 
### Listen

By Sarah Doughty

Copyright 2016 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 use fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

All Rights Reserved

Excerpt from Listen copyright 2016 by Sarah Doughty

This book contains an excerpt from Safe 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: Sarah Doughty with the assistance of Kristyn McQuiggan of Drop Dead Designs. Cover image copyright Margo Black/Shutterstock.

Smashwords Edition, License Notes

Thank you for downloading this e-book. 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

Listen

Aisling's Journal

Thank You Message

About the Author

Other Titles

Connect with the Author

Acknowledgments

Preview of Safe
For May Timani, for being a cherished friend since the beginning.

I wish your life to be fulfilled with joy.

And plenty of cats to call your own.
"The earth has music for those who listen."

– William Shakespeare
"The quieter you become, the more you can hear."

– Ram Dass
"Listen once in a while. It's amazing what you can hear."

– Russell Baker
I just needed to

stop and listen

to what was happening

from within and let it

be my guide

– Aisling Green
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 like it.

As much as I wanted to say otherwise, we were at war. The supernatural world was in a constant battle 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 would kill anything that stood in their way. Or, some preferred to kill and take power.

My entire life and 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 kill me. And yet, there I was, deep in the underbelly of a centuries-old vampire's opulent home, sparring with another 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 – undead included. Even while sparring, I couldn't hold back. Because my enemies wouldn't offer 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 while I come up with a new name."

His fist shot out at 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 childhood abuse, countless attempts to steal my magic by more than one person, and poisoned in the name of revenge on someone else, I was a popular target.

But that list didn't end there.

I was knocked out, kidnapped, tortured, drugged with something no one knew existed. One that shouldn't affect _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 anyone else from coming after me.

_Others_ were powerful. But they weren't the only ones that were more than human.

Less than three months before, I was a typical college graduate. I didn't know supernaturals existed outside of fiction.

So much changed since. 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 then, my grandmother died. She never explained anything to me about supernaturals beyond our witch heritage and how a faint glow surrounding people meant they were _other_ or that certain things touched by magic would glow too. I didn't know it at the time. But those were auras.

Not long after, I met Zoe Kavanaugh, someone I only knew was _other_ because of the black glow that surrounded her. She was beautiful, nice, and intriguing with that Australian accent. There were also things that weren't right about her. I didn't understand that black meant she was a dark witch. Dangerous.

By the time I realized the threat, it was too late.

I would have died if it wasn't for Connor Jennings, a light witch. The man that came to my rescue and saved my life. In addition to saving me, the color of his aura was different than Zoe's, and I felt something, deep down, that told me I could trust him.

He agreed to help because I was clueless. I thought I was a witch, like my grandmother said. But we quickly realized that wasn't the case.

I was Earthen.

Earthen witches 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 reign supreme.

Earthens were thought to be extinct, but I was living proof that wasn't true – they were just dormant.

Connor and I were in love within days and met people that we began to trust. We found allies in unlikely places. One of which was an old master vampire and his nest – a safe, group home for his people and trusted allies. And it was in that vampire's basement 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 like that, 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.

But 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.

When we bound together – an 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 mine and he was Earthen.

Yet he was still trying to learn how to utilize his new powers. Despite learning 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, an Earthen could use magic. Or Liam, the master vampire we trusted, was the only vampire we knew that could offer his blood's healing effects to an Earthen. It was a result of a spell cast by one of the old Earthens before they were killed. Without that spell, vampire blood was poisonous, even deadly to someone like me.

I could heal my mate or anyone else, but not myself. And I didn't know how to work a spell like that.

"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 option 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 if someone was _other_ , but the color also reflected 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 not everyone without an aura was pure human. There were other creatures. Despite being considered _other_ , the undead – vampires and ghouls – were aura free, since they weren't technically alive, but they could see them. A select few supernaturals outside of the undead didn't have them, either. We didn't know why.

With my growing list of injuries sustained on that mat with Tobias, and without Liam waiting to heal me with his special, spelled blood, it meant that unless Connor could access his new magic to heal me, I would have to heal on my own. And he 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. With his hair sticking out in random places, and goatee fading in with the rest of the stubble on his face, along with the same matching black tank top and loose fitting pants the rest of the men wore during training, he was almost unrecognizable.

Unfortunately for me, I wasn't provided the same outfit. With my athletic, yet curvy five and a half foot frame, I wore matching black 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, and my peaches and cream complexion probably looked red and splotchy from all the fighting.

The vampire standing in front of me was Liam's third in command – and one of the people I trusted with my life. He was also the vampire in charge, since Jon, Liam's second, was gone as well. "I don't know, Aisling," the vampire sighed and glanced at my mate. "It's time to stop training for today since Connor can't 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 back toward me in a slow motion. He glared at me and his brilliant blue eyes flashed against the harsh overhead lights. Just like a cat's eyes, which was one of the few indicators that he was undead.

Though Liam's power, age, and immense supernatural knowledge that went beyond a vault of lore earned him the status of a master vampire, the leader of his people, everyone knew who was in charge, despite his chain of command.

Me.

It was part of the package of being the first Earthen in centuries. I outranked all of them.

I didn't necessarily enjoy it, but when it was needed, it came to my advantage.

Training was essential for survival. It helped prepare us and saved our lives more than once. I wasn't going to stop 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.

The closer he was, the stronger the sensation. If he was gone and I wanted to find him, I could follow his pull until I reached him. We didn't share that connection with anyone else.

"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 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. On the other hand, the green could also indicate his indecision. He knew the necessity of sparring. The necessity for survival.

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 and my eyes dropped, glided over the stubble on his jaw and settled on his rounded lower lip. I licked mine reflexively. Pink bled into the edges of his aura, indicating his desire, but 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 fitted 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 the 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.

Due to his extensive knowledge of witches, he was recruited by 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 in groups all over the world.

While the other groups of the MDM evolved with time, the KS did not. They still tortured, and 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," I went on. "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 from torture, and then forced me to fight and kill six Scholars in a Berlin alley. Based on the pain I felt from that alone, I could barely walk, let alone fight. "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 one of 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'll stop. Deal?"

"Only if someone agrees 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 – with the exception of the nest's willing humans that either watched or trained throughout the large room. "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 Connor's eyes, the last comment was directed at the vampire that refused to continue fighting.

"Hey now, that hurts me," Tobias said from the bench to my right, and I caught him clutching his chest with a pale hand as if he was wounded, but he made no move to return to his place on the mat.

Connor's lips twitched in response as his eyebrow lifted in triumph.

"I'll do it," Jorge's baritone southern drawl sounded from the knife throwing section of the training room.

The space was massive, about three stories tall and lit by fluorescents. There were sparring sections, weight training, weapons training, and even a moving obstacle course in the middle of the room that only someone with the speed of the undead could conquer.

As Jorge approached, Connor turned 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 the similarities in physique ended there. 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 fresh meat. And his fangs were gone.

Connor 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 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 him 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 just as fast, 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 the feet out from beneath him.

He was 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. Then his fist connected with my mate's side in response, forcing Connor 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.

### Chapter 3

I blinked, trying to clear my vision, but nothing changed. There were shapes, but they were so clouded I couldn't make out what they were.

It was like looking through fog.

But just as quickly as the _sight_ started, I blinked and I was back. There was just enough time to see Jorge's fist collide with my face.

And then everything went black.

I didn't know how long I was out, but I could hear Connor's muffled voice as if it were traveling through a tunnel filled with water.

By the time I came around again, I felt a tingle on my cheeks and realized Connor was attempting to heal me with his magic. I opened my eyes to see him as he struggled with his eyes closed tight.

He let out his breath and opened his eyes. His lips thinned as an angry green filled his aura and a grim resignation resonated in his features. His attempt to heal me failed. Again.

Traditional witches used moon magic, which required the use of spells. Chanting and often a few ingredients or elements were needed to make spells work. But as Earthens, we used the magic of the earth and the moon.

All we needed was will – that deep desire to see something happen – which was fueled by emotion.

And god, but did we have a lot of it.

We required heightened emotions to allow our power to work.

The same principle applies when using electricity to power a light bulb. If there's not enough electricity, it either won't work, or the light will be dim.

I knew Connor's emotions were as powerful as mine, and he felt the will to heal me. But despite it, his magic wasn't working. Just another question with no answer.

While Liam wasn't around to ask, we tried to look it up in the vault, the library – both a physical and digital collection of lore on _others_ – maintained by my best friend. Even with everything we learned up to that point, the information on Earthens was limited.

My face hurt like hell. But I would survive.

I lifted my hands and touched Connor's cheeks. The stubble tickled against my skin and it felt just as good as it always did. "It's okay. I'll be fine." A faint smile spread on my lips before I let go of him and tried to sit up.

His hands moved to my shoulders to help as another wave of nausea washed over me and I closed my eyes in an attempt to catch my equilibrium.

"Are you alright?" my fiancé asked with concern in his voice.

"Yeah," I breathed. "Just a little dizzy." I finished in a stronger voice.

"Can you stand?"

"I think so."

He helped me to my feet, but the green in his aura didn't fade. Dark blue started to mix in at the edges and I pulled him into my arms before I was steady.

Supporting my weight with ease, he hugged me back in a fierce embrace, dipping his head to the curve of my shoulder to inhale my scent.

Connor smelled of wood smoke, a scent I always loved, and I breathed him in, filling my nose with him. I relaxed in the next instant. Though he didn't say anything, I knew what he was thinking.

If we were in a real fight, I could have died, and he wouldn't have been able to help me.

"It's okay. I'm fine."

He sighed, "You don't understand, Aisling."

"Yes, I do. I know what this means, and I know it's scary, but I'm okay. And we will figure it out." I meant to stop there, but I kept babbling. "I'm sorry I pushed it, Connor. I shouldn't have. It was dangerous and reckless. I didn't consider how something else might distract me."

Ever since we met, Connor tried to break my habit of apologizing for things that weren't my fault. Growing up with it enforced as a method of control during abuse made it hardwired into my system. I did it without thinking.

But that time, it was warranted.

He pulled back and looked at me. "What distracted you?"

" _Sight_ ," I replied, letting my hands slide down his shoulders to rest on his chest.

That was one of the many traits an Earthen could possess – the ability to see through the eyes of something else. Either _other_ or human, it didn't matter. I could do it at will, but it also happened on its own.

I replayed what I saw in my mind, but couldn't figure out who it was I was _seeing_ through. I didn't know what I saw.

"One second I was here, and the next I was looking through fog. It was so fast I barely processed it. I came back just as Jorge hit me."

"Sorry about that," the ghoul in question said from behind Connor. "If I knew you were _seeing_ I would have stopped."

"It's alright, no one knew," Connor said for me. But the muscles in his jaw were still clenching over what happened. We never considered how _sight_ might distract me or make me vulnerable in a fight.

Because it never happened before.

Despite the limited Earthen lore, we knew that Earthens shared their power. At any given time throughout history, there were, at most, twelve across the globe. That meant that there were quite a few of them over time before they were killed.

One of the perks of being an Earthen meant that the soul of each one that ever lived before was inside me, at least in part. Sometimes they spoke for me, which was unnerving at first. Or whispered to me in my head. Offering little bits of advice when we were otherwise clueless on what to do. And I trusted them. It was in our nature to protect lives, never to take one unless necessary.

The problem was that they didn't always talk. And in that moment, I wished they would.

Ever since Germany and the torture, I knew that relying on Liam as the only vampire with the ability to heal me wasn't realistic. It took two days for him to reach us before. If he was killed, Connor was my last hope.

I didn't know how to spell a vampire's blood. And those whispering voices weren't talking.

"Tobias," I said.

The vampire stepped forward. "Aisling."

"Would it be alright if I try to spell you? Liam isn't here and I think we need to try. I just don't know if it'll work."

"Are you sure?" Judging by the look on his face, he was both surprised by my request and humbled by it.

Asking Tobias to take on that ability meant that my mate and I needed to trust him with our lives. I knew Tobias would die to keep us safe.

Did Connor?

I glanced at my fiancé with the unspoken question. Without hesitation, he nodded and I looked back at the vampire's blue eyes as they flashed against the fluorescent light flooding the room. "Yes," I replied.

"Then yes, I'd be honored."

I stepped away from Connor and moved to Tobias. I reached up and touched his face, feeling the stubble on his cheeks and the cool flesh beneath.

Without knowing what I was doing, I improvised.

As I closed my eyes and pushed magic into his skin, I willed my magic to change his blood so we could accept it and its healing effects.

When I finished, I opened my eyes. "I'll need to taste it to see if it worked."

"But–" Connor began, but I cut him off.

"Don't worry. I'll spit it out if it didn't work. I can taste the difference."

That much was true. Though blood tasted coppery, Liam's was almost sweet. The first time I took his blood to ward off the effects of a spell, my body tried to purge it on instinct. But since then, I would try to catch any remaining drops that didn't make it in my mouth.

Which was quite embarrassing.

But when a longtime friend of Liam forced his blood into my system, it held the same coppery taste, but the underlying flavor was bitter.

And when I swallowed it to keep from suffocating, I was in so much pain that I begged the universe for death.

It should have killed me. If I shared my power with eleven other Earthens, it would have.

Tobias pierced the pad of his thumb on a fang and held it out for me. I watched the blood well up like a dome and then closed my mouth over it, catching the blood with my tongue.

The cool liquid exploded in my mouth like I was zapped with a car battery. But beneath the metallic taste, it was bitter. Wrong.

