."

"Bloodlust?"

"The need to hunt. It would explain why you needed to run so much you thought your skin was crawling. It also explains your speed and why you ended up in the park. But it still doesn't make any sense."

He was standing in front of me, looking mouthwatering as always, with his faded and ripped jeans, black tank top, and gray jacket. I wanted to tear off his clothes and ravage him.

Salvatore sighed. "Look, if you need to run then let's run together. It'll help you feel better. I'll even let you chase me, if that's what you want." He grinned devilishly at me and a rumble sounded in my chest that left him grinning wider at me.

His aura shifted to red and his voice deepened. "Yeah, that's exactly what you want." His eyes yellowed and he licked his lips.

I balled my hands into fists to keep myself from moving toward him. But I let my head dip forward a little.

"Tell you what?" he continued. "If you can catch me, I'll see to it you're screaming my name before I'm through with you."

My control snapped and I rushed toward him, but I wasn't watching his hips. He feigned to the side as I whizzed past him, and then he broke out into a run. But I was right behind him.

He left the trail near the big tulip tree and worked his way through the thick brush, vaulting over fallen trees and branches with ease. But I was faster.

I saw the hurdles and navigated them as if I knew the path better than the back of my hand. And I was still gaining on him by the time he entered a clearing.

Barely noticing that it was Aisling's clearing, I refocused on my target. Salvatore was trying to use the space to his advantage and outrun me by his strides alone, but I was still faster.

We ran by a wooden bridge that arched over a creek to our right. Then I leapt onto his back before he passed the fire pit. I tackled him to the ground, fighting. I clawed at him, ripping his gray hooded jacket and nearly drawing blood as I tried to fight for dominance and pin him to the ground.

I barely noticed the ripping noise as Salvatore wrenched my jacket open and ran his hands over me, but that just made me fight harder. Grabbing his wrists, I used my legs to throw him off me and then I rolled on top him, putting my knees on his elbows and leaning forward until all my weight was on his arms.

He grinned at me and knocked me off balance as he wrenched his arms free and I fell to the side. His body was on top of mine in the next instant and I tried to claw at him again, but he caught my wrists and shoved them over my head with one hand.

Salvatore's other hand traveled down my side and hitched my leg up, changing the angle his body pressed against mine and I gasped from the friction.

My eyes narrowed but I stopped trying to fight him. "I still caught you," I breathed. And then I pulled my hands free. They reached up, grabbed his face, and pulled him down to kiss me. He met my need with a kiss that forced me to growl so loud, I wasn't sure if it was guttural scream.

Without taking his mouth off mine, he shifted up on his knees, he was suddenly too far away from me. I tried to catch his hips with my legs, but he wouldn't budge.

Before I realized what he was doing, his hand slipped under the fabric of my yoga pants and went straight for my sweet spot. I cried out into his mouth and arched my back, trying to increase the friction against his fingers as they circled my clitoris.

He pulled away in the next instant, breaking all contact from me and flipped me over before I could protest. With my knees beneath me and my ass in the air, he took full advantage of the situation and pulled my pants down past my hips, dropping the pistol to the side, but still within reach.

Reaching around, his fingers started working in slow, agonizing circles around my clitoris again and I clawed at the ground, growling and urging him on.

His fingers never stopped moving as the sound of a zipper opening hit my ears. Then he moved forward and impaled me as his teeth clamped down on my shoulder.

I came, hard, with lights exploding behind my eyes. And, true to his word, I was screaming his name as the wave washed over me.

But it sounded more like a howl.

### Chapter 45

Not long after, we both collapsed to the ground, panting from exertion. Salvatore's face was dimly lit from the early morning light and his smile, combined with his glowing red aura made my heart melt.

Damn, I'm one lucky girl.

I slid closer and nuzzled his chest, breathing in his intoxicating scent of woods and rain. He wrapped his arms around me and hugged me. His skin was always so warm. I loved being in his arms.

As his aura bled with light blue, he chuckled and said, "I can't believe you ripped my jacket and clawed me. I liked this jacket."

I smiled into his chest. "You made me chase you. And it's not like you haven't destroyed some of my clothes, too."

His aura shifted to orange. "Do you realize you are faster than I am?"

I snorted, "You weren't running at full speed. I've seen you that fast. My eyes couldn't keep up."

"I was running at full speed. You were still faster. And you ran all the way here from Liam's in just a few minutes."

Shivering, I moved to my feet and fixed my clothes as Salvatore stayed on the ground. He took his time, deliberately letting me watch as he put himself back to rights and then put his arms behind his head, grinning. He was unaffected by the cold.

My arms crossed in front of my chest. I let out a shaky breath, but I didn't feel like crying. I couldn't name what I was feeling. "So I am turning."

"I don't have any idea what's happening with you. If you cast an aura, this wouldn't even be a discussion. It's like you've been a wolf for a long time. But you're not. I haven't even seen or heard of another wolf that can partially change like I can."

I chewed on my lip and watched him.

He shrugged. "Maybe that's all you'll do. The heightened senses, speed, and regenerative properties. The eyes when you're excited. I've never seen anything like it. But Connor's right. Anything's possible."

I sank to my knees and faintly registered the cold ground. So much happened in five days, I could barely wrap my head around it. I was an intensely powerful Shamaness with clairvoyant tendencies, and a Siren call in my voice. But it didn't end there. I not only _thought_ like a werewolf, but I was slowly becoming one. Without actually turning.

Salvatore sat up. His hands reached up to my shoulders and he leveled his gaze on mine. "What are you thinking?"

I sighed. "I need to find out if I still have power to save the _Spirit Realm_. And what about Peter?"

"What about Peter? He's not going anywhere. Even if you somehow lost your power — which I doubt, considering you've been developing these traits for a while now — I don't see him wanting to leave. I saw the look on his face. He needs this. He needs you."

"You saw us talking?"

"I came upstairs thinking you might've gone to the library. I saw you kneel in front of him. Trust me, he's not going anywhere. And as far as the _Spirit Realm_ is concerned, we need to find Bugs when we get back to make sure, but I don't think you're going to lose that part of you."

"Why do you think that?"

"It's in your blood. Your mind. You're in tune with it. Otherwise you wouldn't be what you are. Being _other_ doesn't change who you are inside."

Though I was still worried that I was turning, and that my power to help the ghosts and restore their realm would fade, Salvatore's words made sense. And I couldn't help but smile at him.

He always could break through my walls, even my mental barriers, and saw what was really going on. And he knew how to get me to drop them. But it was more than that. He knew exactly what to say to make me feel better, too.

"What did I ever do to deserve you?" I asked.

But it wasn't Salvatore that answered.

"Oh, how cute is this?" A voice sounded from behind me. Downwind. I knew that voice.

Salvatore was on his feet before I moved. He positioned himself between me and Nicholas, partially blocking his view of me.

I smiled inwardly at what my mate was doing, and, as gracefully as I could, picked up the Glock while I moved to my feet. Stepping to the side and flipping the safety off, I raised the gun and pointed it at Nicholas's chest.

He eyed the gun and grinned at me, letting me see his teeth. His aura was blazing with green and I could feel the anger rolling off him.

But what really caught me was the look in his eyes. Pure, hatred poured from them as he glared at me. I didn't know him, and he didn't know me. Other than our brief encounter, he thought he knew me well enough to hate me?

His undying belief in the Cleansers and what they stood for could only account for that kind of hatred.

Some people just never learn.

"Well, isn't that sweet? Sorry to tell you this, honey, but that isn't going to do you much good here."

"I hate to break it to _you_ , but this thing loaded with iron bullets. And I happen to be an excellent shot."

I wasn't sure if I was lying. The last time I shot a gun was when I was about ten years old, but the mechanics were the same, and the weight of the gun felt right in my hand. So I believed my aim wasn't much changed.

"Even so, I doubt that gun has enough bullets — iron or not — to take down thirteen were-animals."

Salvatore stiffened as the rest of the men stepped into the clearing. I could hear them from all sides of the clearing, but I wasn't about to look away from Nicholas.

The man to my right was stepping closer in my peripheral vision. Too close for comfort. Without looking away from Nicholas, I swung my arm out to the side and fired the gun. Right through his expensive cowboy boot.

The shot rang out into the clearing, but it wasn't nearly as loud as I anticipated. Cowboy howled in pain as he hopped on one foot and backed away from me. I swung my arm back at Nicholas and aimed lower. "I don't want to kill any of you. But I will if I have to. And I'll start by shooting you in the balls, Nicholas."

Gray seeped into his aura and I smiled at him, showing him my teeth.

That's right, buddy. I'm one bitch you don't want to threaten.

"Back. The fuck. Up," I growled.

A few of the men in the clearing froze for an instant at the sound of my voice. But two of them behind us were trying to inch closer, moving soundlessly over the half-frozen ground. They smelled faintly of wet dog and the woods, which explained why I didn't realize they were there until moments before.

And then, as if by some invisible signal, they moved at full speed toward us.

### Chapter 46

True to my word, I shot Nicholas in the groin first, and then I pivoted and shot the next man closest to us. I was careful enough to shoot them in places that would prevent them from fighting, but not kill them. I knew they wouldn't show me the same courtesy.

Their howls of pain filled the otherwise silent clearing, but that didn't stop me or Salvatore from defending ourselves. And they weren't about to stop attacking us either.

Though the crack of the gun going off wasn't what a normal semi-automatic pistol sounded like. It was quieter. I was afraid it might still attract attention. It was still early in the morning, but not so early that some people wouldn't already be in the park.

Salvatore stayed human, mostly. His hands elongated with sharp claws and his face shifted to his wolf as he slashed and snarled at the men moving toward us.

My increased speeds also gave my eyes a better focus. I could see them moving as if those blinding speeds were perfectly normal for me. But despite my eyes and my increased strength, I was still no match for those men. They were trained fighters, and much stronger than I was.

I didn't want them getting any closer to me or Salvatore if I could help it. But twelve rounds remained. And I wasn't sure that would be enough to stop them. It could slow them down, giving us a chance to run.

As skilled as Salvatore was, he couldn't fight all nine men that were focused on me.

Another shot hit one of the two that smelled like wet dog in the knee and he crumpled to the ground, but the man I shot through his expensive cowboy boot was already starting to amble closer to me.

Dammit, Nicholas was right.

Iron bullets or not, it wasn't enough.

"Salvatore?"

"Just keep doing what you're doing," he gritted as he slashed at the throat of the man he reached next. His aura swirled with green, right along with the rest of them. "Don't let them get close enough to touch you. You hear me?"

"I hear you," I growled and fired the gun at the next man. There was movement to my left and I spun around, shooting the gun again in the stomach of a man wearing a green flannel shirt.

There was a whoosh of air and I instinctively dropped to the ground as something sailed over me and crashed into Salvatore.

"Salvatore!" I cried, but Nicholas and my mate were already rolling on the ground, throwing punches and kicks, trying to gain the upper hand.

My mate's teeth and claws were to his advantage since he was partially shifted, but Nicholas was still a skilled fighter. His blows were still landing. I could tell by the stiffness in Salvatore's shoulders that he was in pain, but he wasn't showing any other signs of it.

With nine iron bullets left, I shot each man still standing on his feet and then dropped the gun. I sprinted as fast as I could and lunged into the two werewolves, still fighting. I landed, hard, and the force of it knocked the wind out of my lungs as pain exploded across my face.

I wrapped my arms around the waist of the werewolf I collided with, but I couldn't quite tell who it was, because all I could smell was the blood coming from my broken nose. Then I used the last of my momentum to my advantage and rolled, pulling him along with me until they separated.

Using every ounce of strength that remained, I tossed him to the side as I rolled and finally came to a stop.

Nicholas snarled from that direction and I realized he was the one I threw aside. He didn't like that much.

Good.

I sprang to my feet as he moved to attack Salvatore again.

_You are_ not _going to hurt my mate_.

Nicholas crashed into me and took me to the ground. He seemed pleased with the tradeoff and used both his weight and strength to his advantage.

Pinning me to the ground by the weight of his body, I could still use my hands. I punched him as hard as I could in the temple with my left hand and he snarled, spraying spittle in my face.

He snapped his teeth together and then closed his hands over my throat, cutting off my air.

Grunts sounded from behind me and I realized why Salvatore wasn't throwing himself on Nicholas. They caught him. The rest of the men in the clearing were shot, so they were injured. That could only mean one thing. Either Salvatore was too injured to fight them, or several healed enough to catch him.

I punched Nicholas again and he snarled. Then I switched tactics as blackness started to bleed into my vision. He took an iron bullet in the groin. He probably wasn't fully healed yet.

Slipping my hand between us, I grabbed as much as I could through the front of his pants and twisted.

Nicholas howled in pain and leapt off me. I gulped in air, but didn't stay on the ground. After I moved to my feet, I didn't wait for Nicholas to attack me again. I turned around and ran towards Salvatore.

There were three of them, bleeding from various wounds on their bodies as they held my mate by both arms and his waist.

He looked weakened, but he was still struggling against their hold. I leveled my gaze on the man holding Salvatore's left arm and ran headlong toward him.

The idiot let go of Salvatore's arm in anticipation of my impact and then I shifted my body to the right as my mate's elbow connected with the man's face. He hit the ground as I collided with the one holding Salvatore's right arm. I didn't slow my momentum and the impact forced the man off his feet.

I landed in a heap on top of him and then scrambled to my knees, pinning his shoulders beneath them. Then I punched him. One shot after another until his face was bloody and he went limp.