I pulled back in a flash and spit the dangerous blood onto the mat, but the taste lingered. "I'm sorry," I muttered and ran out of the training room toward the suite I shared with Connor as fast as I could, trying not to swallow.

Desperation didn't begin to cover the urgency I felt to clean my mouth.

### Chapter 4

Not bothering to close the door behind me, I felt Connor following as I headed straight for the bathroom.

The atmosphere of our suite tended to scream desire and set us both on edge with it. The walls were a deep crimson, the floors were gleaming, gold inlaid mahogany, and the bed was a double king size with crimson silk sheets and a black furry blanket while the frame was a massive four poster with intricate carvings of people in various stages of sexual bliss.

The hearth was surrounded by black marble and the crystal light fixtures were placed throughout the space. Combined with the flickering flames within the fireplace, the whole space sparkled.

The same vibe continued into the bathroom, triple the size of mine at home a few miles away, with a black marble shower, the same blood red walls, and a white egg-shaped tub big enough for two. A similar crystal chandelier cast light that shimmered off the surfaces.

But in that moment, I didn't notice any of it. I reached the sink and pulled the bottle of mouth wash from behind the mirror and poured some into my mouth.

The alcohol impacted the traces of blood that remained and I felt it sizzle as the liquid worked. I spit the contents, seeing the red mixed with the blue and repeated the process, trying not to panic.

By the third rinse, no blood remained. I rinsed once more for good measure before I put the cap back on the bottle and placed it back in the cabinet behind the mirror.

Connor stayed quiet the whole time, watching me from the doorway to the bathroom with his arms crossed over his chest. I could see his aura from my peripheral vision. The dark blue of sadness meant he was upset that the spell didn't work.

I knew he was concerned. But he was giving me time to calm down. My reaction to Tobias's blood was stronger than I anticipated. But it made sense, with as much pain as I felt after unspelled vampire blood went through my system. If I ever felt sheer agony like that again, it would be too soon.

Turning on the faucet, I rinsed the remnants of blood and mouthwash from the porcelain basin, and then dried my hands. Then I gripped the edge of the sink like a lifeline while my white knuckles stood out against the low light in the space and I fought a flashback as I felt it tugging at my edges with craggy fingers.

Just breathe, Aisling.

I took a deep breath and crumpled to the floor.

Connor was there in the next instant, pulling me into his arms. Surrounding me with his strength, his scent. Him. "It's alright," he whispered over and over again into my ear as he held me. "You are right here. You're safe. Listen to the sound of my voice, Aisling. Just breathe."

After what seemed like forever and only a few moments at the same time, I quieted and pulled back. "Thank you," I whispered as I stared at my hands.

"For what?" he whispered back and gently lifted my chin so I could look at him. He dropped his hand as his brown eyes glimmered against the low light in the space.

"For always taking care of me, even when I make stupid decisions and bring it on myself."

"Oh, honey," he breathed and reached up to hold my face in his hands, caressing my cheeks with his thumbs. "I will always be here to take care of you. I'll always follow your lead, even if it lands us into trouble. If I can help you, I won't ever let you suffer."

I smiled as he leaned in and kissed me gently. But too soon, he pulled back and grinned at me as I pouted, with pink and dark blue swirling in his aura.

Underneath the reality of the situation, he still wanted me just as much as I wanted him. And the thought warmed me through every cell in my body.

Connor's grin widened and he said, "Hold that thought, we need to get ice on you before you start to look like a punching bag."

I chuckled.

"That's my girl."

He helped me to my feet and settled me on the edge of the bed before speeding off to get ice from the gourmet kitchen. I thought I heard his voice from the end of the hallway, but I couldn't make out what he said.

But then Shadow appeared in our doorway.

Shadow was a two hundred and fifty pound white werewolf. With light brown eyes that crackled with intelligence and the softest fur I ever felt, he was amazing in every way. If his massive size wasn't enough intimidation, he could take on over thirty vampires while sparring without taking any damage.

By himself.

But our enemies didn't know that.

Since the collapse of the supernatural world, most were-animals chose a preferred form and stayed that way. Shadow was no exception. Though he was Connor's best friend, he only shifted once after he saved my mate's life over eight years before to introduce himself. On rare occasions, he changed in secret to indulge in coffee. But after we met, he began to shift more out of necessity.

His front paws shuffled and he pushed the air out of his lungs in a noise that sounded similar to a snort.

I smiled, "Come here," and held out my hand.

He trotted forward and shoved his head into my hands and grumbled in pleasure when I scratched behind his ears.

"I take it you saw what happened in the training room?"

His eyes slid closed and he sighed, which I took as a yes.

"Do you know where Liam went?"

He sat down.

"Okay, no then." I sighed and leaned down to touch my forehead against his. "That's okay," I whispered and then leaned back as Connor returned to the room and sat down next to me holding a clean dish towel with ice wrapped inside.

Shadow snorted again and his front paws made that same shuffling motion, looking up at his best friend.

"She's fine, just a little shaken. Can you blame her?" Connor said as he scratched the wolf's head for a moment.

Shadow's white head moved to the side and back again in answer and then looked back at me. Stepping forward, he pushed his wet nose into my palm, licked it, and then left, swishing his tail and catching the door to swing it closed behind him.

"See you later, buddy," I called after him as the door clicked.

A brief yip sounded into the otherwise silent hallway and I grinned.

"Here, face me," Connor said and turned toward me on the bed, pulling his leg up in front of him.

I followed suit and our knees touched as he reached forward and gently rested the towel over my eye. His aura was still dark blue.

Reaching up, I traced my fingertips over the three scars on his left forearm – the only remnants of the night he met my grandmother, when she saved his life by rescuing him from a few lone werewolves as they hunted him in the woods a few miles away.

Nashville was a small artistic tourist town filled with tiny shops owned by the locals. Indiana's largest state park was nestled against it. With rolling hills and a seemingly endless forest, it was like a fairy tale. And I loved it.

My grandmother lived there all her life and I lived there for most of mine. I couldn't imagine living anywhere else.

Connor stumbled on her sacred place that night nearly two years before. Her clearing was in the park, not accessible by any of the trails. And she spelled it to keep anything out that wasn't _other_.

Though she was only a witch, she possessed a rare Earthen trait called precognition and she _knew_ what would happen. _Knew_ how important we would be to each other. So she was there, waiting to save him, and set things in motion that would ensure he would find me after her death. That clearing, and that moment they met held significance to us. Aside from the memory, those three scars were all that remained of that night.

"Listen to me, Connor. We will figure out how to access your power. You aren't broken, because I can feel your magic there, waiting to be used. It took me awhile to learn it, remember?"

He nodded and moved the ice to my jaw. I hissed and he mumbled an apology.

I covered his hand with mine and caressed his smooth skin with my thumb. "It's okay," I whispered, both for the sting of the ice on a developing bruise and for his inability to do any more to take care of me.

"I know. I just hate that you're hurt and I can't fix you."

We sat in silence while he moved the ice around my face for a few more minutes and then he asked, "How about a shower so we can get out of these sweaty clothes?" He wriggled his eyebrows as the pink of his desire and the light blue of his humor swirled in his aura.

I laughed as he took my hand and led me to the bathroom, dropping ice into the sink along the way.

While he moved toward the shower, my magic did two things at the same time. It locked the door to our suite and turned on the water. Steam filled the room an instant later and he turned around to grin at me, the light blue fading from his aura as the pink intensified and began to darken to red.

"Let's get out of these clothes," he growled.

### Chapter 5

Calling it a shower wouldn't do it justice. The monstrosity was bigger than my entire bathroom at home. It was tucked into the corner and the walls were the same black marble that surrounded the hearth, while the rest was clear glass.

A huge rainfall showerhead in the middle poured down steaming water. Countless spray nozzles and jets jutting out of the black marble made me think of a car wash.

The smirk on my face faded as Connor pulled off his shirt and flashed forward to claim my mouth in a fierce kiss. I forgot what I was thinking about and kissed him back with a fever, despite my jaw shooting pain into my head.

God, but he tasted good.

My hands reached up behind him and touched the heated flesh of his shoulders, pulling him closer. I could never get enough of him.

His mouth left mine in order to pull off the awkward tank top and bra combination, but he managed to do it in record time. My shorts hit the floor in the next instant while my magic pushed his pants down in response.

My fiancé picked me up and I kissed him, hard, splaying my hands on his face and pulling him closer. Before I realized what was happening, hot water fell down on us and Connor pinned me against the wall with his body.

He was ready, pressing against me in just the right spot and it made me gasp as my toes curled in anticipation. But I didn't stop kissing him. I never wanted to stop kissing him.

I tried to move, tried to arch my hips, anything to feel more of him, but he wouldn't let me. The force of his body against mine held me captive.

My hands slid behind his head and fisted his hair as he pulled away from my mouth to trail gentle, yet hot kisses down my jaw toward my neck.

" _Connor_ ," the thousand voices warned.

Those voices were the same whispers of the Earthens that came before me. They spoke when my magic was unleashed by an overwhelming amount of emotion.

But that wasn't the only thing that changed when I unleashed. My eyes would change color, depending on what I was feeling. Anger turned them red, while love and desire resulted in white. My skin rippled with electricity, and arcs would spark at my fingertips.

In a matter of moments, my mate intensified my desire to the point of unleashing.

I felt him smile against my neck, but he didn't stop his slow, confining torment. Dragging my nails over his shoulders – not enough to break his skin, but just enough to let him feel the sting – I hissed, "Please," and was surprised the voices didn't speak for me.

His hips shifted a fraction, increasing the intensity of the sensation at just the right spot and I cried out.

The crystal chandelier hanging over the ivory, egg-shaped tub flickered, but the bulbs didn't shatter as the hair on the back of my neck lifted. In the next instant, Connor was on the floor, leaning against the black marble of the wall, and I was straddling him.

A groan escaped his lips as I lowered myself on him and took him all the way to the hilt. I reveled in the sensation, still loving every last, long inch of him. Like he was built just for me. Then he grinned at me devilishly and grabbed my face to pull me in for another fierce kiss.

That was when I started moving in a slow, agonizing grind that left him moaning into my mouth. He let go of my face and his hands flashed to my hips, increasing the friction between us and I cried out, throwing my head back as I felt my release coming with the force of a bomb.

He must have sensed it too, because he arched up at the exact right moment and I crashed around him, hard, with lights exploding behind my eyes as the thousand voices cried out with me.

By the time the wave began to subside, I opened my eyes to see Connor's were white as he watched me. I slowed my pace, torturing him with every movement of my hips, inciting him. And his magic.

"Oh god, you feel so _good_ ," he breathed and his eyes slid closed.

In response, I leaned down and captured his Adam's apple in my mouth and he stiffened with a groan. But that groan was so much more.

It was _his_ thousand voices.

I grinned and moved in a flash to capture his mouth again. But I didn't increase my speed. His hands held firm on my hips as he tried to urge me to move faster, but I wouldn't.

Not until he started using magic.

I pulled back with one, final grind and let my hands fall to his chest, reveling in his wet, velvety skin.

"You're torturing me, Aisling," he warned.

"I know," I said with another slow grind and my eyes slid closed from the sensation. "What are you going to do about it?"

Before he could respond, the room spun and I would have fallen backward if his hands didn't flash out to catch me. "Aisling?"

I blinked and shook my head, trying to clear it. As the room stopped spinning, my eyes locked with Connor's. They weren't white anymore. They were the same deep chocolatey brown I loved.

"Are you alright?"

As I tried to tell him I was fine, the room spun again and everything went black for an instant.

When I opened my eyes, I wasn't in the shower. I was lying in bed with Connor sitting next to me. His shoulders slumped in relief. "Are you alright? You passed out."

I blinked. "I just closed my eyes for a second."

"It's been five minutes," he sighed. "What happened?"

"All I remember is the room spinning and then I closed my eyes to try to catch my balance again."

Concern was written all over my mate's features while a sad dark blue swirled in his aura.

When he didn't say anything else, I sat up, realizing I was dry and wore nothing but a white towel. Another glance at him told me he pulled on black silk pants at some point after I passed out. I touched his cheek, feeling the stubble against my skin. "Why are you sad?"

"Because I can't heal you. I think you took too many hits to the head today."

"I'm fine. Really." I chewed on my lip, debating if I should tell him the rest.

Connor shifted closer. "What is it?"

God, but how could I say it?

"Okay." We were engaged, so he needed to know. "So it's been about four weeks since my last period. Sometimes I get a little dizzy before...." I shrugged.

The seconds ticked by and he didn't say anything. His eyes stayed locked on mine.

I panicked and looked away. "I'm sorry if that's too much information. I just figured since we're together you're going to notice that from time to time." I sighed.

Warm fingers reached up and lifted my chin so I would look back up at him. "Honey, that's just a part of who you are. How could I not like everything about you? Even the messy parts. It doesn't bother me, alright?"

"So why didn't you say anything?"

"First, I thought you weren't finished, and second, you passed out. You could have been hurt if I wasn't there to catch you. That's pretty extreme. Have you passed out before?"

I thought about it for a moment. "I don't think so. I'm probably just more tired than I feel."

"Alright, you need to sleep. And then we'll see what's cooking for dinner. If I can't heal you, I can at least make sure to take care of everything else," he grinned.

"Yes, because I'm terrible at eating and sleeping," I said dryly.

With a snort, Connor stretched out on the bed and I curled up in his arms, resting my head on his chest.

Then I froze. "Um, are you okay since you didn't...," I trailed off.

His warm breath tickled against the top of my head in a faint chuckle before he kissed it and said, "I'll be fine. Sleep, honey."

Before I realized it, I was dozing off. I breathed in his scent of wood smoke and I smiled as I breathed, "Connor."

"I love you too," he whispered back, and then everything faded away.

### Chapter 6

Dreamless sleep was like being lost in oblivion. But it wasn't frightening or terrible by any means. It was a dark place that played like a lullaby without sound. It was a slow beating of the heart, contentment, free from thought or stress.

Sleep was a way for the mind to sort itself out and for the body to recharge. For _others_ , if not for allowing our minds to recharge, we wouldn't need to sleep as often as humans. In order for us to handle whatever magic we possessed – whether undead, were-animal, or witch – we needed more energy.

That energy allowed us to utilize our gifts. So in most cases, our bodies didn't tire the same way as our minds.

The events of the past several weeks took a toll. And it was catching up to me.

But while I slept between dreams, everything was right. I didn't have the worries of what would happen next. Didn't have the memories of my past to haunt me. I was relaxed. Free. Surrounded by the man I loved.

It was the dreams that were tricky. For humans, their minds would reset through dreams. Though I was sleeping and recharging, it was still possible for me to use _sight_.

As weird as it was, I could even _see_ someone else's dream. It happened before with Connor.

But that afternoon nap, when my dream-sight began, it wasn't a dream.

I felt pain.

Unimaginable pain.

It coursed through my body like a flash burn. It made my head feel three sizes too big, and every nerve in my body protested against it. But it wasn't my body that was feeling it.

Whoever it was I was _seeing_ through, they were suffering.

When it began, it was just like before. All I could see was a dense fog. It surrounded everything to the point I couldn't make out anything but vague shapes. It was like flying through a cloud on an airplane. All I could see was white.

I could feel fear. Yet it was a foreign emotion. Unwanted.

Something was wrong and it filled that person with so much fear. It was almost as if they were choking on it.

The pain ebbed and flowed, but never decreased. And it wasn't like any pain I ever felt before. For me, a throbbing ache coincided with my heartbeat. I wasn't sensitive enough in a dream- _sight_ to feel a heartbeat, but the pulsations didn't follow any kind of pattern.

To make matters worse, not only was the fear an unwanted and foreign feeling, confusion was as well.

I couldn't hear any thoughts, or hear any voices through the ears that belonged to my host. I could only feel.

Confusion was even more unbelievable than the fear. It was as if the whole thing was muddled. Like a waking dream. And it left behind a bitter aftertaste of anger.

Whoever that person was, I could feel how much they prided themselves on knowing what was happening at all times. Someone who didn't scare easily.

Someone that confident would be powerful.

I didn't know if the confusion spawned the fear or the other way around. Or if it was something else entirely.

Dark figures moved through the fog, but my host couldn't make them out, only inciting his fear and confusion further.

Except for the pain, the emotions coursing through the body I was _seeing_ through reminded me of someone I knew. Someone I trusted.

If that person was anything like the old and wise vampire I knew, he was probably pissed he ended up in such a situation. Because knowledge was power. And without that knowledge, Liam would feel angry too.

It didn't happen often, but when it did, it was something worth remembering.

But I did know one thing. The subject of my dream- _sight_ was not Liam. The vampire I knew was too smart to find himself in a situation like that.

Pain exploded on the back of my head as I heard the crunch of an impact of something hard. But it wasn't my body that felt it. Something just hit my host on the back of the head so hard, light exploded behind their eyes.

I remembered when I was hit on the back of my head. When I fell in a heap on top of Connor's unconscious body. It was when the Kramer Scholars kidnapped us and took us to Germany. I was amazed my host was still conscious after taking a hit like that.

The scent of blood filled my nose. It was a distinct coppery scent that held a hint of sweetness to it and more fear washed over me.

That sense of smell went beyond that of a human or a witch, but I couldn't tell how much. I was _seeing_ through the eyes of something _other_ , but I couldn't tell if they were undead, a were-animal, or something else with heightened senses.

My host inhaled, taking in their surroundings like a bloodhound. Beneath the blood, everything smelled old and musty, like it was abandoned for years. Faint sounds echoed off the walls, but they were wide and far apart, and I guessed my host was in a large building.

More fear washed over me as confusion began to spread like wildfire. Though I couldn't hear any thoughts, I could guess what my host was thinking.

Underneath it all, something disturbed me. As the confusion continued to grow, I felt a distinct note of desperation.

Then my host spoke. It was faint. The barest whisper on the non-existent wind. "Help me."

Something about the words felt familiar to me. But I couldn't place it.

Everything started fading to black.

And I began to wonder.

### Chapter 7

As I slowly woke up and became aware, I realized I shifted my position against Connor while I slept. Which always seemed to happen.

Before falling asleep, I would tuck my shoulder beneath his, rest my head on his chest, and drape my arm over the length of his torso. But I would wake even closer, almost on top of him with my leg covering his as if I was his source of warmth while we slept.

Sleeping in his arms was like nothing I ever experienced before. It didn't even compare. Ever since the first night we slept like that on my couch, even though we only slept a few hours, I woke up more rested than I ever felt in my entire life.

Connor was more than just the love of my life. He was everything to me. Despite the intensity of my post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD, he could always pull me out of the spiral of a flashback, or help ground me if I was caught in one.

God, but he taught me how to live again.

I could hear the slow, steady beating of his heart within his chest as he breathed. His warm breath tickled against the hair at the top of my head and I smiled.

While his intoxicating scent of wood smoke filled my lungs, his head was angled in a way that every breath he took was filled with mine. He always said he loved the scent of almonds.

I tried not to move as I remembered my dream. I knew it was dream- _sight_. A strange one. But they always were.

The first time it happened, I saw a cheap prostitute provide services for a man that was spelled to kill her with his bare hands. As he choked the life out of her, it almost killed me in the process. If I didn't wake up when I did, it probably would have. A few hours after I woke up, painful bruises developed on my neck.

It was a terrible way to go, and horrifying to watch through her eyes.

But the dream- _sight_ of the fog and nothing else but the emotions and physical pain of the person I was _seeing_ through left many questions without any answers.

I heard the faintest of whispers for help. I could feel the desperation. The helplessness of the situation. I wanted nothing more than to save that person. But I didn't have any idea who it was, or where I could even begin to look to find them.

There was an intense desire to find Liam and ask him what he thought and if he knew what it might mean. For the first time since I met him, he wasn't there with the answers.

He was gone.

And that made me realize just how much we relied on him. Needed him.

But if there was anything I learned over the last several weeks, it was that I would eventually find out what was happening. Whether I liked it or not.

Connor shifted beneath me, moving his legs a little closer to me so I covered more of him, but he didn't wake.

Opening my bleary eyes, I looked around the room. With the low light from the crystal light fixtures and the flickering orange flames in the hearth, and no windows in the underground of Liam's opulent Victorian home, it was impossible to tell what time it was without looking at a clock.

My stomach let out a faint grumble and I knew it wouldn't be long before it woke my mate, so I decided on a different tactic. After all, we were cut short by my dizzy spell. Judging by the faint pink that always undulated with the contented purple in his aura, even in his sleep, he wanted me.

He always wanted me.

I lifted my arm just enough to trail my hand down the length of his long torso with a feather touch. His legs moved a fraction, but he didn't wake as my fingers traced down his velvet skin, passing the peppering of hair on his chest and abdomen as they went.

My hand slipped beneath the black silk pants and I wasn't at all surprised to find what waited for me. He was always ready. It was one of the perks of being _other_.

Because we possessed more energy and regenerated faster than humans, it meant that we could be sexually insatiable, if we wanted. We could go over and over again without growing sore or weak.

Especially as Earthens. Our seemingly endless supply of magic would sustain us until our minds needed rest. And yet, even while sleeping, our bodies remain awake and wanting.

As my fist wrapped around the heated length of him, reveling in the sensation of steel wrapped in lush velvet, Connor let out a faint groan and the pink in his aura darkened to red as his desire intensified and the purple started to fade away.

By the time my hand started moving, he was awake.

The towel I fell asleep in barely covered me. I pressed closer to his side and kissed his chest while my hand continued moving.

One long, slow lick of his nipple elicited another groan from him and I purred, deliberately letting my breath hit his moistened flesh as I spoke, "I believe we have something to finish."

Turning my head, my gaze locked with his and he moved. Two things happened at once. He pushed me onto my back and pulled my towel away, tossing it aside. But despite that, I didn't let him go. I kept him in my grip and his eyes rolled from the sensation.

He moved and positioned himself above me and my magic pushed his pants down past his hips in response. Leaning down, he kissed me, hard, while a hand captured my breast and teased the nipple between his thumb and forefinger.

A breathless sigh escaped into his mouth while I tried to arch my back toward him, wanting more. Wanting so much more.

God, but he knew how to drive me wild.

I lifted my hips, trying to angle him toward me, silently pleading for what I wanted, but he didn't enter me. He took his time, ravaging my mouth, lightly kissing the bruises on my face and jaw, trailing his mouth along my neck. All while his hands alternated between my breasts.

And then, before I realized what he was doing, his fingers traveled lower, found my most sensitive spot, and I cried out, arching my back at the same time, but I didn't let him go.

My toes curled from the onslaught of sensation. His fingers moved with precision over my clitoris and nearly had me coming right then and there.

"Oh god," I moaned with a shaky breath. "Please, Connor."

"You're so wet," he whispered and claimed my mouth again.

My hips started moving of their own accord and I released him from my grip. While one hand tried to pull at his hips, the other gripped his wrist, silently begging for more of that delicious contact of his fingers.

"I want you to come for me, Aisling," he growled as his fingers swirled in a circular motion with just the right amount of pressure.

His words were my undoing. As I crashed into him, he impaled me to the hilt and forced another orgasm right on top of it, even more intense than the last.

Lights exploded behind my eyes and I lost all sense of myself. There was nothing but him, his fingers, and the way he fit inside me, filling me. Like he was built for me.

Connor's hand moved away and he dropped to his elbows, surrounding me as I continued to ride the wave. And just as I thought it was slowing, he ground against me and I shattered once more, gripping his hips and digging in my nails.

While he surrounded me with his body, he filled me from within. He devoured my cries and elicited more. Drove me higher and higher as he moved with agonizing slowness, making sure I could feel every last inch of him.

I was mindless to the sensation and didn't even bother to count the number of orgasms he gave me before he allowed himself to find his own. Though he could go just as often, he held back, watching me, feeling me. As we both went over the edge, I promised myself I would give him just as much pleasure as he gave to me.

If it was the last thing I did.

### Chapter 8

Ten minutes later, we were dressed. Connor wore his usual dark jeans and matching long-sleeve shirt with the sleeves pushed up to his elbows and the buttons at the top open, revealing the peppering of hair on his chest, complete with hiking boots.

I loved that outfit. It made him mouthwatering to me. As I finished pulling on my dark wash jeans and black V-neck shirt over matching black lace bra and panties, I stepped into my boots and noticed Connor's aura was swirling with red again.

"What?" I asked as my stomach growled. I snorted. "God, but I sound worse than Bugs."

My best friend's cat purred like a dying lawnmower and it was my constant source of teasing for her.

Connor's lips twitched and then he said, "You are so beautiful, Aisling. Every inch of you."

Heat washed over me as his baritone voice slid over me like a caress. I forgot what I was thinking and walked up to my mate, fisted his shirt, and pulled him down for a kiss.

By the time I was finished, his aura flamed with desire. I grinned up at him and then walked out the door with him chuckling behind me as he tried to catch up.

My life was never easy, even when I was little. For the longest time, I didn't have anyone but my grandmother. Not even friends. But when I went to college, I met Angela and we fell into an easy friendship. She was my first and only best friend.

After my grandmother passed away, ensuring I would become Earthen, I thought Angela and her crotchety cat were all the family I had left.

She was Nashville's head librarian. And with that title came certain responsibilities that the general public didn't know about.

Her job also meant she was a Guardian of Information, an entity of the neutrals that kept the lore and current happenings of the supernatural world in a vault, accessible only through her. By rule, humans or supernaturals could obtain information if they asked for it – even if it meant someone would be killed.

Neutrals were supposed to be, well, neutral, where anyone – _other_ or human – could go. Where Guardians kept the lore, Shelterers offered safe places to stay, Healers were the doctors and veterinarians that cared for the wounded, and Cleaners would provide damage control to keep unknowing humans from discovering the supernatural world.

Connor came into my life soon after my grandmother's death, and then his best friend Shadow, the beautiful white werewolf. Then we met Liam and his nest of trusted friends.

Angela's relationship with me changed her priorities, and since Liam didn't want to see our source of information harmed, he sent Salvatore, a werewolf for hire, to protect her.

It didn't take long before the werewolf realized it wasn't a job. Angela was his mate and he fell for her.

When the neutral council realized her relationship with me – an _other_ , they fired her, believing she wouldn't remain neutral. Not only were they right, but it confirmed our suspicion that the neutrals were siding with the humans.

Liam didn't want her talents to go to waste, and we could use her help. So, she was still a Guardian, just not a part of the neutrals. As _our_ Guardian, she kept her vault in the library Liam kept on the top floor of his luxurious Victorian home.

But she wasn't just our Guardian. After I changed and Salvatore came into her life, she started changing into something ... different.

Angela Williams was the most powerful Shamaness in recorded history. Shamans were connected on a metaphysical level to everything, including other realms. She was also clairvoyant. And from her deep connection with Salvatore, she could shift into a wolf. But she wasn't a werewolf.

Her powers were derived from a more spiritual connection to everything, rather than magic. The intensity of her love for Salvatore and their binding allowed her mind to align itself with a wolf, which triggered her ability to change. The wolf was her spirit animal.