His aura was a dim green and gray. He'd survive.

Salvatore was struggling against the hold of the last man, but couldn't free himself from the hold. I kicked out, shattering the man's knee in the process and both men fell to the ground with a thud.

Salvatore landed an elbow to his gut, knocking out any air that might have remained in his lungs after the impact. Before he could do anything more than spin around, Nicholas was already there and kicked him in the face.

His body went limp and fell on top of the man still struggling for air.

I snarled and lunged, but Nicholas was ready for me. His fist swung out and connected with my temple in the next instant.

Lights exploded behind my eyes.

And then everything went black.

### Chapter 47

I was surrounded by darkness. A cold, wet place that seemed infinite. I wasn't sure if I was dead, or just unconscious. But my heart ached just the same.

Though I tried, I couldn't help Salvatore for long enough. I still failed. Fighting against thirteen _others_ — whatever they were — proved to be too much for Salvatore and I to handle, and that failure would result in my death, if I wasn't already dead.

They didn't seem to want Salvatore to die, and I hoped that they wouldn't kill him as punishment for trying to defend his mate.

That was all I had left.

Hope.

Cleansers wanted me dead just for being black. Who I was. A different race than Salvatore. It only added fuel to the flames that I wasn't _other_. Even if I was a werewolf, they would never give up until I was dead.

To them, there was no other option. Once a werewolf chose its mate, it was never going back. It didn't matter there was an Earthen — an Earthen we knew — Salvatore chose me as his mate and Cleansers wouldn't stop until I was dead.

I didn't know those men as well as Salvatore, but they seemed like the type of men that would want the female end of the equation taken care of, not the male. Or at least the person that was the least powerful would end up dead.

My only wish was that Salvatore would survive, and wouldn't be ruined by my loss. I hoped Peter would be alright without me. That the rest of my friends would take care of him. Most of all, I hoped Aisling would survive everything working against her and finally make the supernatural world right again.

The best thing that ever happened to me was my best friend. I loved her like family was supposed to love each other. Her friendship brought me to Salvatore. Gave me a home.

I always thought I would do anything to protect my best friend. It turned out she wasn't the only one I was willing to die for, if it meant I could protect them.

They were worth the sacrifice.

I just hoped that my sacrifice would be enough.

If I wasn't dead yet, I would be. Soon.

"Angela." The sound of Bugs's voice reached me from the darkness.

"Bugs," I breathed. "It's good to hear your voice. Am I dead?"

"No, you are unconscious. I pulled you into the _Dream Realm_."

The air rushed out of my lungs with relief. "So I still have power?"

"You still have not unlocked your potential. You are close. But we don't have much time. The walls are cracking and wraiths are getting through. Ghost King is lost beneath _her_ power. We have to stop this. Now."

"How can you get me there? You're not with me."

"Your power allows me to enter your mind, so I can find you without a physical connection. Open your mind, Angela. Be ready to end this."

Without warning, I was yanked from the darkness and would have thrown up if I was in my body with as fast as I was dragged from one realm to the next.

I blinked and suddenly I was standing in an alley lit by that same eerie sepia light. Like the sun was permanently at the cusp of twilight, just setting over the horizon. Deep shadows cast over everything and even the bits of trash that littered the dirty street looked devoid of most of their color.

The _Spirit Realm_.

Thick clouds that swirled with the beginnings of a storm darkened the sky and the wind picked up. I could hear what sounded to my ears like explosions, but ... not. It sounded like big things were crumbling.

Surrounding buildings were too close together for me to see beyond the alley, but I had the distinct feeling that the realm was caving in on itself, not just the metaphysical walls between realms.

Emma — Dead Girl — popped into view right in front of me and I flinched. It was like someone turned on a light switch and there she was, standing there like she was there the whole time.

I turned and found Bugs standing about a yard behind me. His glowing green eyes locked with mine and he nodded.

It was still hard for me to grasp that the mythical creature — the living, breathing, and majestic Sphinx that stood before me — was one and the same as my cat.

Turning my attention back to Emma, I asked, "How do I fix this?"

"I do not know how," her ethereal voice reached me without moving a muscle in her face. "But you must break her connection, recall the wraiths, and fortify the walls so she cannot return."

I felt something, deep in my stomach that told me I needed to find _her_ , the bitch behind it. "Is she here?"

"She cannot cross into this realm. Not like you can," Bugs answered from behind me.

"But her essence is here, right? I mean she's controlling ghosts and breaking the walls, so she's got to have parts of herself here."

Emma blinked. "Yes."

"So where is she the most potent?"

"Ghost King," Bugs said, raising his head.

"Yes," Emma nodded.

"Take me to him. This ends now."

We followed Emma, gliding about a foot off the dirty pavement while Bugs walked soundlessly beside me. "Is there anything you can do here but observe?" I asked the Sphinx.

"There are some things I can do, but I am merely a guide and a bridge. I can fight, but it would do nothing but buy a bit of time. I cannot kill a ghost."

"But I can? How is that?"

"It is one of the few talents a Shaman can possess. Your power is beyond anything I've ever seen. I've seen Shamans incapacitate ghosts for a short time, like freezing them, but you are the first to destroy them by your touch."

"Is there any way I can control that? To _not_ kill them by touch."

He nodded, which looked strange on his massive body. "You are thinking of the boy."

"You met him?"

Nodding again, he went on, "I enjoyed making Peter giggle as I chased a flashlight for his benefit."

I grinned. Bugs was never one for playfulness, even before I found out what he really was. Peter was quite the kid, if he could get the several thousand year old Sphinx to play a cat game with him.

The fact that he said Peter's name also told me he trusted Emma with the knowledge of his existence. But then I frowned.

I didn't know if I would survive the war in the realm, or the Cleansers. So I switched back on topic. "Can she hurt you?"

"If her power is strong enough, she can push me from this place. She made me invisible when I brought you through the first time. She was monitoring the main gate."

"How did she do that?"

"She felt us pass through, but beyond that I do not know. That is why I bring you through back doors now."

"We are getting close," Emma's voice hit us as if she were walking between us and not a few yards ahead.

I recognized where we were headed. The town square wasn't far. But when we rounded the last corner, my stomach flipped uncomfortably and fear washed over me.

Ghost King, the same one that tried to kill me the last time Bugs brought me to the realm, was smiling at me with an impossibly wide grin. His teeth were jagged and there were blue veins on his face. He wore a torn, hooded white robe. But something else was the most disturbing.

Intelligence beyond anything I saw from other ghosts looked out at me from dead, gray eyes.

_She_ was in there.

I moved a little further into the square before the mouth of Ghost King opened and he screamed. His voice seemed to come from every direction and it bounced off the buildings and traveled back to us in a sound I never heard before and hoped to never hear again.

Piercing screams hit my ears so powerfully that I was forced to cover my ears and close my eyes as hard as I could. Just so my head wouldn't explode from its intensity

Then the scream died away and I looked up.

I didn't expect what I saw.

Emma was gone. But that didn't even register as a concern for me.

The manticore statue was leaning toward me with its scorpion tail facing the opposite direction. And its head wasn't focused on the buildings to my left like it was before. Its arms were lower, and extended out toward me. The head was still cradled in its hands and, though it was frozen like a statue should be, it was both focused on me, and snarling. Showing its teeth.

I tried to keep from allowing my terror to overwhelm me. Then, I blinked and my stomach fell. As if they appeared out of nowhere, Salvatore, Aisling, Connor, and Liam were in front of that manticore's fountain. Just beneath its severed head.

They were on their knees and bound. With their eyes on me. Begging me to help them.

### Chapter 48

I didn't know how she did it, but that bitch dragged my closest friends into the _Spirit Realm_. Whatever she planned to do with them, I didn't know. But whatever it was, it couldn't be good.

Rage washed over me as I took in the brilliant gray auras of my best friend, her mate, and my werewolf. I could see the fear in Liam's eyes, which was saying something.

He might not have an aura because he was undead, but he never betrayed his emotions. If he looked scared, it meant he was downright terrified.

And then it hit me.

They were hauled into the realm. Not only were their minds not equipped to even be in such a place, but they were dragged from their bodies without a guide like Bugs to help them across.

When my mother pushed me from my body, I would have been lost forever in the _Spirit Realm_ if it wasn't for Bugs. I was a Shamaness, and he, a Sphinx. It made it possible for him to bring me back. But it still required vampire blood to reconnect my mind.

A Sphinx was the most powerful guide among the rest. Was he talented enough to return their minds to their bodies, too?

I didn't know if they _could_ be reconnected.

But I would worry about that later.

If we survived.

First, that bitch was going to pay for what she did.

Before I could make any moves toward the ghost in front of me, the manticore moved. It sounded like crashing boulders as it lifted its arms and placed its head back on its shoulders.

If my friends were scared before, it was nothing compared to the terror written across their features as they watched the statue extricate itself from the center of the fountain.

I was just as terrified as they were, if not more so. I didn't want it moving. Statues shouldn't move, for fuck's sake.

But it was focused on me. And it wanted me dead.

Salvatore must have realized the same thing, because he started growling at the statue.

The creature's attention shifted from me to my mate and it leaned down, looming toward my werewolf with outright hostility.

Aisling and Connor both pitched forward while Liam leaned to his left, each trying to move away from it. But Salvatore didn't back down.

He was bound and on his knees, like the others, but he wasn't going to stop. My mate would do anything to protect me, even if he couldn't do anything more than growl and stare something down.

The manticore wasn't impressed and reared back its massive human-like arm. I saw enough fighting to know what the statue planned. I knew that Salvatore would die.

A cry tore from my mouth as a huge bolt of lightning struck the manticore statue as its fist swung out. The statue shattered into nothing more than dust and small chunks of rock just before it could impact Salvatore.

Each of my friends nearly fell forward from the sudden explosion of lightning, thunder, and shattering statue from behind them.

The wind picked up and the trash in the square swirled around. Everyone's hair whipped around from the intensity of the wind, but I couldn't focus on that.

I leveled my gaze on Ghost King, and the woman behind those dead eyes. "You will pay for what you've done, bitch," I growled at the woman within.

Bugs looked up at me with wide, glowing green eyes. And then he took a step to the side, giving me space.

The ghost's eyes widened, but didn't look away. The white robe billowed in the wind, but his hair seemed unaffected.

If I wasn't so pissed off, I would have been afraid.

He screamed with that same ethereal wail that seemed to come from everywhere in response.

It was louder than before, and it shattered what was left of the windows surrounding the square.

I wasn't sure why it wasn't bothering me like the first time, but I grinned at the woman behind those eyes. Bared my teeth at her.

Somehow I knew that she would hear me through the screams coming from the ghost, so I spoke in my normal voice, "Stop screaming."

The scream cut off and those gray, dead eyes widened as the ghost's mouth stayed impossibly wide with those jagged teeth in full view.

I lifted my hands as if I was lifting something.

Because I was.

All the trash in the square lifted into the air, including _her_ – Ghost King, but not from the intense wind that was blowing around. And then I shoved my hands forward.

Ghost King flew backwards along with all the debris floating with him and he collided with the building at the far end, hitting it so hard he nearly went through the wall.

"Bugs," I said without taking my eyes off the ghost, using the wind to hold him in a heap in front of the building. "Would you go see about releasing our friends, please?"

"Yes," he said and padded over to them. He started with Aisling and then worked his way through Connor, then Salvatore, and finally Liam.

The vampire patted Bugs on the head and grinned in appreciation of the order they were released.

I appreciated that too. The Earthens were most important, and then my mate, as a werewolf, could protect himself to an extent. Liam was last. Because he was the most impervious to death in the realm since decapitation was the only way for him to die.

Though I couldn't see the looks on their faces very well, since my attention was locked on Ghost King, I could still see the auras of my family. Gray and dark blue surrounded everyone but the vampire.

Connor was trying to comfort Aisling while still trying to assess her for wounds. My best friend didn't look any more distraught than the rest of them, but I also knew she was very good at hiding how she felt.

Salvatore's eyes were locked on me, but he made no move toward me. I wasn't sure if he was afraid at what I would do, or if something else made him stay where he was. But I couldn't worry about that. I needed to deal with one problem at a time.

My best friend looked up at me and then Connor's gaze followed a moment later. Though they were still scared, the orange that bled into their auras made me think they were impressed by what I did to the ghost. Or that awful statue. Or maybe it was none of those things.

"Aisling?" I asked. I looked up at the sky and a bolt of lightning shot down and hit Ghost King directly in the chest, burning his white robe in the process.

"Yeah?" she shouted, holding her ears.

I hated that the sound of the thunder was so loud. I could only imagine how much it hurt Salvatore and Liam's ears. It hurt mine and my sense of hearing wasn't as advanced as my nose.

But before I could speak, Ghost King snapped his fingers and ghosts appeared, one by one in the square. Talons extended and a combination of evil and hatred in their eyes.

I blinked.

They weren't ghosts. They were wraiths.

And they were all looking at me with a bloodlust that only fueled my rage further.

If Salvatore was right about my weird enhancements, and that my eyes would change if I was excited about something, then my eyes were probably that strange icy blue with all the rage running through me.

All at once, the wraiths flashed forward. Coming straight for me.

### Chapter 49

The wind holding Ghost King died away as my hands pushed outward again. The whole square shifted into slow motion as all the wraiths — every last one of them — flew backwards. They floated through the air like snowflakes, impossibly slow.