Bugs sashayed toward us as we stepped into the kitchen and purred like a dying engine as he rubbed against my ankles.

The gray, Russian Blue feline was anything but a normal housecat. He was not only the oldest creature we knew, but he was a Sphinx – Angela's guardian and her guide to other realms, including the _Spirit Realm_ , where ghosts lived.

I only saw him once in his true form, and he was magnificent. He was fully aware in his cat form just like were-animals, and his sense of humor made him a likable creature.

Especially for our group, since we teased each other incessantly. It was one of the ways that made us feel like family. A very dysfunctional family, but a family nonetheless.

I wasn't surprised to see Angela wasn't in the kitchen with Salvatore and a few of our undead friends. She worked hard at her job as Guardian and tended to arrive right when the food was ready.

The spelled red ball Connor made for Shadow flew in front of my face and Tobias caught it from his position at the head of the table without turning his head and tossed it back the way it came.

My gaze followed after it and I saw Shadow sitting on the floor with it in his mouth. Then I focused on Peter, the little boy that my best friend and her mate adopted.

It was hard to imagine the boy standing next to the werewolf was possessed by a ghost of a boy – the boy they adopted from the _Spirit Realm_. The body he inhabited was the same age, abandoned by his family after an accident that left him with only enough brain function to breathe. Peter wasn't the only one with a second chance at living a life.

William, the brilliant battle strategist, official nest accountant, and master chess player stood at the stainless-steel range, cooking a large amount of what smelled like stir fry as he snacked on a plate of raw beef.

In the fight against the demon, he was one of the vampires that died and was resurrected as a ghoul. It was hard to imagine that was just over a week before. He looked like he was pulled straight from Wall Street before the crash that spawned The Great Depression.

In that amount of time, Angela realized her potential as a Shamaness, became our Guardian, bound herself to Salvatore, adopted Peter, and prevented a crazy woman who practiced Voodoo from using the _Spirit Realm_ and the ghosts within it to wage a war against us.

It was enough to make my head spin.

"Hi, Aisling and Connor," Peter waved as his light brown hair flopped over his forehead and Shadow dropped the red ball into his other hand.

I grinned at him and felt the beginnings of a headache at the back of my head and realized it was probably the announcement of my period's arrival.

God, but that was just what I needed.

Salvatore, sitting to the left of Tobias, laughed at something the vampire said. The empty space next to the werewolf was for Angela, so I sat across from it with Jorge to my right. Connor sat down on my other side, across from Salvatore with Bugs purring wildly in his arms.

I glanced at Tobias. "Any word from Jon or Liam?"

His blue eyes flashed as they flickered to me. "No," he frowned.

The pain in my head increased and I knew I needed to take something before it would turn into a migraine. I took a deep breath, stood up, and reached around to the back of my head. "I'll be back in a minute." I froze and felt a large welt in the same spot where my host was hit during the dream- _sight_.

Then I forgot all about the welt as the room went silent and a wave of nausea washed over me.

But I didn't pass out. I moved with my Earthen speed and made it to the sink in time.

As I heaved the contents of my stomach, which wasn't much, I felt Connor approach and he pulled some errant curls that fell out of my messy bun away from my face. I gripped the edge of the sink with white knuckles as I continued to heave, unable to pull in any air.

When the last of the bile landed into the basin, I pulled a shaky gulp of air into my screaming lungs and heard nothing but the sounds of the food cooking on the range.

"Are you alright?" Connor asked, low as I turned on the faucet to wash away the contents of my stomach.

I nodded, surprised my headache didn't worsen. It felt a little better. "I'm sorry," I said without thinking and cupped some water in my hand and brought it to my mouth. I swished the liquid around and spit it out, but it didn't help remove that awful bitter taste.

"Why are you sorry?"

"I didn't m-mean to."

God, but why am I not making any sense right now?

I turned off the water and wiped at my face before turning back to my mate. "That came out of nowhere." Rubbing the back of my head, I hissed and remembered what happened. "It was a dream- _sight_. My host took a hit to the back of the head. I forgot it would hurt me. And before you ask," I held up a finger, "I don't know who it was or what was happening."

Concern was written on Connor's features and that sad dark blue swirled in his aura again. Without looking away from me, he said, "Salvatore, does she have a concussion?"

I blinked and the werewolf was there, towering over me at his six and a half foot height and I flinched. I didn't see him move, and he didn't make a sound.

"Aisling, look at me," he said, low. It almost sounded like a growl. Salvatore was a trained Pathologist, which meant he went through extensive medical training, and that made him our group's unofficial doctor.

I looked up into his hazel eyes and they searched mine for a moment. Large hands reached up and touched the lump on the back of my head. I winced but stayed quiet as pain shot through me. "That's not big enough to cause one."

As his hands dropped, he tilted his head to the side like he was listening to something. And then his eyes dropped at the same time Shadow let out a yip, pulling his attention away.

Then, from the table, Jorge said, "I know I didn't hit her hard enough when we fought."

I couldn't be sure, but I thought I saw him shake his head at the werewolf standing in front of me. It was so subtle, I wondered if it was just a trick of light.

Salvatore turned back to me. His tanned skin was flawless and his curly, light brown hair held no hint of gray. For a sixty-one-year-old werewolf, he barely looked thirty. One of the perks of being a were-animal. "Your pupils are responsive."

Then, just as the room went silent, everything went back to normal. Even Peter. I didn't even realize he stopped playing with the ball.

Salvatore grabbed something out of the cabinet and handed it to me. It was small, round, and white. It looked like a pill. "It's a mint. Until you can brush your teeth. Your breath smells like death." He grinned.

I tilted my head up and blew air into his face, smiling innocently back at him. As his nose wrinkled and smile widened, I popped the mint into my mouth.

He clapped a hand on Connor's shoulder and said, "She's fine."

Then he sat back down in his seat at the table as a pixie flitted into the room and flew right toward me.

### Chapter 9

Pixies were amazing little creatures. To humans, they looked like hummingbirds under glamour. But to someone like me, if they slowed down from their blurred speeds, I could see them. Due to their acute senses, were-animals and the undead didn't have that problem. Angela didn't either, with her recent enhancements of becoming a spirit wolf.

They stood at about four inches tall. And except for wings protruding from their backs, they looked like humans. Very tiny humans. They even wore clothes.

The first pixies I ever met were teenage triplets that lived in my back yard, anxious to prove their worth and help us as I learned to access my power. They even came to Germany to aid in rescuing us. They were some of the most likable creatures I ever met.

Then they were killed protecting Connor in the battle against the demon. Their loss still hurt. I would miss their perfect synchronization, giggles, and claps.

But the pixie in front of me wasn't one I recognized from the family that lived in my garden. He wore jeans, a white shirt and a leather cuff on his wrist. It looked like the same cuff one of the triplets, Bubba, wore on his wrist. He was barefoot and just like the triplets, his short blond hair glimmered against the light in the room.

"Listen here, missy," he said in a rush and rested his hands on his hips. I caught Connor's aura shifting to light blue and his lips twitching out of the corner of my eye. "As much as I'd rather just stay out of your business, I can't do that."

I must have looked more confused than I felt.

He watched me for a second and then shifted to direct his attention to Connor. He stuck his thumb out in my direction and said, "She's a little slow to catch on sometimes, isn't she?" The pixie grinned.

"Hey now," I cried, taking the bait, as Connor chuckled. "I'm not slow. I've just never seen you before."

"You honored the sacrifice my children made to help you."

_Oh_.

"You're Puffle, their father?"

"At your service, missy." He raised his arms to the side and bowed as I heard Shadow make a coughing noise. The werewolf was laughing.

I shook my head and grinned back at the pixie that fluttered in front of me. But then the grin faded and my vision blurred. "I'm sorry about what happened to your triplets, Puffle. I miss them."

His grin fell for a moment before it turned into a frown. Then he smiled again, " _That_ is why I'm here to help you." He flitted forward and captured the tear that spilled from my eye and held it in his hand like it was a droplet of dew from a flower. "You continue to honor them and their memory."

"But I thought–"

The pixie cut me off with a wave of his hand that reminded me of the triplets. "Let me guess, you thought because I lost my eldest children, I wouldn't want anyone in my family helping you again?"

I nodded.

"Sorry, babe, that's not the case."

I snorted. Puffle was just as memorable as his children. He liked using nicknames, it seemed. The grin on my face faded and I said, "Thank you. But as much as Baby, Bogsley, and Bubba were valued, I don't want to risk more of your lives."

The pixie crossed his arms over his chest and vibrated. With the emotion and lighthearted tone of his voice gone, he said, "That's not your choice to make, dear."

I didn't know what to say to that. What could I say? The grieving father of his three eldest children was flitting in the air in front of me, demanding to help us. I didn't want more pixies dead because of us, but I couldn't deny their value.

Or a stubborn father.

Pixies weren't just cultivators of plant life. They were skilled in battle, cunning, and could use their dust for a wide variety of applications. His children saved our lives many times, and they never complained.

Refusing Puffle's help wasn't an option. But I knew if he or any other pixies died to help us restore the supernatural world, it would leave a mark on me even deeper than the loss of the triplets.

"You'll need to train with us to see how we work together and how we fight." I sighed. "The triplets did, but in the end, it didn't matter."

"If it's any consolation," Connor said, "I was with them when it happened and they should have been fine. We didn't know those creatures could elongate and change form. It caught us off guard. If they didn't sacrifice themselves, I would have died. And I am forever grateful for that."

I sucked in a breath.

He never told me that before. More tears slipped from my eyes.

They died saving Connor. Those three were selfless to the end. And I could never thank them for it.

After taking a deep breath and blinking a few times the pixie spoke. "Thank you for telling me. Puffle here, at your service, hippie," he grinned at my fiancé with a wave.

My mate chuckled and the deep blue sadness of his aura lightened to reflect the pixie's humor. "Connor."

"Alright guys, what's for dinner? I'm starving," Angela said as she stepped into the kitchen.

Everyone turned to look at her and the room fell silent.

Her shoulders dropped. "Oh, fuck. What'd I miss?"

Peter dropped the ball in front of Shadow as he moved and wrapped his arms around her waist faster than I thought possible and she winced as she realized she swore, again, in front of the boy. But he didn't seem to mind.

The boy's body was the average size of a seven-year-old – the same age as the ghost when he died – and Peter spent the last several days working to build the boy's weak muscles.

His speed still caught me off guard.

"Hey, I missed you too, buddy," Angela said as he released her and went back to the ball. But something wasn't quite right. She looked ... worried.

My best friend was beautiful. Her chocolate complexion glowed from within and her dark, curly hair was luminous as it fell just past her shoulders. She was a few inches shorter than my five and a half feet and her body held that perfect hourglass curve. Even in dark jeans, a blue shirt, and her normal flats, she looked perfect. She never let her small size stop her from doing anything.

Salvatore filled her in on the last several minutes and Puffle took the opportunity to introduce himself to the rest of the room, leaving Angela for last, claiming she was the first Shamaness he had the pleasure of meeting.

Then William announced the food was ready and started handing out plates and drinks before sitting across from Tobias. Once we were all settled at the table, with Peter sitting next to Angela, we started eating. Shadow and Bugs didn't hesitate and started eating their own plates of food on the floor.

It was then that Angela spoke.

"So," she speared a pea pod and popped it into her mouth. When she swallowed, she said, "There are a few things I need to explain."

A mug of hot chocolate sat in front of her plate and she picked it up. Hot chocolate was her form of alcohol, it helped to soothe her. She took a sip and licked the whipped cream off her upper lip before she looked at me and continued. "On Sunday, I found myself in the _Spirit Realm_ again."

One of the perks of being the most powerful Shamaness in history meant she didn't require the Sphinx to help her travel across realms.

"Okay," I said.

She sighed. "I saw Gramma, Aisling."

I froze, my fork hovering halfway between my plate and my mouth. "What?"

"Yeah, she said she was happy for you, but she brought me there to warn us."

I put down my fork. "Warn us about what?"

"That's the thing. I don't know." She shrugged. "Gramma put her hands on my shoulders and said 'She's coming for Aisling.' Then I woke up. I didn't say anything because I didn't know what that meant. We came back here to ask Liam but he was already gone. I've been looking, but haven't found anything useful in the vault."

Tobias spoke next. "The only _she_ we know of that's threatened us is Renata."

She was the one using Voodoo that threatened the _Spirit Realm_ and the rest of the world.

"I know, and I've had my doubts that she's through with us. But I don't want to assume. There could be others out there. We still don't know who summoned the demon...," she trailed off and took another sip of hot chocolate.

"But," she continued, "this morning something else happened. When I woke up, I _knew_ a name. I don't know how or why. But I just knew it. That's what I've been doing in the vault all day. I don't even know if it's connected."

"Well, what's the name?" Connor asked.

"Vlad."

### Chapter 10

My jaw hit the table. I heard that name before. I wasn't sure if the name Vlad meant the same one I was familiar with, but it was one hell of a coincidence.

God, but I can't believe what I'm hearing.

Liam was never one to reveal a lot of information about his past. But bits and pieces came to light over time. Varick, Liam's friend since before they were turned was the first clue. He was the vampire that poisoned me with his blood. Afterward, in an effort to learn why he wanted to kill me, I pushed into his memory while using _sight_. It was the first time I ever tried it, but the scene that played out in front of me gave me an idea of just how long ago it was when they were still human.

Based on what I could see of their attire and supply of medieval weaponry, I guessed their time as humans predated even the Kramer Scholars. But that wasn't all that gave me that impression. It was the language I heard in that memory.

Combining that with the painting of the real Vlad Tepes in the foyer of Liam's home, all the paintings of all the actors that ever played Dracula's character in movies and television in the underground portion of the nest, _and_ Liam's affinity for impaling his enemies, I was beginning to think that the legend of Vlad Tepes was real. In some way.

I glanced around the table and everyone's attention was on my best friend. But when I caught sight of Tobias, he looked paler than normal, which was saying something for a vampire.

Turning my attention back to Angela, I asked, "So, you're saying Dracula?"

She shrugged. "That's the only Vlad I'm familiar with. I checked the vault to see if there was any documentation about whether or not the man was a vampire. But the information back then was sporadic at best."

Taking another sip of hot chocolate, she went on. "That led me to Stoker's _Dracula_. He was the first person to ever write about Vlad as a vampire. I know the book is fiction, but after I analyzed it, it's possible Stoker used real truth in it."

I remembered reading the book while I was in high school, but couldn't recall much of the details.

"Why do you say that?" Tobias asked.

"According to the book, Vlad was temperamental and wanted things to go his way. There were references to his eyes turning red when he was angry," she paused and looked at me.

A combination of ice sliding down my spine and a feeling of anxious anticipation fell over me.

The first time I unleashed my magic, I was angry. Livid.

And my eyes turned red.

"It also mentioned that Dracula could manipulate weather on a small scale – fog, small storms. Things like that."

Was it possible that Dracula was real and not just Liam's obsession?

We knew it was possible for a vampire to also be a witch, but it wasn't something other vampires allowed. Vampires were big on power, and being a witch _and_ a vampire tended to result in that vampire losing his head. Literally.

The idea of an old, unpredictable vampire with Earthen traits was alarming. Because it meant he was also a witch. But that was all based on what Bram Stoker wrote.

"Wait, that sounds more like Earthen traits than vampirism. Am I right?" I glanced around the table again.

Connor's jaw clenched as his eyes met mine. A sickly gray was beginning to seep into the edges of his pink and purple aura. The thought scared him.

"That's exactly what I was thinking," Angela nodded.

"What else?"

"He had some telepathic and hypnotic skills over people as well. Especially after ingestion of that person's blood. I don't know about you guys, but that painted a rather," she paused, "messed up picture to me."

So it wasn't just me.

"Did you find out anything else?" Tobias asked, still looking a little shocked.

"I went digging the vault again, to see if there were any references to a vampire with those capabilities. But I found nothing. So I decided to try searching for something more basic."

She took another sip of hot chocolate and Salvatore's hand covered hers, offering her comfort. Whatever she found while searching, she didn't like it.

"There were a few instances of random patches of fog in the vault, but there was no evidence of anything supernatural. So it was only logged as _unconfirmed_. But then I started thinking, since I first started working at the library as a neutral and learned about your world and the people in it, Liam never left Nashville. Except to rescue you two," she looked at me and then her gaze flickered to Connor.

She sighed. "The point is ... I had this feeling that maybe the name and Liam's disappearance were connected."

A fresh feeling of fear washed over me. But it wasn't from the thought of Vlad being real and alive – well, undead, anyway.

It was the _sights_. I remembered the first was only the briefest glimpse, but the second was more in depth.

I saw fog.

God, but I saw fog!

I also felt pain, confusion, fear, and desperation.

But that wasn't the worst part.

I heard two words whispered so quiet, I barely heard them. _Help me_ , it said. It wasn't so much the words, it was the accent that made me wonder.

From what I knew of Vlad Tepes, he was Romanian. Though Liam never told us, but from my limited exposure to it, he and a select few of his nest spoke an ancient form of Romanian. I heard him use it with Jon and Tobias before.

Even after over five hundred years, Liam still spoke in that old world accent.

The intense feeling of wrong was growing in my stomach, and I knew Angela wasn't finished.

"I searched the net," she continued. "And I found something. It started four days ago."

"Oh for god's sake, girl, just tell us," Puffle said as he flitted over the table.

"There are reports of fog surrounding a warehouse, but there's nothing meteorological that can justify why it's there."

Was it possible I was _seeing_ through Vlad?

"So you think Vlad is there?" Connor asked.

"I don't know." She leveled her gaze on Tobias and met his eyes. "I don't know Liam as well as you. But based on what I've seen from the décor alone, I'm willing to bet Liam believes Dracula is real. And I think he went with Jon to find him."

Before I could even process what Angela said, Tobias was out of his chair. He moved so fast that the chair crashed into the wall behind him.

Peter and I flinched from the sound of the impact and Connor grabbed my hand and squeezed it as Salvatore grinned at his adopted son in reassurance, and then turned to glare at the vampire.

But Tobias didn't notice. He was too busy pacing back and forth, kicking the shattered remains of his chair out of his way as he went.

My breathing increased in an instant and adrenaline coursed through me. My startle response from the PTSD made situations like that hard for me to handle. But no one looked away from the vampire.

He was the most laid back of the three vampires in charge. In their absence, the responsibility fell on Tobias to make decisions. And whatever was happening, it left him on edge.

But because the undead didn't cast an aura, I couldn't tell if the vampire was angry, or just surprised. Or maybe it was something different.

In either case, since Tobias's usual persona was unlike the rest of the undead which made him the most normal vampire I ever met, it was startling to all of us to see his reaction to Angela's words.

Everyone kept their eyes on the vampire while Puffle flitted to Connor and me and floated above our heads.

Then we waited.

After a few more moments, Tobias stopped and turned to face us. He splayed his hands out across the top of the table, towering over us and I broke out into a sweat while my heart pounded in my chest so loud, I was sure everyone could hear it.

"Let's get one thing straight," Tobias growled, glaring at Angela. "I did _not_ know. Okay?"

My best friend's gaze didn't waver, despite the agitated vampire. She didn't even move. But she growled back at him. "So why are you angry?"

"They said they would be back by Monday. It's Wednesday!" He ran a hand through his hair and the disheveled look would have suited him, if not for his behavior in that moment.

"You need to calm down," she said without raising her voice.

"Don't tell me to calm down!" The vampire reached down and swiped his plate off the table. It shattered in the next instant behind Shadow and I heard a faint cry come from Peter across from me as I struggled against the panic rising in my system.

Bugs jumped up on the table and dropped the red ball into the boy's hand. He said, "Meh," in a half-meow and jumped down, waiting for the boy to follow him.

"Go ahead, Peter. It's alright," Salvatore said. With the angry green in his aura and a facial expression to match, I didn't believe him any more than the ghost did, but Peter nodded, moving past the agitated vampire and followed the cat out the door who was purring in choppy rumbles and sashaying his hind end as he went.

I appreciated what the Sphinx was doing, but it didn't help alleviate the tension in the room. A vampire on edge was a dangerous one.

Even though we all trusted Tobias with our lives, we weren't going to push him.

I pulled in a shaky breath, not realizing I was holding it as the tension in the vampire's shoulders relaxed and he stood. His blue eyes flashed as he caught sight of me and his expression softened. "Sorry about that."

Connor squeezed my hand but didn't look away from the vampire as he began speaking.

"From everything Liam has said, Vlad is real. But I thought he was killed centuries ago. No one has seen or heard from him in over two hundred years. I'm not that old, so I never knew him."

"Go on," Angela said.

"Based on what I learned over the years, Vlad's mother was one of his father's mistresses and she was Earthen, so some traits were inherited. I thought they stopped looking for him. I guess I was wrong." He dropped his gaze to the table.

It was William that spoke next. "Since Liam and Jon are gone, you are in charge, Tobias. If Liam promised to return on Monday and he has not yet returned, we must assume something happened."

A renewed sense of dread washed over me as the pieces fell into place.

Liam found signs of Vlad. Signs he was alive. He and Jon went to investigate. And they weren't back yet.

"It was Liam," I blurted.

Tobias looked up at me and his blue eyes flashed again. "What was Liam?"

"The _sight_."

It was Connor that spoke next, "How do you know?"

"The first time it happened, while we sparred with Jorge. It was so fast I couldn't make out what was even happening. All I could see was fog."

"What about the one that gave you the bump on the head?" William asked.

"I couldn't make out anything through the fog, but based on the sounds, I thought it was a big open space, but enclosed. Though I never saw who I was _seeing_ through, I could feel the confusion, fear, and desperation beneath the pain. And I heard a whisper."

How could I be so stupid?

I closed my eyes, trying to replay those moments in my mind. "It was only a whisper, but I heard, _Help me_. And it was accented."

" _Why are you just now telling us_?" Tobias boomed and I flinched again, curling in on myself and looking down at the floor.

"I didn't know what to make of it. I didn't know who it was. I'm sorry," I whispered as Connor turned to face me and took my face in his hands.

"Look at me, honey. Just breathe."

As my eyes met his, I willed myself to calm down. His deep brown eyes could always ground me when my emotions spiraled out of control. An Earthen with PTSD was even more of a nightmare because of all the added emotion.

With a deep breath, I nodded at my mate and stood up, leveling my gaze on Tobias. "I know you're stressed right now, but you need to step up and be the leader Liam and Jon wanted you to be in their absence. I might not have made the connection until more information was presented, but you cannot blame any of this on me or Angela. Do you understand me?"

The vampire nodded. "I'm sorry, Aisling, I didn't mean to shout at you."

"Is that all the information you have about Vlad?" Angela asked the vampire, pulling his attention back to her.

"Yes," Tobias responded, but I could see the doubt on my best friend's face. She knew he was lying about something, but she stayed quiet.

William pulled out his phone and tapped on the screen. Without hearing it ring through, Liam's voice sounded into the otherwise silent room. "Leave a message."

He repeated the process for Jon and all we heard was a beep, indicating his voice mail.

Both of them weren't answering. That didn't bode well for them.

I just hoped we weren't too late to do anything about it.

### Chapter 11

Angela stood up. "Okay, ever since all this started on Sunday, I've been feeling worse about it. So I think we need to decide right now what we're going to do."

"Aisling," William said. "Can you try to use _sight_ again?"

I shrugged, "I can try, but both times it was involuntary."

The ghoul watched me but didn't say anything else.

God, but I hope this works.

I closed my eyes and focused on Connor, letting my emotions for him rise up within me, filling me just enough to release my magic. Then I directed my attention to Liam. I concentrated on the mental picture I conjured in my mind, zeroing in on his features, willing myself to see through his eyes.

One second I was concentrating, trying to use _sight_ , something which shouldn't have been difficult, and the next I felt the distinct sensation of falling before strong arms caught me.

"Aisling?" The sound of my mate's voice hit my ears and I opened my eyes, but I wasn't standing next to my chair. I was on the floor, cradled in his arms as he looked down at me with those deep brown eyes.

A wave of dizziness washed over me and my head rolled. Did I fall from losing my equilibrium? I didn't even feel dizzy while I was standing there.

God, but what the hell is wrong with me?

"I don't know what happened," I mumbled as I tried to sit up. "Let me try again."

As I repeated the process while Connor held on to me, I pushed my magic to allow me to _see_ , but I couldn't break through. It was like an invisible brick wall stood in my way and I couldn't break it down, climb over it, or dig underneath it. It was like Liam was stuck inside some kind of prison that prevented me from entering.

When I opened my eyes, everyone was looking at me. I took a deep breath, then regretting it as another wave of nausea washed over me, but then subsided as soon as it began. Then I spoke. "I couldn't break through. Either he's being blocked, or he's not conscious."

"Is he alive?" Tobias asked.

Despite not knowing much, I knew that Liam was alive. If he wasn't, I wouldn't have been able to find him at all. "Yes."

Shaking my head in a futile attempt to clear it, an idea crossed my mind and I jumped on it. "Angela, you said Gramma warned you that _she_ was coming, right?"

"Yeah, what about it?"

"Do you think you could try to go back to the _Spirit Realm_ to ask her or your grandfather about it?"

One of the interesting things about the _Spirit Realm_ and the war against Renata Crane, New Orleans's current Voodoo Queen, was the discovery that Angela's grandfather was Ghost King, the realm's ruler. From what I understood, as a former Shaman, he was still connected to everything. And that might come to our advantage.

If Renata was behind what was happening with Vlad or Liam and Jon, we needed to know about it. Voodoo by itself was a dangerous beast, since it dealt with necromancy, curses, and other nasty things witches wouldn't touch, even most dark witches.

Renata was one of those women that wanted power. As if being Voodoo Queen of New Orleans wasn't enough, she wanted Angela's power, since she was the most powerful Shamaness in existence.

But that wasn't all. Renata wanted my power as well. Which was old news. I already dealt with people that wanted my power for their own, but her end goal wasn't the same as the others.

If she failed to obtain my power, or Angela's, she would be content with our deaths. Because if that happened, the queen of New Orleans would be the most powerful of all.

Lucky for us, Connor's new status as an Earthen was still a secret that only our allies knew about.

Our list of allies was still short but growing – two alpha werewolves, a powerful vampire's nest, a Guardian that also happened to be a Shamaness-clairvoyant-spirit wolf extraordinaire, her cat that was actually a Sphinx, the ghost of a little boy, and as of less than an hour before, the patriarch of the pixie family that lived in my garden at home.

It might not sound like much, but we were a formidable group. A family. And they were all working to make sure Connor and I could restore what was broken in the supernatural world.

Renata was one of those women that wouldn't be content to let a Shamaness or an Earthen witch live if she wasn't more powerful.

Angela already defeated the queen once. After many attempts to kill my best friend both in our world and in the _Spirit Realm_ , she still defeated the woman. That was how Peter ended up with us.