When the first of them hit the ground, time returned to normal and I shouted, "Take your minds back. Push her out for good." And then I shot another bolt of lightning at Ghost King, knocking him backward once more.

I tightened my fist, lifting him out of trash and pieces of broken building and pulled him toward me.

Stepping forward, I kept my gaze locked with his. But then the wraiths attacked again, but they weren't just focused on me.

Some of them moved toward my family and started slashing talons at them. Connor threw his arm up, narrowly protecting Aisling from taking a slice down her face but took the damage to his forearm. And then they all started fighting.

Then, like a light bulb turned on, ghosts appeared in the next instant. I recognized them from my last visit. The ones I released. They were fighting against the wraiths. But we were still outnumbered.

There were at least a hundred wraiths. There were only a few dozen ghosts.

"Do you have any power here, Aisling?" I shouted and sent another pulse outward, knocking the wraiths backward once more. I wasn't doing anything but buying time. I needed to figure out how to sever their connection to the woman controlling them. For good. But my voice wasn't having any effect on them.

My best friend's hands shot out to stop an advancing wraith but then took a hit to her forearm before she hissed and gritted out, "No."

Damn.

My friends couldn't do anything but fight and hope I could figure out what the hell I needed to do to stop them. Permanently.

Ghost King pressed into the ground in front of me as tried to figure out what to do.

"You need to come up with a more permanent solution, my dear," Liam said as he hit a wraith so hard it flew back through the air nearly a dozen feet before it hit the ground and skidded to a halt.

"Yes," Bugs echoed as his massive paw shot out and swiped the face of a wraith and knocked it to the side.

With a slash down his face and a few down his side, I could tell the Sphinx wasn't pleased with the situation.

Roaring at the wraiths gave him away.

"My voice isn't working. I don't know what else to do." I pushed the wraiths back again and then Ghost King swiped his arm up at me, slashing through my bracelet and tearing through the skin, tendons, and veins in my wrist. As the amulet hit the ground by my feet, I gasped, "Ah!" and stepped back, trying to stop the blood from pouring from my wrist.

Salvatore flashed forward, but just like in Aisling's clearing, my eyes didn't have trouble keeping up with the movement. He ripped a strip of his black tank top off and started wrapping it around me as Ghost King moved to his feet.

My other hand shot out and pushed him back an instant before his talon could rip into my mate's flesh. "You _do not_ touch him," I snarled and a huge pulse of power erupted from me as Salvatore's warm fingertips graced my skin.

The wraiths screamed and grabbed their heads. Even Ghost King was writhing under whatever wave of power just shot out of my body. My eyes shot to my friends. Then the ghosts fighting with us. They were unaffected.

Bugs's green eyes leveled with mine. "What did you just do?"

"I don't know. I defended Salvatore and then—"

I froze and looked up at my mate as he finished tying off the fabric. It was tight, but not painful. I wouldn't bleed to death at least.

His eyes were yellow and locked with mine. The muscles in his jaw were working as the fear and sadness swirled together in his aura with the same gray and dark blue glow.

It happened when he touched me. When his skin contacted mine, the shockwave left my body.

Every time Salvatore touched me it felt like I was a live wire. A thrill would shoot through me like nothing I ever felt in my life. And in the _Spirit Realm_ that little jolt did something to the wraiths.

With my good hand, I reached out touched Salvatore's arm and another shockwave erupted from my body, throwing the wraiths back as they clutched their heads in agony.

My eyes locked with Ghost King and I grinned at him — grinned at _her_. "You just made a huge mistake bringing him here, bitch."

### Chapter 50

If touching Salvatore was enough to distract the wraiths to the point it looked as if they were in pain, then he could help me end what was happening.

Emma was right. Salvatore was the key. It wasn't just opening my mind and clearing it so that I could focus on my task. And believe that I could do something. It wasn't just the clarity it brought me, the sense of peace. The sense of _home_.

It was _him_.

His touch triggered something within me that was more powerful than anything else I ever did in the _Spirit Realm_ or at home. Not only could he trigger a physiological response — a thrill that never ceased, and only seemed to grow since I met him — but it triggered a wave of power that affected our enemies to the point of pain.

But I saw the look on their faces when they were writhing and clutching their heads. They weren't just in pain. They were fighting her control.

I didn't know enough about the politics or the power structure of the ghosts within that realm. But like Emma, some ghosts were more gifted than others. And I could only imagine how powerful Ghost King would be to earn such a title.

If he really was the king of the ghosts, I didn't know, but I doubted he would have that title without cause.

_She_ took control of him, and her presence was most apparent through him. If I didn't know better, I would say that control extended out from him and affected everyone else.

Emma said my power was accessible through an open mind. But then she said my body was the key to the rest. I didn't know what that really meant until then.

If I could figure out how to channel that power elicited from Salvatore's touch and direct it into Ghost King — into _her_ — to break her hold, then we might survive and stop what she planned.

That left a bit of a problem.

How _much_ would Salvatore need to touch me to accomplish that?

I blushed. That wasn't something I thought we would do in public. Let alone something we would _have_ to do in order to save a realm that was crumbling beneath a power-hungry bitch with no moral compass.

Salvatore's yellow eyes widened as he realized, too, what that meant. And his aura started to bleed with red.

Something caught my attention out of the corner of my eye and I jerked my head to the side. Then I sent out another pulse of power as the wraiths started pushing forward again.

"What do you want me to do?" my mate's deep voice spoke, low.

I blushed again. "Start small, work your way up from there, I guess."

Jumping bases with Salvatore in front of a bunch of crazed wraiths, ghosts, and my closest friends wasn't exactly high on my bucket list. But it was necessary.

He seemed to pick up on my hesitation and pivoted so his body blocked our friends from view and turned me to face him. But not before I caught sight of Emma standing near them, helping to protect them.

My mate ran his fingertips up my arms and another jolt of power shot out of me as I shivered from the tiny bit of contact. Even though his aura was slowly filling with red, my attention was still focused on the wraiths and what they were doing.

His hands moved to cradle my face. Bending down, he kissed me lightly, forcing another pulse of power from me. But I was so distracted that my eyes snapped open to see what was happening around me.

Salvatore growled, pulling my attention back to him and power shot out of me like an explosion.

Damn, I love that growl.

He noticed and pulled back just enough to grin devilishly at me. All the fear and sadness was gone from his aura. It was engulfed with red. I shivered and a smaller bit of power rushed out of me like an aftershock.

I grinned back and then movement caught my attention again and I looked away.

Salvatore's hands moved and gripped my hair in his fist, pulling my head back to force my gaze up at him. But before my groan even left my throat, his mouth covered mine and devoured the sound, driving me higher.

I felt power erupt from me, but it didn't take long before I heard the wraiths stop struggling and the fighting begin again. I tried to pull back in order to push them away, to give our friends a little time, but Salvatore gripped my hair tighter and I gasped into his mouth in response.

My hands reached up and clawed at his chest, trying to get him closer. I heard the ethereal wails of the wraiths again and then Salvatore bit my tongue before I could react.

While my good hand fisted what was left of Salvatore's shirt, my injured hand couldn't do much more than weakly claw at him.

He let me go and wrapped his arms around me. But before I realized what he was doing, he wrenched his mouth away and snarled. His teeth clamped down on the curve of my shoulder and I cried out.

My knees gave out but he carried my weight with ease as his teeth tightened over my sensitive flesh, nearly making me come from the overwhelming sensation.

Then he released me and set me back on my feet.

I didn't know why he stopped. I didn't care why. I just knew I needed more.

My eyes slowly opened to glare up at my wolf and the look in his eyes made me pause.

I suddenly remembered where we were and what was happening. My eyes tore away from Salvatore and looked toward Ghost King.

Ghosts were scattered in the square, but they weren't making any moves. They weren't doing anything.

Some of them were shaking their heads. Others were on the ground looking confused. The wraiths were gone. The ghosts were whole again.

Ghost King was still looking at me with a rage that told me _she_ was still in complete control. "That's not possible," his voice bounced through the square without moving his mouth, but I caught a hint of fear behind the words.

I took a step forward, and he took a step back. And then I grinned as Salvatore pressed against my back.

My hands raised in the air in the universal sign for stop, palms pointed directly at Ghost King an instant before Salvatore pushed my hair to the side.

The sound of his snarl hit my ear an instant before he bit me again.

### Chapter 51

I cried out and my eyes rolled back in my head as power shot out of my palms and went straight into Ghost King's chest.

My eyes opened and saw him fly backward like he was hit by a semi at highway speeds. He impacted the building behind him with a loud crash before falling into a heap on the ground once more.

Salvatore released me, but didn't move away.

Ghost King's body was limp for a few moments before his eyes opened and he shook his head.

I sagged with relief and dropped my hands.

_She_ was gone. The eyes looking around in confusion weren't full of hatred. They were aware, angry, and confused. But they weren't hers.

His visage flickered and then he was on his feet. He didn't move to his feet. He was on the ground, flickered, and then hovered a foot above the debris, as if he was there the whole time.

Gray eyes locked with mine and he started to glide toward me.

Salvatore tensed while the rest of my friends moved closer. Everyone looked prepared to fight but the Sphinx and Emma.

I stayed relaxed. Ghost King wasn't going to hurt any of us. If Bugs recognized that, it was just an added benefit.

When he reached us, he held up his hand, "You must be the great Angela Williams."

I kept my hand down. "I can't touch you or it'll kill you."

His eyes glittered with humor and he smiled. "Try me."

My gaze flickered to Bugs and he nodded. "If he is confident, it is his choice."

That didn't exactly encourage me to do it, but after a moment's hesitation, I finally reached out and took his hand.

It was cold, just like Liam or any other undead creature. But he stayed solid. He didn't blink out of existence or explode into a white plume of smoke.

Ghost King laughed, throwing his head back, but his facial expression never changed. He never even opened his mouth. I didn't think I would ever get used to that.

"How are you not dead right now?" I asked, with my jaw hanging open.

"I am not a danger to you," his ethereal voice answered as his guffaws subsided. "If you touch a ghost that means to harm you, your power will eradicate it automatically."

My vision blurred for an instant as Salvatore's hands grasped my upper arms and squeezed. He knew what that meant. I could touch Peter without worrying that I would kill him. That was the best news I heard all week.

I smiled and sighed with relief. "You have no idea how happy I am to hear you say that."

He smiled again and then it faded. "There are less of us than there were before. What happened?"

It was Bugs that answered. "You called to me just before _she_ —" he spat the word "—took you. That was when everything started to fall. Emma was the only one that did not fall under her thrall."

Emma stepped forward. For the first time since I met her, she was smiling. "My King," she bowed.

He smiled back at her and returned his attention to me.

I didn't know how Ghost King would react to Peter's adoption, so I decided to leave him out. "There were many I killed in defense, but I didn't mean to. If there's more, they probably slipped through the walls." I tilted my head to the side. "Would they still be under her control now that you're back?"

The ghost shook his head. "Beyond these walls, they remain as they were."

"Emma said I needed to call them back. Is that something I can even do?"

He shook his head. "Only if they can hear your Siren call."

My shoulders sagged. There were still wraiths out there, killing people. It wasn't going to be easy to find them and stop them all.

Emma took a step forward, "The walls are still thin, King."

"I don't suppose you know how I can fix that, do you?" I asked.

"You must fortify it, of course," he replied with a grin.

I narrowed my eyes at him. "How?"

Touch a barrier and let your source—" his gaze flickered to Salvatore "—fuel it."

I sighed. Of course I would have to do that again. "Why is it that other Shamans don't have the ability to do this?" Ghost King seemed to know quite a lot about Shamans and what I was, so I intended to get all the information from him that I could.

"You have an intense metaphysical connection to the world. _All_ of it. You can do things no other can, and your physiological response requires a conduit—" his eyes flickered to Salvatore again "—for that to happen. In time, as you develop your skills, you will be able to do a great many things on your own, but the need for your conduit will remain."

"How do you know all this?"

"Because I was a powerful Shaman once. But you are even more powerful than I ever was. I am your grandfather."

Aisling sucked in a breath as my jaw dropped. I barely recalled my grandfather and the king of the ghosts was standing in front of me claiming to be the same man.

I took another look around the square, at all the ghosts that were standing, watching us. All of them were the same pale, white, somewhat transparent visages. Then my eyes flickered back to Ghost King. The curve of his mouth was more wide-set and his jaw mirrored mine. I blinked.

_Damn, Ghost King_ _is my grandfather._

But before I could respond, the ghost spoke. "I am very sorry for what has happened here. You were not yet prepared for this war, but you have succeeded. You have our deepest gratitude for your assistance."

"Wait, how is it that no one ever talked about you?"

"Our connection across realms is part of who we are. Your mother was not as powerful as I and she took risks she could not handle. I was lost here. She spent years foolishly trying to bring me back, but my body was long since dead. The last time she tried was the night she used you as a bridge. If I had not pushed you out when I felt your presence you would have been lost here as well."

That was him?

I remembered being pushed out of my body and then being thrust back in. Was it really because of the ghost hovering in front of me?

I shook my head. "That doesn't make sense. If my mother wasn't as powerful as you and this connection we have is genetic, then why am I so ... different?"

Before he could answer, a tinkling laugh sounded from behind us and Liam spun around faster than the rest of us.

The vampire's eyes widened and he hissed, "Renata Crane. I should have known you were behind this."

### Chapter 52

My jaw dropped in reaction to Liam's words. Standing at the entrance to the street where I first entered was a woman. She was oddly transparent, but not ghostly. She still had plenty of color.

Her brown eyes flickered to Liam and she laughed again. "I am surprised you did not figure it out sooner, Liam." She lifted her delicate hand and looked at one of her perfectly polished fingernails.

First of all, I was confused. Not about the identity of the woman in front of us, but the fact that she was there. She shouldn't have been capable of it. And yet, there she was.

"With all of your knowledge and power, you still did not know it was me." She smiled, but it looked more like a show of teeth, because it didn't touch her eyes.

Dark brown skin, black hair, and deep brown eyes only made her face more lovely. She looked to be in her late forties and her age just added to her beauty. She was thin, but not unhealthy, and her posture made me think she was wealthy and powerful.

Her dress made me think bohemian chic with the beads and baubles that hung from it. Though I couldn't be sure, it looked like the material was thin enough to breathe, as if her climate were just too hot to wear anything thicker.

That was when it hit me. Renata. That wasn't a common name. But I knew it from the various literature classes I took in college and the books I read. The name was derived from French Creole.

I was wondering what kind of power she possessed, if she was neither a Shamaness nor _other_. There was so much I didn't know, even as a Guardian.

Combining her appearance with her name and accent, I could guess where she was. Where her body was, anyway. If she was living up to the stereotype, then she was in or near New Orleans.

Renata, the woman devoid of any morality or sense of character, was using Voodoo.

I didn't know very much about it, but from what I understood, it was once a deep, spiritual kind of religion, but over time it changed into something ... different. There was a power within it that priests and priestesses could use to their advantage, including necromancy. The real Voodoo practitioners could be extremely dangerous.

The muscles in Liam's jaw clenched, but he didn't respond. She wanted him to react, but he was smarter than that. He might not have an aura to show how he was really feeling, but I could tell he was livid.

Liam was a vampire that prided himself on his knowledge and guidance. It gave him a power over others without having to assert any other kind of power or dominance over them. He was the epitome of a master vampire, and she was attacking that.

She could attack all she wanted. We still needed him. "How is she here right now?" I whispered to him.

Liam didn't look away from Renata, but some of the tension left his shoulders and he answered. "If the walls were not cracked, she would not be here. She is projecting."

"Come again?"

"Astral projection, my dear."

"That's how we are here, right?"

"In a way, but she is only projecting a small part of herself. She is still fully aware of her surroundings and her body, wherever she is. We are not."

The idea of trapping her in the _Spirit Realm_ was damn appealing to me. But that wasn't an option.

I took a step forward and her gaze flickered to me. "So, _Renata_ , how is the weather in Louisiana this time of year?"

Her eyes widened a fraction before it cleared.

"That's right," I said without letting her speak. "It's not hard to figure out. Your outfit gave you away."

I waved my hand as if I was bored, subtly taking the control away from her. "First of all, there's a reason you're not powerful enough to do what I can do. Your power is derived from a completely different source. I mean, correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't your forte necromancy, not—" I waved my hand, gesturing to the realm that surrounded us "—whatever the hell it is you're doing here?"

"Turning ghosts into wraiths is, in a manner of speaking, necromancy, is it not?" she replied.

I nodded, "True, but Voodoo is something tangible. Sure, it might have started out as a religion, but people like you found a way to change it into something sinister. You are commanding things not meant to be commanded. They still have thoughts. They still have their minds. You might be a powerful Voodoo priestess, but your power is weak compared to the things _others_ can do. What _I_ can do."

Anger flashed across her features.

Good. I struck a nerve.

I kept going. "You see, _Renata_ —" she winced, not liking that I was saying her name so much in the realm.

Too bad, bitch.

The ghosts probably burned the name into their minds as soon as Liam said it. But names held power in the realm, and I was going to make sure every last ghost in the realm knew it. "You will never have that kind of power."

She bristled. "One way or another, I'll find a way."

"Oh, please," I snapped. "You're one of those idiots that want all the power, but will settle for killing anything more powerful if they can't get it. I'm going to tell you this as a final courtesy to you, _Renata_. Stop now or you will have a whole hell of a lot people out for your head."

"You wouldn't."

A bolt of lightning struck the ground right in front of her feet. Her eyes widened and she jumped back with a yelp.

"Try me, bitch," I growled.

Her eyes narrowed.

Rage washed over me and I snapped, "Oh, don't give me that 'I'm big, bad, and powerful — quiver under my gaze' shit. You keep this up, you will have an army after you, including werewolves, vampires, and the Earthen, just to name a few. Not to mention—" another bolt of lightning hit the ground right in front of Renata's feet "—me."

Something caught my eye to my left but I didn't look away from her.

Another bolt of lightning flashed in the opposite direction, pulling her attention away from what was happening. The ghosts caught on and started moving that way as well. Her eyes widened.

Though she was neither _other_ nor solid, I could see the fear on her face. Feel it wafting off her in waves as she realized the ghosts were stalking her like prey, waiting for the moment for all of them to strike.

I couldn't be sure, but I thought she couldn't defend herself without having a ghost to possess first.

Just as she was about to look back toward me, another bolt of lightning hit and kept her attention.

She took another step back, and then the creeping five hundred pound Sphinx lunged from behind her.

### Chapter 53

As soon as Bugs impacted Renata's filmy body, they both disappeared.

"Bugs," I cried.

The voice of my grandfather's ghost hit me from behind. "He is fine, Angela."

I spun around. "What happened?"

"He dragged her out."

"Will he be back?"

"It does not matter."

"What do you mean it doesn't matter?" Connor asked.

Ghost King's gaze moved to Connor. "Because she can take you back." He nodded toward me.

"What?" I asked. "Bugs is my guide. I'm not a guide."

"You have enough power and connection to your friends that you can take them back without his help."

"But how?"

"Close your eyes, child."

I squared my shoulders and did as instructed.

"There is a place in your mind where you are connected to everything around you. People, places. It should represent as some kind of network."

I saw a forest where the trees were interconnected by roots that ran above the ground. The tree in the middle smelled like vanilla. Me. And the tree closest to me smelled like woods and rain. Salvatore.

"Focus on one. Feel the connection to you."

A little further out, I smelled almonds. Aisling's scent. Her tree was massive, creating a canopy over the rest and I smiled. Of course hers would be the biggest of them all.

Since she was the most important, I focused on her. "I've got Aisling."

"Whatever it is that she represents, connect with it."

I reached out and touched the trunk of her tree. I flinched as my world shifted. I was standing in Aisling's suite, and my best friend was curled in Connor's arms, resting her head on his chest.

Despite the flickering flames in the hearth, the room was dim, and devoid of color. A monochrome of varying shades of blacks, grays, and whites.

They both looked like they were sleeping.

"Do you see her?"

"Yes."

"Aisling, take her hand," my grandfather said.

Her warm fingers laced with mine.

"Now, Angela, go to her in your vision and touch her. Be the bridge that connects them. Return her to her body."

"Wait," I opened my eyes, remembering what brought me to the realm. "Before I do that, you need to know something." I looked at my friends, and let go of Aisling's hand.

"What is it?" Liam asked.

I told them what happened in the clearing.

"You were in the clearing?" Aisling asked.

I shrugged, "Yeah, why?"

She and Connor exchanged a glance, and then she turned back to me. "No reason, go on."

I knew she was lying, but I let it go. There were bigger problems to worry about. I finished telling them what I saw up until I found myself in the _Dream Realm_ with Bugs.

My best friend kept glancing at my injured wrist, but I didn't feel blood dripping from the strip of Salvatore's shirt that was wrapped around it. It wasn't hurting, so I could deal with it later.

"We'll find you both, okay? Just stay alive," Aisling promised.

I nodded and took my best friend's hand. Closing my eyes, I reconnected with Aisling's tree and saw her lying in Connor's arms again.

Walking around the massive four poster bed, I approached her. I took a deep breath and touched her bare shoulder.

Aisling didn't let me go. Her hand just disappeared from mine. Her eyes opened a moment later. But she didn't move.

"Isn't she going to need vampire blood to reconnect her with her body?"

"No. She will regain control of her body in a few minutes."

"Then why did I need it when my mother pushed me here?"

"What?"

Liam filled in my grandfather and then he sighed. "A Shaman has a deep connection with everything. Because of who you are and your bloodline, it makes you that much more potent. It could have taken hours or even a day for you to reconnect with your body on your own. Vampire blood expedited that."

I watched my best friend. If her eyes weren't open, I would think she was still sleeping.

But then I saw her fingers twitch.

I sighed.

She's okay.

When I blinked, I was back in the forest. I moved to the tree that smelled like wood smoke. "Connor?"

He took my hand and I reconnected him.

Before I reconnected Liam, I whispered something into his ear in case I didn't survive. It was vague because Ghost King stood nearby, but the vampire knew what I meant. He squeezed my hand, promised he would see it through, and then I reconnected him with his body.

His recovery took less than ten seconds and he shot out of his bed like he was fired from a gun.

I opened my eyes and looked at Ghost King. "Take us to one of the walls so I can repair it before we leave."

"The ground under your feet will suffice, child." The king of the ghosts snapped his fingers and the remaining souls in the square disappeared. "To give you privacy. Be safe, and don't be a stranger."

"Thank you," I said, but he was already gone.

I flinched as Emma stepped forward and smiled. "Why didn't you disappear too?"

Her eyes darkened and she grinned. "Because he doesn't control me." Her laugh sounded next, which still disturbed me because her mouth never moved.

"Thank you for helping me."

She nodded and disappeared.

I knelt down on the ground and splayed my palms on the gritty pavement.

Salvatore knelt next to me. "Are you okay?"

"I will be. Let's finish this and try to survive those asshole Cleansers."

He chuckled. "Very well." His aura shifted to red and he reached up to my hair. He gathered a bunch of it in his hand and yanked my head to the side.

I gasped, but I knew that it wasn't enough. He moved toward me and reached up with his other hand. His warm skin rested against my throat and held me still.

His voice was half-whisper, half-growl, and he told me all the things he would do to me if we survived.

By the time he finished talking, my eyes were closed and power was rolling from me into the ground.

He let go of my hair. But then he bit my ear lobe and I groaned as a rush of power flew out of me and the whole realm started to shudder.

I looked up and watched as the sky cleared and the buildings started to repair themselves. As if nothing ever happened. "Do you think that's enough?"

"Better be safe than sorry," he growled and grabbed my ass and squeezed so forcefully, I nearly came.

A deep rumbling sound seemed to come from everywhere and nowhere as that jolt of power went from my hands into the ground. It sounded almost like implosions.

I knew it was done.

Salvatore released me and I moved into his arms. I wrapped my arms around his neck and hugged him. "I'm going to get you for that," I promised and he chuckled.

"Angela," Bugs said from behind me.

I let go of my mate and turned around. "You're okay?"

"I'm fine. I knocked her from this realm, and she will have a hard time finding that piece of herself for some time," he grinned devilishly with his lion teeth and his emerald green eyes blazed brighter for a moment.

I grinned back at him. "You can get me back to my body, right?"

He nodded. "As soon as you are ready."

I turned back to Salvatore, fisted what was left of the material on his shirt with my good hand, and pulled him down. I kissed him, hard. "Stay alive, you hear me?" I asked as I pulled away.

His eyes were yellow and he grinned. "I'm not going anywhere."

"I'll hold you to that," I said, reached up to his face, and then closed my eyes.

When I finally saw what was happening, my heart sank.

Both of our unconscious bodies were in Aisling's clearing. We were tied up to the railing of the arched wooden bridge with iron shackles. There was wood and kindling surrounding both of us.

"There are about six Cleansers waiting for us to wake up. I think they plan to burn us both. They're still in the clearing. I'll be right behind you."

"I love you," he whispered.

"I love you back," I said as I approached his unconscious body and touched the warm skin of his arm.

And then he was gone.

### Chapter 54

I squared my shoulders and turned around to face the massive Sphinx. "Bugs," I sighed. "Take me back to my body."

He took a few steps forward, not taking his vivid green eyes off mine until he reached me. Then he rubbed his head against my abdomen. His purr rumbled in his chest like an old diesel engine and I smiled.

"Your purr is just as awful here as it is in your little body at home."

He pulled back and looked up at me. "But it always makes you feel better, doesn't it?"

I blinked. Of all the things that happened between us over the years, I always thought his aloofness and preferential treatment with everyone else over me was just his way of being a little jerk.

But he was right. His happiness and pleasure was always what mattered. No matter where he found it.

I didn't answer him. I didn't need to. Instead, I kept grinning, and then I stepped forward and ran my fingers through his mane.

Then everything went black.

My eyes opened and it took me a few moments to remember what was happening. Pain shot through my head as I became fully aware. I forgot I took a swift and powerful hit to the head that knocked me out.

The iron shackles around my wrists were tight enough that I couldn't pull my arms free. And I was surprised to find that my injured wrist didn't hurt. It didn't feel like my hand was limited anymore. But I could still feel the stickiness of drying blood on my hand.

I couldn't worry about that. I needed to focus on the immediate problem. Nothing else mattered.

There was a faint clank of metal hitting against metal and Nicholas's head shot in my direction. "It's about time you're awake, you little bitch."

An angry green swirled in his aura, but I didn't know what he was angry about. Sure, I hurt him, and shot him in the groin, but he looked completely healed.

I inhaled and grinned at him — showing him my teeth. "Want me to bite your balls off next?"

He smiled and strode toward me, his long legs carried him quite a distance and before he could hit me, Salvatore's eyes snapped open and he lurched forward as far as the iron shackles would allow him.