Renata's attempt to kill Angela in Salvatore's wolf form failed. She not only didn't understand how to utilize his wolf, but she didn't anticipate Angela's Siren call. Her voice could command ghosts, even to remove Renata's influence.

A woman like Renata Crane wouldn't stop in the face of so much failure and defeat. But she also knew she wasn't strong enough to wage another war against us. That was why we decided to leave her alone. It was all in hopes she would stop trying to come after us.

But if she was back with another plan to take our power or destroy it, we needed to know.

If Angela could go to the _Spirit Realm_ and ask around, maybe for once we could gain the upper hand.

All of that went through my mind in a matter of seconds as I watched my best friend chew on her lip as she considered it.

"It wouldn't hurt to try, right?" I asked.

She nodded. "I'll try. Let me find Bugs. It'll go faster if he can guide me there and back." Then she stood up and walked out of the kitchen.

An hour later, Angela returned. Bugs padded over to Shadow and rubbed against the werewolf's large white legs with a loud, jerky purr as she dropped into her chair with more grace than ever before.

"Well, I talked to my grandfather. He didn't know anything. There are still wraiths under Renata's control here, but we already knew that. I couldn't find Jade to see if she could be more specific."

She grabbed my glass of water and drank a large gulp of it. "Because we don't know any other women that might be after you, Aisling, I think we need to at least entertain the idea that it might be Renata that Gramma warned me about. I just don't have any idea what she could want with Liam, Jon, or even Vlad if he's there." She looked up at Tobias. "Can you think of anything?"

"I don't know much about Voodoo, so I don't know how vampires might be useful, but I agree. We have to prepare for every situation."

That was one of Liam's biggest mantras. Preparation could one day save our lives. Just like Connor's creed of _everything is possible_ , it never steered us wrong. And both of those principles saved our lives before.

"That leaves us only one option," Tobias said as he stood up at the head of the table across from Angela. His gaze locked with mine. "We go save Jon and Liam."

I wasn't about to protest. That was my thought too. Liam and Jon were important. They were part of our family. If they were in danger, like my _sights_ indicated, we couldn't sit and wait for them.

When Connor and I were in Germany, they dropped everything to rescue us.

We would do the same for them.

Then I shifted my gaze to Angela and I asked, "Where was the fog?"

Her brown eyes met mine. "Memphis, Tennessee."

### Chapter 12

By the time we made it to Memphis and the warehouse with the fog surrounding it, it was almost dawn the following morning. During the drive, Jorge drove the new luxury bus that replaced the one that was wrecked when we fought the demon.

The interior was custom designed, per Liam's taste. And the seats were upholstered in red velvet while the floors gleamed with gold inlaid mahogany. There were even crystal sconces spaced evenly throughout the space to cast a low light as we drove during the night.

Connor and I sat near the back of the bus and though we were exhausted, we didn't sleep. I was too worried about the two missing vampires, and the unease of not knowing what was happening to them played through my mind.

Scenario after scenario passed as time went on, and though Connor wrapped his arm around me to help offer me strength, even he could feel the uncertainty of what we were going to find when we arrived at the warehouse.

He tried soothing me, running gentle strokes down my back and arm while I listened to him speak in a soft, even tone about his past while I rested my head against his chest and heard the steady beating of his heart.

His scent alone could calm me. Wood smoke always made me feel more relaxed, even before I met him. Though I breathed him in like a lifeline, it didn't help as much as I hoped.

I focused on the low cadence of his voice, the way his warm breath tickled through the hair at the top of my head, and the feel of his fingers running through my hair, down my back and up the bare flesh of my arm.

If he wasn't there with me, I would have paced the finish right off the mahogany floors, and then I would have climbed the walls for good measure.

But in Connor's arms, I stayed still, even though my insides were crawling with a fearful anticipation.

It wasn't the same feeling as when we felt the danger of the demon. It was that sense that two people we cared about were in danger, and I _saw_ someone in pain. And it would take us hours to reach them. The only reason we didn't charter a plane was because everyone in Liam's nest wanted to rescue their master. And the vampire didn't have any private planes that could hold that many people.

Two of the vampires whose names I didn't know drew short straws and were forced to stay behind to protect the home and the humans that lived with them. But they weren't happy about it. Even the humans wanted to come.

I didn't know how other vampire nests operated, but Liam's people loved him. It was an unwavering devotion that made me appreciate the centuries-old vampire even more. Having so many people following and remaining devoted to him was rare.

People as a general rule were distrustful and held their own motives. But everyone within Liam's nest seemed genuine. And that was one of the reasons I trusted him so much. Why I trusted the people in his nest. All of them.

Even Tobias after his outburst of anger. He was worried about Liam just like the rest of us.

And the closer we came to our destination, the more agitated everyone became. The vampires and ghouls were practically vibrating in their seats.

Tobias was the one pacing the finish off the floors, and even Jorge drummed his fingers on the steering wheel as if it would bring us to our destination faster.

Since we left Peter's host body at home for safe keeping, he was just a filmy visage of a seven-year-old Asian boy with pale eyes, dark blue-black hair, and a scrape so severe on his cheek it looked like he was dragged across pavement before he died. Despite everything, he was still playing with Connor's spelled red ball, rolling it back and forth across the floor while Shadow bumped it with his nose and pushed it back.

Angela and Salvatore sat across from us. Even though they looked calm, their eyes told a different story. Salvatore's human eyes were hazel, while Angela's were like dark chocolate.

Except for Salvatore, partial shifts were unheard of in werewolves, and they couldn't change in the blink of an eye. But when he was agitated over something, his eyes were the first to change. His face could shift, and he could sprout claws where his fingers belonged, which made him look more like the fabled wolf-man than a werewolf. But in his wolf form, he was beautiful. Two hundred pounds of black fur, paws that looked like they were dipped in white paint, and yellow eyes.

Through Angela's intense connection to Salvatore as a spirit wolf, she shared the same abilities. But her wolf was a normal size, white with ice blue eyes. And it was unnerving to see them in the low light with their eyes shifted.

I doubted that feeling would ever change.

By the time we pulled into the parking lot of the abandoned warehouse – at least it was abandoned according to the records Angela found during her search – everyone was on their feet looking out.

Based on the parking lot alone, it was obvious the warehouse wasn't in use. The pavement was cracked and dead weeds were stuck to the frozen ground.

But it wasn't the pavement or the building anyone was worried about.

Just like Angela said, the whole building was shrouded in fog. A thick fog. Like the kind that would develop on cool spring nights over bodies of water.

It was like a stagnant cloud decided to form right then and there, and it didn't dissipate or drift away with the breeze.

The thing didn't move at all. We could see some bare trees in the distance, swaying as if they were dancing to a slow, steady song.

Everyone was silent. There was no noise but the sound of the bus's engine rumbling as it slowed.

When the bus came to a stop and the hydraulics hissed, almost everyone on board jumped. Including me.

I cast my magic out, scanning the area for anything alive.

One of the perks of being Earthen – at least for me, since Connor didn't know how to access his power yet – was that I could sense things. All living things. Including undead and pixies, though they were faint.

Everything had a distinct signature. Vampires and ghouls registered to me as electrified pockets of energy, while the werewolves were almost elemental, connected to the earth.

Humans were normal essences and felt more like human shaped puffs of smoke. Since Angela wasn't quite human, but she also wasn't _other_. She glowed white. Like a lightbulb in the dark.

But she didn't cast light. She was made up of billions of strands of light that dimmed as they stretched out from her body, connecting her to everything.

I stretched further, out into the warehouse ahead of us, and pushed my magic through the fog.

What I found wasn't surprising to me, but I wasn't sure what I sensed.

I felt three undead, dozens of something I couldn't name because I'd never sensed them before, and several humans that were ... different.

They weren't _other_ , I could tell that much, but they weren't just human, either. They glowed in a similar fashion to Angela, but they were only the barest hint of light.

After explaining what I felt inside the warehouse, William pulled out the blueprint schematic of the building he printed before we left. He divided everyone evenly between the various entrances to the building.

We were all wearing dark clothing that was designed to move with us, not impede our actions and walking through thick fog in the pre-dawn morning would help us stay invisible to the things within that warehouse.

While everyone moved without a sound through the bus, gathering weapons, William explained our group's goal. In addition to him, Jorge, Tobias, Shadow, Salvatore, Angela, Peter, Puffle, Connor, and I were going to ring the proverbial doorbell.

Our mission was to head straight for the undead I sensed. If Liam and Jon were in that building, they were among those three. The rest of the people on the bus were tasked with assessing and neutralizing any opposition, or at the very least, drawing attention away from us.

Whatever was inside that warehouse would be busy dealing with them, and not worrying about us rescuing our friends.

At least, that was the plan.

As the last of the groups sped off without a sound into the chilly fog, William glanced at everyone in our group.

He glanced at Bugs, perched on the driver's seat and looking at us with intelligent green eyes. "Guard the bus, Sphinx," he grinned.

"Meh," Bugs half-meowed in response while rolling his eyes. There wasn't much he could do when he wasn't a Sphinx, and he didn't like it.

Then William led us into the fog.

### Chapter 13

Moving with supernatural creatures was something worth remembering. Despite being fast like the rest of them, only Connor and I made noise as we moved. Even Angela moved with silence after her transition.

Being a spirit wolf made her a valuable weapon. Just like Connor as an Earthen, no one outside our group knew that Angela was more than just a powerful Shamaness, and even then, it wasn't as though a bulletin was sent out announcing what she was.

She and her mate didn't shift, but their eyes were still different. They were both alert and moved as if they floated over the ground behind us. And they both carried large knives.

Puffle flitted back and forth over Connor and me in anticipation of the action. And the two ghouls, Jorge and William were in front of us holding knives in each hand. Tobias donned his brass knuckles – as if his punches didn't hurt enough as it was, and walked beside Connor on my right as he carried his sword.

On my left was Peter gliding over the pavement, and Shadow flanking his other side. The massive white werewolf didn't need any weapon other than his claws and teeth.

As an Earthen perfectly capable of using her magic, I didn't need any weapons. But that didn't stop everyone from surrounding Connor and me in a cocoon of defense.

If anyone needed protection, it was them. But I let them think they were acting as my guard. I wouldn't let anything harm them.

As we crossed into the fog, I inhaled, catching Connor's scent and letting it fill me as I recalled every memory we shared since the first time we saw each other. Every emotion, every sensation, the words we shared, the glances, everything. I let it fill me up until I was overflowing with it.

By the time we stepped through the entrance to the warehouse, I was unleashed.

Electricity sparked between my fingers and charged my skin. Though I couldn't see them, I knew my eyes were white. Staying alert, I allowed my mind to drift as we moved.

If the stories of Vlad were true, and he was the third undead creature I sensed at the far corner of the warehouse, then it was going to be interesting dealing with a vampire witch with Earthen traits.

I wasn't sure I wanted to know what an old vampire with the reputation for being brutal would be like if he was angry. Not counting anything magical.

With the fog as thick as it was and the lack of light inside the building, I was walking blind, using my magic to follow the two ghouls ahead of us.

Puffle flitted forward and disappeared as he landed on William's shoulder. But then he lit up like a firefly, giving us something tangible to follow.

Though I was grateful for the assistance, I knew if anyone else could see his light, it would draw them right to us.

As if he read my thoughts, the pixie dropped from William's shoulder and flitted lower, at about waist height, allowing our bodies to obscure his glow.

I was grateful for his help, but didn't need it.

That was when I noticed the smell. The acrid stench of death. Like someone left roadkill out in the summer sun for too long. Lots of roadkill.

"Oh, fuck," Angela hissed behind me.

We all froze.

Turning, I noticed that Angela's attention was above us. Her icy blue eyes were locked on something. I followed her gaze but didn't see anything. "What is it?" I whispered back.

Her eyes flickered to Salvatore, Connor and then me, and then she reached out. "Touch my skin."

We reached out and as we made contact, it was as if she just turned on a light bulb. And we saw them.

Dozens of them.

Floating over our heads as if they were in a trance, were ghosts. But they weren't like any ghosts I recognized.

Then Angela whispered one word. "Wraiths."

My jaw dropped. The massive ghosts hovering above us didn't have fingers. They were talons. And their faces looked angry. As if all they wanted to do was rip something to shreds.

"We can see them too," William breathed, looking up. It made sense, since the undead were divided between life and death, but it was still unnerving that not all of us could see them on our own.

That meant one thing.

Renata was responsible.

How and for what purpose were both excellent questions that I hoped we could one day answer. But there were bigger problems to deal with.

Wraiths were ghosts that Renata controlled. Stripped of who they were, nothing remained but rage. And they followed her command. Because she was using Voodoo on them.

"Why are they just floating there?" I whispered.

My best friend's icy blue eyes locked with mine. "They're waiting for a command."

Just as I was about to ask if Renata was there, fighting broke out. Shouts sounded at various parts of the wide expanse, but the fog was too thick to see more than a few feet in any direction.

Angela let me go and the wraiths disappeared as if they were never there. But I could still feel them.

Ice slid down my spine as I realized if they attacked us, both werewolves, Connor and I wouldn't be able to see them, whether fog surrounded us or not.

"Let's move," William hissed and we were off.

Following his lead, we hunched lower, as if it could offer more cover than the fog already provided.

Several of the not-quite-humans that registered to my senses moved toward the trio of undead in the corner of the building. "We need to move!" I whispered and we started running at our full speed.

Sounds of outright brawling traveled to our ears, but we kept moving. Hard packing sounds that I knew too well as the sounds of fists colliding with flesh sounded off to our left and I flinched.