The werewolf paused in just enough time for someone behind him to say, "Enough," in a bored tone.

Nicholas growled, but stepped to the side. I kept my eyes on him, and realized he was looking down, not into the eyes of whoever spoke.

Interesting.

He wasn't the one in charge. My gaze flickered to the man standing in the middle of Aisling's clearing as if it belonged to him.

He stood at about Aisling's height of five and a half feet, but it was possible I was wrong because of my position on the ground. With dark hair and eyes, he barely looked twenty if he was a day. His skin was a darker color than Salvatore's and I had the distinct impression he was from the Middle East. Indian perhaps.

His aura was purple so it was hard for me to guess what he was thinking. But whoever he was, he was the one in control. He was still looking at Nicholas and his gaze shifted to Salvatore. My mate growled, pulling my attention to him.

Green flared in my werewolf's aura as his yellow eyes locked with the Indian. "Grayson," he ground out in greeting.

"Salvatore," the man said with a grin. "It's been decades. How have you been?" He laughed as if he told a joke and then turned his attention to me. "Oh, I remember. You've been mixing with the wrong people. _That's_ why we're here."

His eyes met mine and rage washed over me. Grayson might look like a harmless college kid, but he was anything but. He was the one in charge, and Salvatore and I were bound and surrounded with materials meant for burning.

I didn't lower my gaze. I met those deep wells of hatred, despite being lower to the ground. And I threw every ounce of rage and feeling I could behind my eyes to challenge his dominance.

After a few agonizing moments, he finally looked away and tilted his head back to laugh. "My, she is a strong one isn't she? Tell me, Salvatore, did you teach her that?"

"No," he growled.

"No matter. I thought maybe killing the both of you at the same time would be a swift enough justice, but I think maybe I have a better idea."

His face cleared of all emotion and I shivered. He wasn't even looking at me and fear washed over me. My mate met his gaze, but gray started to bleed into his aura.

"Salvatore Manziel, I sentence you to death for interfering with Cleanser duty. You of all people should have known what your actions would bring."

"I would do it over and over again if given a chance. I would never leave her to die. I would fight until my last breath. Because she's worth it." His last words were a growl and my eyes filled with tears.

I choked them back and looked up at Grayson. He looked at me and smiled, another show of teeth, and I wondered if he was a werewolf or something much worse. A few potentials crossed my mind and I shivered.

"Angela Williams, I sentence you to death for mating with a man that is neither your race, nor human. And just for your little ploy for dominance, I'm going to kill him first and make you watch."

His grin widened and he snapped his fingers. "Nicholas, a match, if you please." He held out his hand and Nicholas stepped forward, handing him a matchbook.

Grayson pulled a match and swiped it across the strip. The match sparked to life and then he dropped it on the wood pile in front of my mate's feet.

My eyes widened and rage once again washed over me, completely removing all traces of fear.

_You do_ not _threaten him._

I closed my eyes and tilted my head back focusing on Salvatore. In no more time than a blink of an eye, my mind cleared and the serenity of it washed over me. Enveloped me. And then I opened my eyes, grinning up at the sky.

"You're going to pay for that," I growled.

### Chapter 55

Overhead, the clouds built and thickened, darkening the morning sky with a dense blanket of an angry storm. Lightning flashed and the first drops of rain fell, hitting me on the cheek.

My head slowly dropped and I locked my gaze with Grayson once more. His jaw dropped. I could guess what he was seeing. My eyes were probably the same ice blue Salvatore saw earlier.

I didn't care how I looked, or how I behaved. The only thing that mattered was keeping Salvatore alive. Even if that meant losing my life. I would gladly pay that price.

As the rain picked up, so did the wind. The flames weren't hitting Salvatore yet, but they were close. He shifted his position to try to keep his legs as far away from the flames as he could.

I grinned up at Grayson.

That's right, buddy. I'm a badass. And you are fucking with the wrong people.

The rain cut loose and poured down on us in sheets.

The early December day wasn't frigid, but the air was crisp and chilly. The storm I created was like a summer storm. Full of energy and warmth. Each raindrop steamed against the coolness of the day as they fell through the air and stifled the flames in front of my mate.

"That's not possible. You don't have an aura," Nicholas said.

I could feel it inside me, then. Knew what was lurking there just beneath my skin. Waiting for release. And all I had to do was let it out.

"No. I'm something much worse," I growled. The venom behind my voice was nothing like what I ever heard before, but I didn't let it show on my face.

With nothing more than a thought, I invited it to come out to play. One second I was me, Angela Ines Williams, tied up and waiting for my death, and the next I was free from the iron shackles, standing on four legs and snarling at the men in front of me.

I was fast. Much faster than I ever thought possible. Even on my two legs earlier that morning when I went for a run. Then chased Salvatore and caught him. The men barely had a chance to react before Grayson was on the ground.

He landed on his back an instant later and I hopped away with his throat in my mouth. I heard gurgling noises as I wrenched my head to the side and let go of the meat in my teeth. And then I lunged at Nicholas.

I saw his hips shift a second before he moved right, but I was ready. With a twist of my body, I stayed on target and knocked him over. As a distraction, I swiped a white paw across his eye, blinding him.

Then I ripped out his throat.

The rest of the men in the clearing were either in the midst of changing or they were rushing toward me on two legs. But I was too fast.

I skirted the grip of the first man that reached me with ease as I caught sight of Liam entering the North end of the clearing. I didn't know who he brought with him, but I didn't have time to worry about that.

Liam rushed forward toward Salvatore as I attacked the next man, knocking him over with my speed and slashing his throat with a claw. He would survive if he stayed down.

I didn't want to kill any more men than necessary, but I would if I they forced it.

Then I focused on the sky and sent a bolt of lightning at a man that was finalizing his shift into his massive wolf form. He jumped back with a yelp. But I didn't stop moving, not even as I caught sight of my best friend and her mate running into the clearing at their full Earthen speed.

Liam's hushed voice reached me as he started working to release Salvatore from the iron shackles. "Where is Angela?"

"She's the little white wolf," he responded with awe in his voice.

I paused mid-step and turned to look at my mate and the vampire. Their faces mirrored one another as Salvatore's aura swirled with red and orange. My tongue lopped out the side of my mouth in a grin and I swished my tail before I started moving again.

"How is that possible?" Liam said.

"I have no clue."

Without stopping again, I ran toward Aisling and Connor, trying to head off a werewolf that was heading straight for them. Her hands shot out faster than I could see and I froze in the same instant as the other wolf.

"Aisling!" Liam shouted. "The little white one is Angela."

My best friend looked at me. "Angela? I don't understand. You don't have an aura." Her magic released me and I continued my forward momentum, nearly falling into a heap as I hit the ground.

There were still two _others_ that were unaccounted for and I saw two wolves fighting at the other end of the clearing. One was huge and white, while the other was a dark brown, weighing a little less. Both were grappling for the upper hand.

As I reached them, I was about to land on the white one from behind when his scent hit me. I yelped and twisted my body so I flew past him into the body of the other wolf.

He twisted around and caught me by the throat, clamping down in the next instant. But before he could rip it from me, something caught him from behind and pried his jaws open.

As soon as I was free, I rolled away and scrambled to my feet. Shadow stepped up next to me and licked my snout. I whined, letting him know I was alright, and looked up to see Salvatore snap the neck of the brown wolf and drop its lifeless body to the ground.

Green swirled in his aura as he looked down at me with those angry yellow eyes. I whined again and dropped my eyes.

Lightning flashed in the sky and I shivered.

"Angela," Salvatore growled and I dropped down, crawling backwards.

I didn't know why Salvatore was angry with me, but I felt awful just the same. He was my mate and I never wanted to upset him. But I succeeded. And I didn't even know how.

"What's happening," Aisling's voice hit me from behind.

But before anyone could answer, Shadow stepped forward between me and my mate. Salvatore snarled and I could tell by the sound he was partially shifted in his anger.

Shadow sighed and stepped back. I shivered again and tried to crawl faster.

"Angela, stop." The power in my mate's words washed over me and I froze. Except for the shudders that wracked through my body, I couldn't move. Even the storm stopped raging from above us at his words. I didn't understand what was happening or why, but just the command in Salvatore's voice left me responding as if he were my alpha.

Ever since we met, we spent our time subtly battling over control, but he was always the one in charge. I knew it all along, but I never conceded. I was too stubborn to give up all the control. He was angrier than I ever saw from him before and panic washed over me as I realized he might kill me for it.

Our binding was a deep, permanent connection, and it felt like I severed it by something I did. I just wanted to know what it was. It wouldn't matter, because the damage was done. I crossed some kind of line and I was going to pay the ultimate price for it.

"Salvatore," Liam said, low.

"What?" he snapped.

"Look at her. She doesn't understand what is happening. She might not have an aura, but it's obvious she's afraid."

Salvatore froze and his aura shifted to gray and dark blue. He dropped to his knees and crawled toward me, but I still couldn't bring myself to look at him in the eye.

Though I could see well enough to know that his face was human again, his eyes were still yellow. His hand reached out and I flinched, but I didn't move. After a brief pause, he moved his hand forward and ran it through my fur.

Even through the fear, I could see why Shadow enjoyed his wolf form so much. It felt better than I ever imagined, being touched through fur, especially coming from my mate.

"I don't know if you're still in there, Angela, but you've shifted into a wolf. You've got to come back. Come back to us."

I was so confused I looked up into his eyes. How could he think I wasn't inside, still here? I sat up and rolled my eyes at him.

His aura shifted to light blue and he laughed. Shadow chuckled in that odd coughing sound as his aura mirrored Salvatore's.

"She's still in there isn't she?" Aisling asked from behind me.

"Yeah," Salvatore chuckled. "She just rolled her eyes."

Connor laughed.

"Why were you scared of me?" my mate asked.

I couldn't exactly answer him with words, but if Shadow could spend years as a wolf and not need to shift in order to communicate, maybe I could figure out how to do it, too.

Lifting my head, I exposed my throat and then looked around Salvatore at the body of the dead werewolf.

"Yeah, you almost got yourself killed, but I was angry with him. Not you."

I shook my head. That's not what it looked like. But to tell him I was sorry, I moved forward and pressed against his chest. He wrapped his arms around me and hugged me.

Sighing in contentment, I closed my eyes and heard Aisling gasp in the next moment. I opened my eyes and saw Aisling pulling off her jacket, still dripping from the storm that was quickly fading in the sky. She handed it to Salvatore and I suddenly realized why.

I shifted.

And I was naked.

Salvatore covered me as much as he could and I saw that Connor, Shadow, and Liam were focusing their attention at the bridge. I snorted. "From what I understand, guys, prudence shouldn't really be a factor when you're a werewolf."

But I didn't hear if anyone responded, because I felt myself falling for a moment before I impacted the cold, wet ground and everything went black.

### Chapter 56

I was enveloped in warmth. It smelled of my favorite scent, the woods just after a rainstorm. Comfort didn't even begin to describe what I felt in that moment. It went so far beyond that. I felt tired. So damn tired, that I fell back under into the inky blackness almost immediately after the scent registered to my nose.

Time passed that way for a while. Though time wasn't a concept I could grasp, I would surface just enough to breathe in the scent of my mate, and then I would fall under again.

Then, finally, I stirred, breathed in deep and moved. Snuggled closer to that warmth and nuzzled it. The warmth tightened and I realized I was lying in Salvatore's arms, pressed against his body.

"Angela?" he breathed. His breath tickled my scalp as he bent his head down and kissed the top of my head.

I didn't say anything. I just gripped his shirt tighter and breathed him in.

"You've been out almost twelve hours."

That caught my attention. I pulled my head back and opened my eyes. "I feel like I haven't slept in weeks," I croaked.

"That's not far off. You haven't slept much since Aisling and Connor were taken. The most you slept was four nights ago. When you slept with me."

"What time is it?"

"Around midnight."

"Have you slept?"

"Dozed mostly, I've been too worried."

"Why were you worried?"

"You were unconscious most of the time."

I looked down. Salvatore changed his shirt, but I could still see some of the blood that remained on his skin, which explained the faint coppery scent I caught from him. I smelled faintly of it, too, but felt fine. His aura was purple and pink, so it was hard for me to gauge what he was really feeling.

Then I realized I wasn't wearing the bracelet with Aisling's spelled amulet. "What the hell?"

"What's wrong?"

"Where is the amulet?"

"It was broken and Shadow found it," he moved his arm, but I interrupted him.

"I can still see your aura. How is that possible?"

He froze. "You can?"

I nodded.

"I don't know. You still don't have an aura. We didn't even know what was happening when you passed out. But the last I heard, Liam was having an interesting conversation with Bugs. With luck, we might figure out what's going on."

He grinned. "You know, it was one thing to hear you describe Bugs in the _Spirit Realm_ but it was quite different actually seeing him."

Damn, he was so beautiful when he smiled.

I smiled back. "He is magnificent."

He looked like he was about to say something else, but then his stomach yowled in protest.

I looked back up at him. "Have you not eaten?"

He shook his head.

"You've been with me the whole time?"

He nodded.

Since I passed out, he took enough time to change his shirt, but otherwise didn't leave my side. Not even to eat.

I would never get used to that kind of devotion. It wasn't easy, when I spent my whole life without it. Sure, there was Aisling. But she was living her own life, and despite my place in it, it wasn't the same as the devotion that Salvatore showed me since I met him. And that devotion only grew.

He was willing to lie with me, without cleaning himself up other than changing his ruined shirt, without stopping to eat, just to wait for me to come around again.