God, but I hated those sounds.

It wasn't the memories of the abuse I suffered growing up that crawled up my neck. It was the memory of listening to Connor being tortured in the Kramer Scholar's dungeon.

As if he knew what I was thinking, his hand flashed out and caught my forearm, holding me in his grip, letting me focus on him instead.

I sucked in a shaky breath. "I'm okay."

But then I felt two of those empty, energized pockets of air moving away from us – the undead creatures. But they weren't moving on their own. They were being carried away.

"Faster," I cried, not bothering to stay quiet any longer as I saw the pink light of the morning sun filter through the fog as someone kicked open a door. "They're taking them."

We moved with a blur of motion toward our targets as we heard a flurry of motion in the rest of the space. The sound of an engine roared to life and a van peeled out, screeching against the silent morning as it sped off faster than we could follow on foot.

Though we were fast, we weren't that fast. They had too much of a head start. I tried to catch it with magic, but without anything more than sound to guide me, my power couldn't find it. It was like sand slipping through fingers.

A few other engines started, and as one sped away, another's tires screeched and then we heard a loud crash as it collided with something out of sight.

I stopped running and breathed, "They took them," as my magic faded away.

But then my world spun, and the ground rose up to meet me.

### Chapter 14

I felt my body crumple to the ground in a heap as everything whirled around me. Though I wasn't a stranger to dizzy spells, passing out was something new that began the day before.

_Others_ didn't carry disease. We weren't even fertile unless we _wanted_ to be. Since I transitioned into an Earthen after my twenty-first birthday nearly two months before, I never so much as sneezed.

It was only when we were in Germany that I was poisoned with heliotrope, the only drug known that could affect _others_ , especially witches, that I fell ill. It dampened my power to the point I suffered infections from the injuries I sustained during torture.

My only explanation for what was happening over the past two days was a combination of my impending period, the large welt on the back of my head, and the punches I took in the face from sparring.

Nothing else made sense.

God, but what the hell was wrong with me?

My eyes fluttered open as Connor smoothed my hair away from my face and held me, his deep brown eyes searching mine.

"Are you alright?" he asked.

I glanced around and the members of our group were looking at each other with expressions I couldn't place.

"Aisling?"

"I'm fine. I just ... dizzy again."

"Jesus, Aisling, if we were fighting you could have died." He pulled me into his arms and hugged me, burying his face into the curve of my shoulder as he inhaled my scent.

I hugged him back, relieved that wasn't the case. "I'm okay."

My mate helped me to my feet. And I looked at the rest of our group, still watching me. Even Angela looked ... confused.

"They left one behind," I said, rubbing my forehead.

Connor held on to me as we made our way back into the warehouse. The fog was beginning to dissipate and we were able to see the interior of the building. As the early morning light filtered through the high windows, it was obvious the place wasn't used in years.

Judging by the state of disrepair, I didn't think the building would ever be used again.

Broken glass littered the floor, and plenty of dirt and debris found their way in from the gaping holes in the roof and broken windows. A few wooden crates the size of Volkswagens rotted along the walls in a few places. Near one of those groupings, in the corner to our left, was a man I didn't recognize.

He was undead, but I couldn't tell if he was a vampire or a ghoul. To my senses, his signature was a little different than both. The difference was so minor, I didn't notice it before. I wasn't sure what that meant, but we could figure that out later.

On the ground, he was dressed in dirty, dark clothing and he looked like he hadn't seen scissors or a razor in at least five years. His hair was long, oily and matted, and his beard didn't look much better.

I wasn't sure why he looked so disheveled, but I could guess.

Tobias took careful steps forward, raising his hand, indicating for us to stop to let him approach the unknown person first. "Hello? Can you hear me? We aren't here to hurt you."

I pulled away from Connor and stepped forward, not worrying about the man on the ground. My fiancé didn't protest, but he followed close behind.

A moan sounded from the man on the floor and he lifted his head. Dark blue eyes were surrounded by tanned flesh, but with the distinct lack of melanin in all undead creatures, it made him look ... well, dead.

"What happened?" the man said in a heavily accented, yet raspy voice. I didn't recognize the voice as the one from the dream- _sight_.

But I recognized the accent.

Everyone else seemed to as well.

Tobias stepped forward and extended his hand. "What's your name?"

Those dark blue eyes assessed the hand that was offered to him and then his gaze flickered to mine and the look of confusion fell away.

Something washed over me. It wasn't fear. It was anticipation. The man recognized me. But I didn't know him.

The vampire looked back to Tobias and took his hand, standing with slow, stiff movements, which I didn't think was even possible for an undead creature.

When he was standing, he shook Tobias's hand. "Vlad Tepes."

My jaw dropped.

He was real.

Jesus fucking Christ, Dracula is real!

That explained why my senses detected something a little different about him.

"I don't believe it," Tobias said, grinning at the vampire in front of him. "I thought you were a legend."

"Sorry to disappoint." He gave Tobias a look I didn't understand.

Then Tobias laughed and clapped his hand on the vampire's shoulder, which made him wince.

Vlad is in pain from that?

"I'm Tobias and we are from Liam's nest. It's an honor to finally meet you," the vampire said, not noticing the flash of pain.

Vlad's gaze flickered to mine again and he released Tobias's hand. Without looking away, he said, "Please, introduce me to your friends."

Connor stepped forward and took my hand, a subtle indication to the vampire that we were together. The vampire's gaze dropped to our hands and, I couldn't be sure beneath all the hair on his face, but I thought I saw his lips twitch.

"I am pleased to introduce Aisling and her mate, Connor," Tobias said, extending his hand out to us. "Aisling is Earthen," he added.

Vlad's blue eyes widened a fraction before clearing so quickly, I wondered if I even saw it. Then he stepped forward – well, limped forward was more accurate – and winced again.

"Are you hurt?" I asked and stepped forward, pulling my hand away from Connor without thinking.

Tobias stiffened, and I stopped in response, but Vlad chuckled and glanced in the vampire's direction. "I assure you, I might be famished, but I am in complete control." His eyes flickered to me. "You have nothing to fear from me, my dear."

I couldn't help myself. I grinned back at the man that inspired a book and countless retellings of his character in both print and picture.

The real Dracula was standing in front of me.

And he sounded just like Liam. Right down to the term of endearment, _my dear_.

"I take it you knew Liam pretty well," I said and extended my hand.

A gentle, cool hand took mine and shook it. Vlad even dipped his head in a formal introduction. "You could say that."

I wasn't sure which question he was answering – if he was hurt, or that he knew Liam. Perhaps it was both. Then he released me and lowered his hand.

He saw the confusion on my face and smiled, revealing straight, white teeth. "I knew Liam in his younger years, yes. And I _am_ hurt, my dear. But it will heal. In time."

"Oh, please, let me help. There's no reason to be in pain when I can heal you."

Tobias backed away as I took another step forward.

But then I hesitated before raising my hands. "Is that alright with you?" I asked.

"But of course," he smiled, but I caught a hint of fang at the same time his deep blue eyes flashed.

I grinned back at him, not worrying about his fangs. It wasn't as though I never saw fangs from other vampires before, including Liam. But that wasn't the only reason for my smile. The way he said those three words made me soften. It was the exact way Liam said them.

It was no wonder I found Dracula so likable. A vampire witch with Earthen traits or not, I still liked him.

I lifted my arms and took his face in my hands, trying not to focus on the feel of his oily beard against my palms. Then I pushed magic through my fingers into Vlad, willing him to heal.

When I finished, I dropped my arms, but he caught my right hand and lifted it to his mouth. He planted a light kiss. "Many thanks to you, my dear." His gaze flickered to Connor as he lowered my hand and released me. "She is exquisite, is she not? You are a lucky man."

I didn't hear any kind of jealousy in his voice. He sounded genuine with his words. And the kiss to my hand, oiliness aside, didn't feel sexual at all. It felt like an old greeting of platonic affection.

Connor didn't reply because Tobias spoke next. "There were two others with you before they were taken. Do you know who they were?"

"Indeed I do," Vlad inclined his head. "It was Jon and Liam."

Before anyone could respond, something flashed across the vampire's features, like he heard something I couldn't. In the same instant, I felt time slow to a crawl, as if my magic was halting it, just like it did the first time I saw Connor.

But it wasn't my magic that caused it.

It wasn't magic at all.

Yet I felt something.

Then Dracula flashed forward, wrenched my head to the side, and buried his fangs into my neck before I even registered he moved.

And then everything went black.

### Chapter 15

Even though I was unconscious, I was still aware. I heard shouts all around me. Lots of growls. And even some shrieking coming from my best friend. But time was still sluggish.

I couldn't make out words because they were muddled and elongated. And though I knew Vlad Tepes was feeding from my neck, I didn't think he was doing it of his own accord.

God, but what the hell is happening?

When we met Varick, the vampire that was supposed to be Liam's trusted friend, he never struck me as a vampire I could trust. It turned out my instincts were right. They usually were.

As I hovered weightlessly in the blackness that surrounded me, I waited. Hoped my friends would save me before Dracula could drain me of all my blood.

But as the blood drained from my body, I began to feel cold, and I knew there wasn't much time before the blood loss would be too much.

Without Liam there to heal me – or Connor with his inability to access magic – I guessed that if I survived, it would take time before I would regain consciousness.

I heard a snarl as the vampire wrenched his mouth away from my neck, followed by a spray of cool liquid to my front before the deafening sound of a bone snapping.

Strong arms caught me as I began to fall to the ground and I heard Salvatore move closer, issuing demands as he used his medical expertise to help me.

As I felt him press against the gaping wound in my neck, everything fell away.

I opened my eyes as I was jostled from the shaking of the small room around me. But then I realized I wasn't in a room. I was in the back of a van, fortified to prevent escape.

My eyes moved around the dark space, and I could still see. It was as if the moon shone through a window, but there were no windows or lights that I could see.

Then I caught sight of a person lying on the floor, writhing in pain with each knock of the van.

My stomach fell.

I knew him.

It was Jon. The bloody, seven foot tall, body building vampire sported various gashes and open wounds in several different places. His bald, tanned, yet pale head was covered in sweat and bruises.

The _sight_ disturbed me on many levels. I was positive I was _seeing_ through Liam's eyes, but the vampire said nothing. I didn't even know if he realized I was there.

But the biggest problem was that Liam felt the craggy hands of fear clutching at his spine. I saw him angry before, but he was always calm and collected.

_Seeing_ Jon on the floor in pain without healing was unsettling, even for me. Before we saw Vlad, I didn't realize that vampires could take so long to heal.

But then I remembered Varick after he tried to kill me. He was drained of a significant portion of his blood and then tortured so his injuries would take longer to heal.

Since Liam wasn't explaining anything to me, I could only assume the deep slices on the insides of Jon's forearms that still oozed with coagulated blood were meant to drain him.

Though Liam was sitting up, his eyes remained on Jon. Despite the pain moving through his body, I couldn't _see_ any injuries to know if he was being drained as well.

But he was still feeling pain. And it wasn't improving. That meant if he wasn't as far off as Jon, he was close.

Witches could heal faster than humans, but not by much. Our metabolisms allowed for accelerated healing. But it was nothing compared to the undead, were-animals, or my best friend. I didn't know enough about other creatures to say the same about regeneration.

I wanted to help those two vampires. More than anything else.

And that did nothing but fill me with rage over what Renata was doing. I didn't know what she was after, but she took two of my trusted friends and I couldn't forgive that.

We gave her the chance to back off and be the Queen of Voodoo in New Orleans – the most powerful of her craft, but she chose to come after us. Again.

As the van hit another bump, Jon let out a pained moan.

I couldn't forgive that.

Opening my eyes, I was surprised to see I was myself again. But I wasn't in the warehouse any longer. We were back on the parked bus, and I was on the floor.

Connor sat against my left hip, looking down at the floor with his arm held out over my stomach. His aura swirled with a sad dark blue. My fingers twitched and I realized he was holding my hands.

His eyes snapped to mine and he moved closer in a blur. "Aisling? Honey, can you hear me?"

"Yeah, why?" My voice came out as nothing more than air.

Oh god, what happened?

He shook his head with a solemn expression. "Don't try to talk. Your throat was torn open. Vlad attacked you, but we don't know why." His aura shifted to an angry green and then back to dark blue. The two emotions were fighting for dominance in his aura. "You almost died." His eyes were watery and his voice cracked at the end.

I moved my hands away from his and reached up to hold his face despite my muscles screaming in protest. "You can't get rid of me that easy," I rasped as searing hot pain flashed across my neck and throat. "What happened to Vlad?"

The muscles in Connor's jaw clenched as green engulfed his aura again. His eyes flickered to somewhere behind me. "He's unconscious and restrained. Not dead like he should be."

I used the last of my strength to pull him toward me and dropped my hands, wincing at the sharp pain that traveled through my neck from the impact. "Listen to me, Connor." My voice was barely a whisper. "It wasn't his fault. I couldn't stop him because time for me was almost frozen. And from what I saw on his face right before–" I gasped as some of the muscles twitched in my throat "–it wasn't something he did on his own."

Salvatore stepped into my vision on my right and knelt down next to me. "I need to check your wounds."

I started to nod, but regretted it and winced. "Okay."

Leaning forward, he extended his tanned and muscular arm toward my neck and I felt something move away from the sensitive flesh. "You're lucky to be alive, Aisling. In all reality, you should be dead."

"Um, isn't that a good thing that I'm still alive?" my lips twitched.