Damn. I am one lucky girl.

My vision blurred and I crumpled, burying my face into Salvatore's chest. He hugged me tighter and let me cry without saying anything for a few moments.

"Angela, you are my mate. We are bound together. But beyond that, you are my life. My home. I will never leave your side."

I didn't move away from him, but I knew he could still hear me. "Don't you see? You've been my home for longer than I realized. I've never had this before. It's hard to wrap my head around it."

"Look at me, Angela."

I pulled back and moved my hands to swipe at my eyes, but he caught me and wiped my tears away before speaking again.

"I love you. And unless you tell me otherwise, I'm never going anywhere. I promise you, you will never know what it's like to be alone again."

His stomach growled again and I sighed. "Well, if you're going to follow me around, I'm going to go to the kitchen and get some food." I raised my eyebrow in challenge and he grinned.

"I can live with that. We need to talk to Liam anyway."

My mate uncurled himself from around me and stood up with all the grace of a wolf and held his hand out for me. I took it and climbed out of the bed smoother than I thought possible.

He grinned as his aura shifted to light blue. "You'll get used to it." And then he took my hand and led me out of our suite.

When we walked into the massive kitchen, our friends were waiting for us. Even two of the ghouls, William and Jorge were there.

Jon, the seven foot tall body building vampire, stood next to Aisling at the range as she explained one of her grandmother's recipes to him. I smiled. My best friend could pick up on the emotions of the vampires much better than I could.

Though it wasn't hard to guess that Jon was still mourning the loss of his girlfriend, the vampire that died in the battle against the demon, he was still trying to stay busy. Sparring in the training room, cooking with Aisling, and playing with the ghost of a seven year old boy were all good ways for him to try to move on.

Tobias, Liam, Connor, and the two ghouls were sitting at the table playing poker, while Shadow sat on the floor wagging at us as we entered. Peter was on the floor a few feet away from him, rolling Connor's spelled red ball toward the white wolf.

All of them turned to look at us, but it was Aisling that moved. It was odd seeing my best friend move so quickly. She was in front of the range showing Jon how to stir the big pot of chili and then she was right in front of me in the next instant, pulling me into a hug. But she wasn't a blur anymore.

"I'm so glad you're okay, Angela." When she pulled back, she looked up at Salvatore and then grinned as her aura shifted to light blue. "And congratulations on binding, I bet that was fun."

Everyone laughed, except for Peter, who didn't seem to understand, which was good.

I didn't blush. There wasn't anything to be embarrassed about. At least not about the binding, anyway.

When their laughter died down, I stared back at her, grinned, and said, "You have no idea."

Her jaw fell open, but it was Connor's laugh that stood out among the rest.

"I hope you're making enough food for all of us, including a hungry werewolf," I said to Jon.

He grinned at me and his eyes flashed. "As long as I don't ruin it, there's plenty."

The grin reached his eyes. He would be alright.

I smiled back at him and then crossed the rest of the way through the kitchen, following Salvatore to the seat at the head of the table as Aisling went back to help Jon.

Though the table in the kitchen was big enough for eight people, we were going to be one seat short, so I climbed into my mate's lap and waited for the chili to finish cooking.

"Okay Liam, what did you find out?" I asked.

"Where do you want me to begin?"

"How about what I am and how I can see auras without the amulet?"

He folded his hands in front of him, not surprised like everyone else. "Of course, my dear. You are not a werewolf, but your connection to Salvatore allows you to see auras and enter Aisling's clearing. That is the first."

I didn't realize the clearing was of any significance to being _other_ , but it was good to know. It still didn't explain what was happening. "How am I not a werewolf?" I asked. "I shifted, for god's sake, Liam."

"You are not." He held out a hand for me to wait and then continued, "Because you are so powerful, your spiritual connection to everything is also very strong. Someone with your unique abilities can control the weather naturally, where Earthens can do it through magic. I have never seen one as powerful as you create a storm not only in the _Spirit Realm_ but here as well."

He smiled. "Your connection to Salvatore is so strong that your mind aligned itself with a wolf, which is why you can shift, have enhanced abilities, and _think_ like one. The wolf is your spirit animal, my dear. Though you can shift, you are not a werewolf. But you are close."

"That's why I don't have an aura?"

"Correct, which can be quite an advantage, my dear."

I didn't doubt that. That was going to be interesting figuring out how to utilize my abilities. But I could worry about that later. "And what about Renata?"

"What about her?"

"What's the plan? Are we going to do anything about what she did?"

Liam sat back in his chair. "I do not think she will be much of a threat any longer, my dear."

"But you don't know that. She's still using the wraiths that crossed over before I fortified the walls."

It was Aisling that spoke next. "Taking the offensive isn't really something we do, especially since she isn't _other_. She's not really a threat to us, as long as she leaves us alone. I think we should just ignore her."

She shrugged, "Besides, I think Liam's right. After you blocked her out, I don't think she has much leverage left to use against us. But—" she held up her finger "—it is your area. You're not a Voodoo priestess, but your connection to everything isn't that much different than hers. If you think she's a threat, we will follow your lead."

The fact that they would follow me into war, if I felt it was necessary, wasn't something I expected. I didn't think Renata was finished with us, because that kind of drive for being the most powerful creature wasn't something a person like her would abandon after defeat.

She liked to try new things to see what worked. But Aisling was still right. There were two Earthen witches, the most powerful creatures in existence when it came to magic, and I was a very powerful combination of a clairvoyant, Shamaness with a Siren call in my voice, and ... spirit wolf, apparently.

Someone like Renata wouldn't be able to match up to that kind of combined power. Especially since it was three of us against one.

At least, that's what I hoped.

I turned my attention back to Liam. "You don't want to take the offensive over this? Over everything she did."

"If that is what you want, my dear, I will follow you. But I don't think we should start a war with her when she cannot beat us."

I turned and looked at Salvatore. He held up his hand in surrender. "I know what you're after, but I'm not going to tell you what to do. As much as I want to ... end this," he said carefully, looking at Peter, "this is your choice."

Dammit.

Peter flickered into view beside me. "If she didn't take me, I wouldn't be here with you."

Leave it to a little boy to break it down into the simplest terms. He was right. As awful as she was, she brought him into our lives, and we saved him from spending his endless days as a lonely ghost.

"You're right, kid," I smiled. "We will leave her alone because of that, okay?"

He smiled up at me and took a hesitant step forward before backing up again.

Without looking away from him, I said, "Liam?"

"My dear."

"What about what I said before?"

"Jorge returned a little over an hour ago with that. After we eat?"

My smile widened. "Absolutely."

"That's good because it's ready," Aisling said and patted Jon on the shoulder. "You just made your first meal, Jon, congratulations."

He reached up and ruffled her hair. She groaned in frustration and reached up to pull it back into a pony tail while he grinned at her. She reacted exactly how he wanted. And she smiled up at him, despite herself.

She handed out bowls and we ate in silence until William spoke. "I worked out a deal with the council to retract their defamation and remove the order to kill you."

"How did you manage that?"

"Oh," he grinned, and the ghoul's eyes flashed. "Let's just say that I found a few things they didn't want the public knowing about and they agreed to drop everything very quickly. They're going to make the official announcement in the morning."

Just because William took care of the problem didn't mean I would let it go. I would tell the neutrals what was happening — the councils weren't protecting their people any longer. Many of them wouldn't take the warning, but if I was lucky, I could still save a few of them. And I was going to make sure _others_ were aware of their shift from neutrality as well.

William frowned and swallowed a bite of chili. "They refused to take you back as Librarian, though. I am sorry."

I waved my hand. "That's okay. They aren't neutral anyway. I wouldn't want to go back." I shrugged. "Besides, I'd much rather be here."

All the eyes in the room looked at me.

"What? You guys are my family." I looked at my best friend. "Everything was always about keeping you safe. And now, that includes all of you. I've always been your Guardian. Not theirs."

Shadow was busy wolfing down the bowl of chili Aisling gave him to react, but the orange in his aura told me he heard what I said. Bugs darted out from underneath the table and swiped a chunk of hamburger from his bowl, so I knew he heard me too.

I thought for a second the wolf might growl or snap at the ballsy feline, but he didn't do anything but grin at the gray ball of fur.

I looked at Peter, bouncing Connor's spelled red ball against the wall and having fun trying to keep up with it. "That includes you, too, Peter."

"I know," he called back and grinned.

### Chapter 57

Less than an hour later, everyone was full. Liam and Jorge led the way to the small infirmary they kept in the hallway designated for the human residents of the nest.

It was a total of two rooms, one of which was where I woke up after Salvatore's possessed wolf attacked me.

While everyone else stepped inside the room, Salvatore and I stopped to call Peter to us, since he was lagging behind. I knelt down on the floor in front of the ghost. "Peter, this is the first chance I've had to tell you and I want you to know that it's okay to touch me."

Before I finished speaking, he flung his arms around my neck and hugged me. For a seven year old boy, he was very strong. I didn't know if that was a ghost thing, or if he was like that before his death.

I hugged him back and closed my eyes. For the first time since I met him, I caught the faintest scent of candy. A slight, sugary scent hung around him as if he was chewing bubble gum right before he died.

Pulling back, I said, "There's something I have for you, but only if you want it. It's your choice, okay?"

He nodded, and I stood up. I took his hand and led him into the room.

The machines weren't running, because they didn't need to.

Peter caught sight of the person in the bed and froze mid-step. He looked up at me with wide eyes.

"Before you say anything, I don't know for sure if this will work. But if it does, you don't have to worry. Jorge made sure no family remained, and no one was inside. We are perfectly fine with you, just the way you are, but if you want this, the option is there for you."

His lip trembled and he nodded.

"You'll need to make sure you take care of him, especially if you need to leave him for whatever reason. And the body will need rest, even though you can't sleep. Make sure you treat his body like you would if it were yours, okay?"

He nodded again and flickered to the bed. Positioning himself, he took one last look at me and said, "Thank you." Then he closed his eyes and disappeared inside.

There was a long pause and I was beginning to think it wouldn't work, but then the boy's eyes fluttered open and locked with mine.

"Peter?"

He tried to sit up, but he was a little weak. Salvatore moved to the bed and helped him, letting his little legs hang over the edge to face me.

"You're going to need to build up the muscles in this body, Peter," my werewolf said. "And I'm going to help you do that, okay?" Before he could move away, Peter reached up with more speed than I thought possible and pulled him into a hug.

I smiled at Salvatore as he returned the embrace.

Though they were both seven years old, the similarities ended there. He had light brown hair, fair skin, and blue eyes. He was giving Peter a body, while Peter possessed the body of a little boy that was just a shell. It gave them both life again.

Stepping forward, I brushed his hair away from his face. "You'll need a haircut, I think." Then I hugged him and noticed he smelled the same.

"Thanks, Mom," he whispered and I smiled.

"You're welcome, Peter."

He pulled back and grinned at Shadow. "Can we go play ball again?"

The werewolf gave a nod, snorted, and then thumped his tail on the floor.

"Just be careful, and since it's dark outside, why don't you play in the training room?"

"Okay," he grinned and hopped off the table, taking the red ball from Connor and then followed Shadow out the door. Jon and Tobias trailed behind them.

In the morning, Salvatore and I packed our bags and went to the game room to watch the news. Sure enough, Thompson made the announcement that the information brought to his attention was falsified and all claims against me by the council were withdrawn.

He also mentioned that it was a mutual decision that I would not return to my position. He ended his statement by wishing me success.

I snorted. "Well, I guess that's as good as I'm going to get."

"Are you sure you want to go home?" my mate asked. "We can just stay here."

Salvatore was willing to do anything for me. But I knew it wouldn't be very long before all of us would be living under the same roof. Permanently. So I wanted to spend what little bit of time we had left enjoying our privacy. Not that we would really have much, since we adopted a ghost that never slept.

I didn't know how or why we would be forced under one roof, and I didn't want to worry him. So instead, I said, "Yes, I'm sure."

Peter ran up to us in his new body and threw his arms around our waists. "Can I stay here and play for the day? You can take me home later?"

I looked up at Salvatore. There was something I wanted to do anyway. Then I looked back down at Peter, brushing his hair out of his eyes. "As long as you have someone cut your hair."

He grinned and ran back out the door. "Thanks, Mom!"

William walked up to us and handed me a folder. "I've created an identity for Peter, and he's recorded as adopted by the two of you. But in order to do that, I needed to register you as a married couple. I hope that is not a problem."

Looking up at Salvatore, he grinned at me and his aura swirled with light blue. "I'm fine with that. We are bound, after all."

I narrowed my eyes, "That statement doesn't match your aura. What's up?"

He leaned down, unzipped the front pocket of his bag, and pulled something out before straightening. "Figures you'd notice that. I might as well give you this," he opened his hand, revealing a ring.

My mouth gaped.

It sparkled against the low light in the room. I picked up the white gold ring and sure enough, it had a large round stone, but ... not a diamond. It was iridescent and color bounced off of it. It was surrounded by tiny, pale pink stones. I looked up. "What stones are these?"

Hazel eyes glittered and my werewolf grinned. "The center is opal, and the others are pink diamonds."

"I don't understand. Why opal?"

"It's my birthstone and the pink diamonds are yours. If you don't like it we can—"

Moving faster than I thought possible, I cut him off, pulled him down, and kissed him, hard.

His arms wrapped around me and tightened. But then, too soon, he pulled back. "I guess you like it."

"I love it," I said as he pushed the ring on my finger. "When did you get it?"

He grinned again. "It arrived the morning you went to work to get fired."

I narrowed my eyes at him, wondering briefly how I didn't realize he ordered it in the first place, and then grinned. It didn't matter. We were mates, bound, and married, according to the documents William gave us.

Then I realized the ghoul was still standing there. I turned and smiled at him. The man was seriously skilled with all things legal. "Thank you, William."

"Congratulations." He smiled and handed me an envelope. "Your first paycheck. Expect one every week."

"Um, we never discussed any kind of payment."

Shrugging, he said, "Take that up with Liam. This is what he requested for your services as Guardian."

Without another word, he turned and left the room. I opened the envelope and looked at the check.

Then I nearly fainted.

My jaw fell open. "What the hell?"

"What is it?"

"Five thousand dollars."

"Liam is generous," he nodded.

I narrowed my eyes at him. "How much did he pay you to protect me when we first met?"

He grinned at me and his aura shifted to light blue. "I'm never telling. Besides, I gave it back."

"I need to give this back. It's way too much."

"No, it is not," Liam said from the doorway. "My dear, you are Guardian of Aisling, Connor, and all the rest of us now. As long as you are doing that job, you will receive payment."

I sighed. There was no arguing with the vampire. At least I might be able to have some kind of retirement.

If I lived that long.

"Thank you, Liam."

"But of course," he bowed and then disappeared from the doorway.

### Chapter 58

We went home and unpacked our bags. But when Salvatore unpacked, he wasn't moving into the guest bedroom. He was moving in with me. The guest bedroom was Peter's.

By the time we finished, I was grinning.

"What's that for?" Salvatore said as he moved toward me and pulled me into his arms.

"It's hard to believe how far we've come in less than a week. We went from barely kissing to bound and married with an adopted kid. And I couldn't be happier."

"I think you read my mind."

I pulled back and his aura was swirling with a deep pink. He leaned down and kissed me gently.

When he broke away, I said, "We need to get you a ring, too."

"We can look tonight and order one, okay?"

I nodded and grinned up at him. "I think I'd like to go for a run in the woods."

"On four legs or two?"

My grin widened. "What do you think?" I purred.

His eyes shifted to yellow and his pink aura darkened. "Four it is."

"One question, though."

"What?"

"Do I need to worry about my ring falling off or something?"

He chuckled. "If you change like you did in the clearing — like a werewolf — then yes. But there's only one way to find out."

Two minutes later, I finally figured out how to shift. I looked down and sure enough, my ring was sitting on the wood floor in front of my left paw.

He picked up the ring and set it on top of the dresser. Then he started taking off his clothes. I licked my lips as I watched him.

Damn, Salvatore looked good enough to eat.

But I wasn't hungry for food.

My werewolf caught me looking and his aura flamed with red. "We're not going to get any running done if you keep looking at me like that."

I licked my lips again, not caring.

He grinned at me and stepped out of his pants, completely naked. He shifted in the next instant and a two hundred pound black werewolf with white paws stood in front of me.

His yellow eyes locked with mine and he stepped forward, rubbing the side of his face against mine.

_Mine_ , the gesture said.

I grinned at him as he stepped back. His aura was still flaming with red and I shivered.

Less than a minute later, we ran out my back door and headed for the woods. Salvatore outweighed me by about ninety pounds, but I was still strong and fast enough to keep up with him without any trouble.

We bounded through the brush, hurdled over fallen trees, all while yipping and playing with each other. Finally, we reached Aisling's clearing, empty of all signs of our encounter with Cleansers, and Salvatore pounced on me from behind. I rolled, throwing him off me as I coughed out what sounded a lot like Shadow's laugh and I grinned at my mate, all two hundred pounds of him.

I hunched forward and wriggled my hind end in the air before I pounced on him. We grappled for a moment, but before I realized what he was doing, his teeth clamped down over the scruff on the back of my neck and I froze.

Mating with Salvatore as wolves was nothing short of amazing. Just like while we were human, he was powerful and dominating. And it felt just as good.

When we finished, we laid on the ground panting, snuggling against each other. And then we fell asleep.

Instead of dreaming, I felt a tug and moved toward it. When I opened my eyes, I was in the _Spirit Realm_ , standing in the living room of a small house. There was a ghost in front of me with shoulder-length white hair. Her back was to me, so I didn't recognize her at first.

But then she turned around and my jaw dropped. "Gramma?"

The ghost of Aisling's grandmother stood in front of me, smiling at me. "Angela, honey. I'm so proud of you. You've taken good care of my granddaughter. And you've found your happiness."

"Thank you." My eyes blurred for a moment but I choked the tears back. "You have no idea how much we've missed you."

"I know. Tell Aisling I love her. I love you both. And tell her how happy I am she found her happiness as well. Fate did an excellent job picking Connor as her mate, just as it did with Salvatore as yours."

But then her smile faded. "That's not why I called you here."

"What's going on?"

She moved closer and put her hands on my shoulders. "She's coming for Aisling. You need to warn her. Protect her." She stopped talking and pulled me into a hug.

But before I could ask any questions, everything disappeared.

Then I woke up.

The End
The Vault

(* indicates Angela's translation or addition *)

Rules of Neutrality

**1.** Assistance must be solicited by the requester; volunteerism of assistance is prohibited. All assistance provided is restricted to the ad-hoc request and must remain within the confines dictated by the requester. Requests for and compliance with assistance must remain confidential regardless of the purpose. Services provided free of charge. Donations are appreciated to offset any monetary costs incurred.

*Provide assistance if asked. No offering assistance beyond elected position. Confidentiality of requests is necessary.*

**2.** Compliance with neutrality laws is mandatory at all times, regardless of circumstance.

*Must provide requested service, including if that service would result in a death.*

**3.** Violations are to be reported to the appropriate authority immediately, without exception. Intentional, accidental, incidental instances or willful blindness of non-compliance is a violation punishable by an equivalent of the crime committed.

*If rules are broken, it must be reported to the governing council. Any violations, including if anyone knows of a violation and fails to report it, will receive punishment on an eye for an eye basis.*

**4.** Acts of retaliation or revenge are prohibited and punishable by an equivalent of the crime committed. Any noted acts of retaliation must be reported immediately.

*If retaliation occurs, it must be reported, and the council will mete out punishment on an eye for an eye basis. This includes humans, _others_ , and neutrals.*

Auras

A glow that surrounds anything _other_ , or supernatural. Its color indicates the intensity of a certain emotion or mindset. More than one color may show within an aura. Magical items or spelled objects will indicate the type of magic used, light or dark. Only _others_ can see auras.

*A spelled object can allow a human to see auras.*

Colors and Emotions

*Pink/Red = intensity of desire and/or love

Light Blue = humor

Dark Blue = sadness

Purple = contentment, strength or alpha (less common: power play from a witch)

Orange = pride, amazement

Gray = fear

Green = anger, indecision (less common: envy, guilt, or jealousy)

White = power, hope, purity (indicates type of magic used or witch)

Black = evil, hatred, darkness (indicates type of magic used or witch)*

Others

**All** _Others_ \- Cannot contract disease, infection, or any other illness. Fertile only if they want to reproduce. Commonly territorial over mates and anything of significance considered property. Higher energy and metabolism, which includes faster regeneration.

**Earthen** \- Extinct in seventeenth century. Cause: Unknown. *False, Heliotrope, a bush extinct from the Saint Helena Island (West of Angola in the South Atlantic Ocean) was the poison used to kill them.* Twelve witches infused by both Moon and Earth magic, shared power. Power used via will. Will is achieved through heightened emotion. They were seen as royalty for their ability to protect all supernaturals. Common traits: pre-cognition; _sight_ ; _shield_ ; helping those in need; attracting _others_ ; enhanced speed similar to that of a vampire; *healing capabilities for others; not limited by iron or iron ore; senses _others_ as well as humans; infused with the essences of the Earthens from before which is represented as whispers or a 'thousand voices'; eyes change color when unleashed or accessing power - red indicates anger, white for passion or love. Vampire blood is only tolerated by vampire spelled by an Earthen. Any other blood source could be deadly. Iron and iron ore affects are unknown for the twelve. However, with one Earthen, there are no known affects.*

**Witches** \- Defined as light or dark. Power is limited and depletes quickly. Can only access Moon magic, traditional spells. Spells may require elements such as fire (catalyst), blood (binding to caster), or less commonly, earth, air, and water (obsolete, for agriculture). Chanting is required. Possible to have one or, rarely, two Earthen traits. *Up to four have been recorded*. Vulnerable to iron and iron ore and cannot manipulate it in any way. Depending on the potency of iron, it could deplete the ability to use magic completely.

**Weres** \- Most typically werewolves, but there are many other species. Not bound to the Moon, meaning they can shift at any time. Due to the state of the supernatural community after the fall of the Earthens, most chose their human or animal form and remained. Fast healing capabilities. Enhanced speed, sense of sound and smell. Vulnerable to iron and iron ore, which can hinder their ability to heal. Only able to infect humans, not _others_. *The less the body needs to fight the bite of a were-animal, the more likely the human to become _other_ , which means the greater the injuries sustained, the less likely the human will turn.* Vampire blood can heal, but it is extremely painful. Shifting takes anywhere from a few seconds to nearly a minute. *Instantaneous shifting and partial shifts are possible. Not clear if vulnerable to heliotrope.*

**Pixies** \- Synonymous with garden sprites. They are tiny, anywhere from three to six inches tall with wings. To humans, they appear as birds. Primary functions: live in gardens or other plentiful areas, cultivators of plant life. Pixie dust has magical properties which can be changed for maximum effect, most commonly to assist in the health and growth of plants. *Pixie dust can be used as a weapon. Not vulnerable to heliotrope.*

**Vampires** \- Sire must want progeny. Vampires are made from turning or by birth (males are fertile by choice, females are sterile). Children become undead at the end of puberty. Due to being undead, they cast no aura, but they can see them. Other traits: eyes flash *like a cat's eyes*; fangs; drink blood; killed only from decapitation. With enough time and blood nourishment, all injuries can heal or regrow. Not vulnerable to the sun, iron or iron ore. *Including heliotrope.* Generally prefer the night due to heightened sight. Enhanced speed, hearing, and smell. Were-animal bites are extremely painful, like a temporary poison. They can and usually eat food. *Only the blood of a vampire spelled by an Earthen can heal an Earthen when injured. Non-spelled vampire blood is often deadly. Not many vampires were spelled due to Earthens' ability to heal each other.*

**Ghouls** \- Originates as vampires. Instead of blood, they consume meat. Killed by destroying the heart, not decapitation. *Ghouls cast no aura, but they can see them. Enhanced senses, speed, and their eyes flash like a cat's eyes. After a vampire's death, only the blood of the sire and the flesh of the Earthen can create a ghoul.*

###
Thank You

This book was an amazing journey — a journey everyone can relate to. That hope to find a place in the world where you can call home. A place where people will love you for you. No matter how different you are. As always, thank you for reading. I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did. If you did, please take a moment to leave a review with your retailer or Goodreads. And read on for an excerpt from _Listen_ , the third book of the Earthen Witch Novels, which continues Aisling's journey.

Always,

Sarah Doughty
About the Author

Sarah Doughty is a Most Downloaded Author that writes adult urban fantasy and paranormal romance novels, which is not a genre typically available on the market. The novels are filled with characters that have their own unique stories. Characters that will make you laugh with them, cry with them, and know what it feels like to live right along with them.

Writing is her therapy and her solace, so she writes every chance she has. Including into the wee hours of the morning, with her faithful canine companions always next to her or at her feet.

When she's not writing, she spends time with her husband and peanut butter-loving little boy, or fueling her addiction as an urban fantasy or paranormal romance-reading junkie.

She lives in Indiana with her husband, son, two dogs, and psychotic cat. Visit her website at www.sarahdoughty.com.
Connect with Me

Website: http://www.sarahdoughty.com

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/TheSarahDoughty

Twitter: http://twitter.com/thesarahdoughty

Instagram: https://instagram.com/thesarahdoughty/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thesarahdoughtyauthor

Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/thesarahdoughty
Acknowledgments

The lives of my characters feel very real to me. I wanted from the start to be able to tell the stories of those that devoted their lives to help Aisling. If not for the unwavering support of my friends, family, and fans, this novel wouldn't be possible. I was not the only one that wanted to learn more. To my husband for being willing to help me when I could not make a decision, for listening when I was grieving over something I knew would hurt my characters. For translating the Rules of Neutrality into legalese so well, even I could hardly understand them. But most of all, for his willingness to be my rock, constant support, and my rescuer. I love you. To my biggest fans, beta readers, and friends, for their unwavering guidance and support: Leslie Levy of naschabella, lovegoddesspoems, Márcia "Mah" Lima of emotionally.inconstant, and May Timani. To the ever amazing and talented writer-artist extraordinaire, sheswideawake for her tireless work on these covers and her incredible ability to see my vision and bring it to life, and for being a great friend. Special thanks to my friend Sonny Spencer for her continued support throughout this entire process. To my mother for being biased but still willing to give me feedback, and for just being Mom. Finally, but certainly not least, YOU, my readers. Thank you for loving every second of this journey with me. There are still more of Connor and Aisling's story to tell, and more characters that deserve their own piece of happiness. I cannot wait to share it all with you.
Excerpt from Listen - Earthen Witch Novels Book Three

### Chapter 1

I took a deep breath, choking back the whimper from the sudden intense pain in my jaw as I tasted blood on my tongue.

Despite how it looked, I didn't like violence. I never did.

Maybe that was because of my environment growing up. Maybe it just wasn't in me. But either way, I didn't like it.

My first instinct was always to calm the situation, to diffuse it before escalation. But not everyone shared the same sentiment. And I learned to adapt to my environment. But that didn't mean I needed to enjoy myself.

As much as I wanted to say otherwise, we were at war. The supernatural world was in a constant state of war against opposition. But the enemy was never the same. It could be humans one day, and then _others_ — those like us, the supernatural beings — the next. Or it could be something different.

The war itself boiled down to the right to live. Some believed that we didn't have that right. That we — _others_ — should die. Some were after power and wouldn't hesitate to kill anything that either stood in their way or possessed power they wanted for themselves. Or, some just preferred to torture and kill.

Ever since I turned twenty-one, I saw how much hatred and greed for power ran through people. I lost count of the amount of times attempts were taken to assassinate me. And yet, there I was, deep in the underbelly of a centuries old vampire's opulent home, sparring with a vampire.

All in an effort to protect myself against my real enemies.

And it went against everything I was to willingly inflict damage on another living thing. Even while sparring, I couldn't hold back. Because my enemies wouldn't offer me the same courtesy.

"Come on, Greenie," Tobias grinned with his fangs in full view as he hopped back and forth on the balls of his feet, waiting for me to make the next move.

God, but I took the bait anyway.

"Stop calling me that," I gritted, but smirked, despite myself.

Chuckling, he said, "Oh, come on. You're not going to be Aisling Green much longer. So I need to use this time to my advantage."

His fist shot out in a blinding speed, but I was faster and blocked it with my forearm before he could connect with my eye. But it still hurt like a bitch. And I hissed as pain reverberated through my arm.

I was so tired of the war. As a victim of abuse, countless attempts to steal my magic by more than one person, and poisoned with unspelled vampire blood in the name of revenge on someone else, I was no stranger to that war.

But the list didn't end there.

I was knocked out, kidnapped, tortured, poisoned with a drug no one knew existed. A drug that shouldn't have affected _others_. My dreams were hijacked and my body was controlled by a demon while I slept. Sure, I might have killed him and saved the world, but that didn't stop people from wanting to take my power.

_Others_ were powerful. But they weren't the only ones.

Less than three months before, I was just a typical college graduate. I didn't know supernaturals existed outside of fiction.

All of that brought me to that point. Yet I didn't regret a second of it. Despite all the bad, I wouldn't trade it for anything.

Why?

Before I turned twenty-one, my only family was my grandmother and my best friend. But after, my grandmother died. She never explained anything to me about supernaturals beyond our witch heritage and how a faint glow surrounding certain things and people meant they were _other_. I didn't know it at the time. But those were auras.

Not long after, I met Zoe Kavanaugh, someone I knew was _other_ because of the black glow that surrounded her. She was nice and intriguing with that Australian accent, but there were things that weren't right about her. I didn't understand that the black in her aura meant she was a dark witch. Dangerous. I didn't know what kind of creature she was.

By the time I realized I was in danger, it was too late.

I would have died if it wasn't for Connor Jennings, a traditional light witch. The man that came to my rescue and saved my life. In addition to saving me, the color of his aura was completely different than Zoe's, and I felt something, deep down, that told me I could trust him.

He agreed to help me, because I was clueless. I thought I was just a witch, like my grandmother said. But we quickly realized that wasn't the case. I was Earthen.

Earthens were once royalty in the supernatural community. Because they were the most powerful of all _others_. Powerful enough to protect their world against humans and anyone that would disrupt the peace.

They were killed in the seventeenth century and the community collapsed into chaos. _Others_ made deals with humans to save themselves from annihilation, or they left a trail of dead in an effort to take the throne.

Earthens were thought to be extinct, but I was living proof that wasn't true.

It didn't take long for Connor and I to fall in love and meet people that we could trust. We found allies in unlikely places. One of which was a very old vampire. And it was in the basement of that vampire's home that we trained for battle.

The world was still unstable for _others_ , but we were determined to set it right.

I was determined.

No one deserved to live in fear, away from their families and their own kind out of fear of discovery and death.

For a while, I was the only one that could give that to them.

Connor wasn't just my fiancé. He was my supernatural equivalent of a soulmate — my mate. And he was supposed to be an Earthen, but as fate would have it, he became a witch before he could transition on his own, like I did.

When we bound together — a very intense supernatural marriage that permanently connects two souls together — in preparation to fight the demon set on destroying the world, it triggered him to turn.

He was Earthen.

Yet he was still trying to learn how to utilize his new powers. Though he learned more every day, he was still limited, and I could see the frustration on his face as he watched me from the edge of the mat with his arms crossed in front of his chest.

I knew why he was upset.

There were two ways Connor and I could spar the way we could. First, Liam, the master vampire of the house, was the only vampire that could heal an Earthen with his blood, since his blood was spelled centuries before. The second was another Earthen. I could heal my mate, or anyone else.

But I couldn't heal myself.

"Where the hell is Liam?" I asked for the third time. "I haven't seen him since Sunday."

It was Wednesday.

Without Liam, Connor was my only hope to heal from sparring. Which meant accessing his magic. And since he still couldn't accomplish that, I could guess what he was thinking with his sulking posture and that angry green and sad dark blue aura shimmering around him.

Not only were auras useful in determining someone was _other_ , but the color also indicated the current emotion of the creature it surrounded, or the type of magic used on an object — light or dark. Humans didn't see them. And they didn't emit them.

But they weren't the only ones that didn't have auras. Undead — vampires and ghouls — never cast auras, since they weren't technically alive, but they could see them. A very select few supernaturals outside of the undead didn't have them as well. We didn't know why.

With my growing list of injuries while sparring against a vampire, and without Liam waiting to heal me with his spelled blood, it meant I would have to heal on my own. And Connor didn't like that at all.

Tobias stopped bouncing on his feet and stood at his full six foot three height. His grin faded as his fangs receded. His hair was sticking out in random places, and his goatee was fading in with the rest of the stubble on his face. He wore the same matching black tank top and loose fitting pants the rest of the men wore during training.

Unfortunately for me, I wasn't provided the same outfit. With my athletic, yet curvy five and a half foot frame, I wore matching volleyball shorts that were too short for my taste and a tank top with a built in sport bra. My long, curly brunette hair was unruly even in the loose bun at the back of my head, while my peaches and cream complexion probably looked more red and splotchy from all the fighting.

The vampire standing in front of me was Liam's third in command. But since Jon, Liam's second, was gone as well, it left Tobias in charge of the nest, a fancy way of saying a group home for the undead. "I don't know, Aisling," the vampire sighed and glanced at my mate. "It's time to stop training for today, since we don't know if Connor can heal you."

"No. I want to keep going," I said with a quick punch to the vampire's jaw.

### Chapter 2

Tobias's head snapped to the side with the force of my fist colliding with his jaw and he turned his head toward me slowly. He glared at me and his brilliant blue eyes flashed like a cat's — one of the few signs of an undead.

Though Liam was a very old master vampire that ruled over his nest and held more knowledge than a vault of information filled with supernatural lore, everyone knew who was really in charge.

Me.

It was part of the package of being an Earthen.

I didn't necessarily enjoy it, but there were times it came to my advantage.

Training was essential for survival. It helped to prepare us, and saved our lives more than once. I wasn't about to back down from it just because I couldn't heal a few bruises or cuts.

They might not agree, but when I pulled rank, they listened.

As Tobias's jaw clenched, his eyes searching mine, I felt Connor approach me from behind.

That was one of the perks of being fated to be together. Of being mates. From the first day Connor came to town, we felt each other like magnets. And that pull would never fade.

"Aisling," Connor said, low. Tobias looked away and I turned around to face my fiancé. "I know how important training is, but you could get hurt fighting against them and you know it."

Green swirled in his aura, which meant he was angry. But I didn't think his anger was directed at me. If I knew him as well as I thought, he was angrier with himself that he couldn't heal me. But he also knew the necessity of sparring.

I watched him for a moment, taking him in. Deep brown eyes searched mine, sending shivers down my spine. His long, straight brown hair curtained around his face and covered the back of his neck.

He stood six inches taller than me at six feet tall and my eyes dropped from his, glided over the stubble on his jaw and finally settled on his rounded lower lip. I licked mine reflexively. Pink bled into the edges of his aura, indicating his desire, and he crossed his strong arms in front of his chest again.

The muscles beneath his velvet skin were visible, since he was wearing the same matching black tank top and loose pants all the men used for training.

God, but he was mouthwatering.

There was nothing about him I didn't like.

Everything about him called to me in a way nothing ever could.

And he was _mine_.

I grinned devilishly at him and the corners of his mouth lifted in response. But then I let my grin fade. "Shouldn't we prepare for all situations?"

"We've been in this situation before. When we were tortured in Germany. You spent two days in pain while we waited for Liam."

"I know, but here, the worst that could happen is some bruises and scrapes. The Kramer Scholars did much worse than that."

The Kramer Scholars were the first and most devout group of supernatural hunters known as Malleus Dei Maleficarum — the Hammer of God Against Witches. They were headquartered in Germany, where Heinrich Kramer started his crusade against supernaturals in the mid-fifteenth century.

Initially, he operated under the direction of the Catholic Church. He was tasked with writing a book to help them fight against witches, which the Church considered to be demons. But his recommended method of the inquisition wasn't something they expected. And it forced the Church to denounce him.

Kramer anticipated the Church's action and wrote a second book of the same title, _Malleus Maleficarum_. It was filled with information about how to discover and destroy more than just witches. It covered all _others_. And there were plenty of humans that still followed him, with that book at hand as their bible.

While other sects of the MDM evolved with time, the KS did not. They still tortured, and they killed without question. They didn't bother to verify if someone was _other_ before they struck. Though we were at a stalemate with the MDM — Kramer Scholars included — the war with them wasn't over.

"I know that. But I didn't fight while I was injured." Technically that was true. It was the demon that played my body like a puppet, despite my injuries, and forced me to fight and kill six Scholars in a Berlin alley. Based on the pain I felt from that alone, I wouldn't have been capable of fighting at all. "And it's not as though I don't already know how to deal with this kind of pain."

Connor's jaw clenched as he regarded me, remembering what I told him about my childhood.

I sighed. "How about this? You and I fight together against them, and if I'm hurt, we'll see how well I can fight through the pain. Test my limits. If I'm hurt enough, we stop. Deal?"

"Only if they agree to fight us," he said and his eyes flickered over my head to Tobias.

I turned to look at the vampire in question.

He grinned at me and raised his hands in surrender. "Oh no, I'm not doing that. Connor looks like he's about to murder me with his eyes."

I snorted and looked back at my mate. "Oh, so we're going to play it like that are we?"

Two can play at this game, mister.

Connor grinned back at me and his aura shifted to light blue with his humor, but he didn't respond.

"Alright then," I said louder, despite knowing everyone could already hear us. "So who has the _balls_ to step up and fight us, huh? Are you going to bow out like a coward?" I bit my cheek to keep from laughing as my lips twitched. Though I was still looking into my mate's eyes the last comment was directed at the vampire that just surrendered.

"Hey now, that hurts me," Tobias said from the bench to my right, and I caught him clutching his chest as if he was wounded with a pale hand, but he made no move to return to his place on the mat.

Connor's lips twitched in response as his eyebrow lifted.

"I'll do it," Jorge's baritone southern drawl sounded from the knife throwing section of the training room.

The whole room was like a massive arena, nearly three stories tall and lit by fluorescents. There were sparring sections, weight training, weapons training, and even a moving obstacle course in the middle.

As Jorge approached, Connor turned slowly to glare at him and the ghoul's deep brown eyes flashed as he grinned back in response.

He was the same height as Connor, but built completely different. Most of the undead in Liam's nest were highly trained and skilled warriors while they were alive. Jorge was no different.

While he was all muscle that rippled with every move he made, he was graceful. Transitioning from vampire to ghoul didn't change him. Except his required nourishment shifted from blood to meat. And his fangs were gone.

Connor wasn't built the same way. He was strong, and could carry my weight with ease, but his muscles weren't obvious like they were on Jorge. They were there, beneath his velvet skin, and he was far sexier than anything I ever saw before.

The ghoul stepped onto the mat, scrubbing his hand over his bearded jaw. "Ready to play?"

Connor took a quick, heated glance at me that traveled down my body in a shiver. A glance that promised retribution later as he turned to Jorge and moved into position, pink still playing at the edges of his aura.

Heat erupted across my body and my mouth went dry as I forced myself to look away from my mate and face our opponent.

Jorge nodded toward me and said, "Aisling," just like he did the first time we met. As if we were saying hello while out for the morning paper.

I moved into position and the ghoul was a blur of motion, his dark head speeding to the right toward Connor and landing a punch to his stomach before moving toward me.

Ducking, I heard a whoosh of air as the ghoul's fist sailed above me, right where my face was an instant before. I spun, kicking my leg out and knocked his feet out from beneath him.

He was back on his feet in a flash, but Connor was already there and landed a punch to his jaw, followed by an immediate knee to the side.

Jorge grunted but didn't slow down and his fist connected with my mate's side in response, forcing him to step back.

Just as I was about to lunge forward with a feigned attack to his face to land a blow to his midsection instead, a wave of nausea washed over me.

And then I realized I wasn't seeing out of my eyes any longer.

###