He took the bait and chuckled. "Yes it is, but I don't know how."

Swallowing, I asked, "How long was I out?"

"A little over an hour. That's another thing. After an injury like that, I didn't anticipate you would wake up for hours. And yet, here you are, cracking jokes."

I chuckled and winced. "Don't make me laugh, Salvatore."

His grin faded and a sad, dark blue filled his aura.

"Will you tell me what happened?"

"Ah, Connor knows the story," he smiled and his gaze flickered to my mate. "She should be fine to move around, but given that she lost so much blood, I wouldn't suggest you let her do that on her own for a while. The vertigo will be worse now."

Connor nodded as Salvatore stood and moved out of sight. I kept my eyes on him and I heard Angela speak in hushed tones to her mate.

"I can't hear it. Is the–"

Salvatore cut her off. "Everything's fine. You need rest, you look like you're about to pass out from exhaustion."

"Do you want to get off the floor?" Connor asked, pulling my attention back to him.

I snorted and then winced. "That's an understatement."

After helping me up, he pulled me into his arms. Though he was gentle, I was still sore, but I kept my discomfort to myself and let him hold me and breathe me in. Just like I did with him.

His scent made me feel a little better.

When he pulled back, he led me to an empty seat and sat down against the window with one leg outstretched on the seat. Strong arms helped to settle me in front of him and then he pulled me back against his chest.

His head dipped forward and he kissed the top of my head. "I'm glad you're alright."

"Can I ask you something?"

"Anything you want. You know that."

I smiled and pulled his hand up to kiss his skin. "Will you tell me what happened? How you got him off me?" I knew Connor accessed magic before as a reflex during the fight with the demon and his minions, so I was hoping he used it again.

"I almost used magic, but stopped as I realized he might move away with your throat still in his mouth."

Gray filled his aura and I tightened my hold around his arms, offering him as much comfort as I could.

"Shadow bit his leg and then Tobias slashed his throat and broke his neck when he let you go. The pain of the bite forced him to release you."

I froze. Tobias slit Vlad's throat. I glanced down, seeing all the blood that covered my front. My dark clothes were stiff from it. "He bled on me?"

"I was mostly behind you, but yes, I think most of the blood on you is his."

Sitting up, I turned to face my fiancé and noticed the pain was less. "Did he bleed on my neck?" My voice was stronger too.

Tobias spoke from behind me. "Yes he did, and it was my fault. I wasn't thinking. We were lucky Salvatore cleaned the blood away from your neck in time."

I turned to face the vampire and reached up to touch my face.

Nothing.

I didn't feel any pain from the sparring.

Then I reached around to the back of my head, feeling for the lump I received, courtesy of the dream- _sight_ the previous afternoon.

It was gone.

Salvatore moved closer, looking confused.

I smiled. "Don't you get it?" My eyes flickered back and forth between the men that stood in front of me, and then I turned back to Connor. "I should be dead. But I'm not. I shouldn't be awake, but I am. My bruises are gone. And the lump is gone."

Connor's hands lifted to my face and touched the skin where the bruises were. Then reached around and felt the back of my head. His brown eyes widened and then he grinned. "His blood."

I smiled back. "Yes." Turning back to Tobias and Salvatore, their eyes were wide and their jaws were hanging open. If the situation were any different, it would have been comical.

Standing up with my Earthen speed, I pulled Tobias into a hug, wincing from the pain of the sudden movement, but it didn't hurt as much. "Thank you. I'm alive because of you."

The vampire returned the embrace, but then released me as Puffle said, "Well, ain't that lucky, missy?"

I turned and grinned at the pixie. Even though we weren't in battle, I was glad he was alright.

But before I could say anything else, Salvatore spoke. "Let me see your neck again."

I turned back to the werewolf and let him pull back the bandage.

He took a long look and even used his hands to check the wounds. "I'll be damned. You're right. You're healing much faster than you should. But I doubt more than a few drops of his blood made it inside you."

I knew what he meant. When Liam healed me with his blood, the regeneration was so fast that my injuries tended to hurt less than the actual healing.

"We should get more," he finished.

The werewolf released me and moved toward the back of the bus.

"No, Salvatore," I said as I felt Connor move closer.

He turned to face me again.

But it was Connor that spoke first. "Why?"

"If he's unconscious, I don't want to take his blood." I glanced at Tobias. "Vampires don't heal at their normal speeds if they're drained of a good portion of their blood, right?"

"That's right," he nodded.

"I think he's been drained. Probably many times over."

"Why do you think that?" the vampire asked.

"Because while I was out, I _saw_ through Liam again. And he was looking at Jon."

### Chapter 16

After I explained what I saw, everyone looked alarmed. Even Bugs's tail twitched in agitation.

"So you're saying you saw Jon. In pain. With his forearms cut open?" Tobias asked as he paced through the middle of the bus.

"Yes. However long it was from when they were taken and when I _saw_ them, Jon was still hurt. And I felt Liam's fear as well as his pain."

"How do you know it was him?"

"He wasn't exactly looking in a mirror, but I felt enough that I'm confident it was him."

"Christ, Aisling! How are we going to find them now?"

I stepped forward, right in front of the pacing vampire, forcing him to stop moving, and I met his gaze.

Despite the fact that I looked terrible and probably smelled like blood to everyone, I didn't care.

"You listen to me, Tobias. Liam might not be here and I get that it makes you nervous. It makes all of us nervous. We want to save him just as much as you, but you can't keep lashing out like this."

Just like I did with Liam once before, I met the vampire's eyes, challenging him.

Though Tobias oozed with anger, I wasn't going to let him continue to act like that. We were all working together to save our friends.

While I glared up at him, I continued. "We know Renata is behind this because of the wraiths in that building." I pointed to my left toward the abandoned warehouse. "So we are going to keep our heads together. Work as a group. And we're going to save our friends. Then we can fight over who gets to kill Renata. Are you with me?" I was surprised at how strong my voice sounded considering I could only whisper when I woke up a short time before.

Tobias's eyes watered and he looked away. "I'm sorry, Aisling. Yes, I'm with you."

I wasn't sure I understood the flash of emotion on his face before he turned away, letting me take control, but it made me pause.

If I knew the vampire as well as I thought, then Liam meant much more to him than just the master of his nest. I didn't know what that was. But I could worry about that later.

There were more important things to consider.

"The first thing we need to do is wait until Vlad wakes up. Then we need to make sure whatever happened to both of us won't repeat. Then we will ask him _nicely_ what he knows."

I eyed everyone on the bus, including Peter, Bugs, and Puffle. It was unnecessary, but I looked at Connor. I knew he would follow my lead no matter how he felt.

"I don't know how or why, but I don't think Vlad is a danger to us. I think he was controlled and forced to attack me. Just like something slowed me down and prevented me from reacting to him. He is not the enemy, and he doesn't deserve to be treated like that. _If_ we find out otherwise, then that's a different story. Do you all understand me?"

One after another, everyone on the bus agreed.

Then I moved back to Connor and we settled back in the seat, facing each other with his back to the wall and mine to the aisle.

I picked at phantom lint on the inseam of my pants and watched my fingers move. "I'm sorry," I whispered.

Connor caught my hands and waited for me to look up at him. Concern was written across his features while pink and orange swirled in his aura. I wasn't sure if he felt pride or amazement, but either way, I didn't feel like I deserved it.

"I know you said you'd follow me," I continued, "but I saw your anger about what happened and I wanted everyone to voice their agreement to my plan. I shouldn't have made you do it."

"Aisling, I don't care about that. Without Liam here, everyone is on edge. I'm not sure everyone knew how much we need him. Not until he was gone. You of all people know that when emotions run high, they tend to show. Tobias is overwhelmed. Both with the responsibility of managing the nest, and being powerless to help Liam and Jon."

"I heard that," Tobias said.

Connor grinned. "You were meant to."

I couldn't be sure, but I thought I heard the vampire snort.

My mate's grin faded and he squeezed my fingers. "You never have to apologize for being who you are. I might be Earthen like you, but you were Earthen first, and you're always going to be in charge."

Anger washed over me, but not at the man sitting in front of me. I was angry at the situation. The pressure of it rested on my shoulders. I wasn't so unlike Tobias after all. "Why? God, but I don't always want to be the one in charge, Connor!"

"When it matters, you step up and do it, whether you want to or not. It's your nature. It's why you were chosen for this. It's why Liam and everyone else follows you. Why I follow you."

That.

Right there.

That was one of the biggest reasons why Connor was the love of my life. And why fate was right in choosing him to be mine. He always knew what to say, what he needed to do to make me feel better when my emotions were too much to bear. And he never hesitated to do it.

In the beginning, I was overwhelmed with the loss of my grandmother and I turned to him, hugged him while I cried. I barely knew him, but I wanted his comfort. Needed it. And that need never faded. I didn't think it ever would.

He needed me just as much as I needed him. That much was true. Ever since we met, we fought to stay alive, fought for each other. And less than two months later, we were still fighting. The war was long from over, and we would continue either until it ended, or we were dead.

That was how strong we were.

God, but I loved him so much.

Without thinking, and without bothering to respond to him, I moved with my Earthen speed and took his face in my hands, as I kissed him, hard.

I didn't care that we were in a bus full of our friends. I needed his mouth on mine more than I needed air in that moment.

"Hey now," Tobias said with a chuckle from somewhere behind me. "We don't want a show here."

I smiled against Connor as he wrapped his arms around me.

There was a snort and then Jorge said, "Speak for yourself."

I couldn't help it. The ghoul made me giggle, which ended the kiss. I pulled Connor into a hug. His aura swirled with a deep pink and light blue as he shook with suppressed laughter.

Then he groaned and whispered, "You're killing me, Aisling."

We both knew everyone on the bus could hear us, but we didn't care. And though I wasn't straddling him like I desperately wanted to, I knew what he meant. He wanted me just as much as I wanted him. "You're the one killing me," I purred as more heat washed over me.

His arms tightened around me and he turned his face so his mouth was next to my ear. Then, he breathed, "Later."

It was a promise.

And it traveled down my spine in a tingle that made my toes curl in anticipation.

Just as I was about to throw propriety out the window and climb onto his lap, just to feel his desire against me, a groan sounded from the back of the bus, behind the closed door.

I let him go and looked into his deep brown eyes, feeling the intensity of his promise. My hand fisted the material of his shirt and I kissed him, letting him know I understood, but then pulled back almost as fast when Vlad groaned again.

"To be continued," I grinned and stood up, pulling Connor with me.

His promise could wait.

We needed to talk to Dracula.

### Chapter 17

Tobias led us toward the back of the bus, and though the anxious energy vibrating off of everyone was almost palpable, only a few elected to go with us.

In the original bus we used to fight the demon, the back room was Salvatore's makeshift lab. On the way there, he worked to create antidotes against the heliotrope drug that we would need during the fight.

After everything that happened, I never went in that room.

It was probably a good thing I didn't, because it was nothing like the rest of the interior. At least the room in front of me wasn't.

The whole space was sparse, with a stainless steel table on one side, and a wall on the other that enclosed a small bathroom accessible from the main cabin.

Everything, including the floor, was stripped down to the steel frame and the obvious lack of insulation along its exterior walls made the space cool. Every exhalation fogged the air. If any of the undead in the room were breathing, I couldn't see it.

They didn't breathe often, but when they did, their breath was cool, just like their bodies. I didn't know if they ever warmed up.

That was one of those interesting, yet disturbing facts about them. It was so unnerving, I found myself focusing on their lack of breathing than anything else about their features in that moment.

They weren't dangerous – to me at least. But seeing people moving around with blurred speeds and with all the grace of a predator, but then noticing that they weren't breathing was enough to make anyone do a double-take. I didn't think it was something I would ever stop noticing.

I assessed the vampire. There were four anchors welded into the exposed frame of the floor with heavy iron chains and shackles holding Dracula to the floor.

If his eyes weren't locked on me, I would have thought he was unconscious with as still as he was. His dark blue eyes flashed and the corner of his lips lifted into a grin.

Through his long, oily hair that covered the majority of his head and face, it was difficult to tell the exact meaning of that grin. Without much more than his eyes to offer facial cues, I found it rather difficult to read him.

But it wasn't hate that I felt.

It felt like he was eyeing dinner.

I could feel that distinct feeling of wrong that undulated around him, but he didn't emit an aura. Yet something was there. I could tell it wasn't magic. It was something else. And it wasn't Vlad that was looking at me.

As if on cue, the vampire snapped his jaws together with a loud crack that made me flinch.

While Connor and I stood to Tobias's right, Angela and Salvatore were on his left with Shadow and the two ghouls, William and Jorge, standing behind us.

The room wasn't large, and I found the combination of the cool space and everyone in it made me feel a little claustrophobic.

One of the tricky parts of being _other_ meant that we couldn't see our own auras if we emitted them. I wasn't sure if Connor picked up on my fear or if it was something else that caught his attention, but he took my hand and squeezed it. The little gesture let me know he was there with me. That I was safe.

And as I let out the breath I didn't realize I was holding, I relaxed.

Despite the fact that Dracula was shackled with iron to the frame of the bus – he was strong enough to tear the whole vehicle apart with his bare hands – he wasn't resisting his restraints.

I didn't know why.

His jaws snapped together again and Tobias spoke. "We need to ask you a few questions."

"I will tear you from limb to limb and suck the marrow from your bones, little girl," Vlad said, keeping his gaze locked on me.

Though ice slid down my spine at his threat, it wasn't the threat itself that bothered me. It was his accent.

Vlad Tepes was shackled to the floor in front of us, but his accent – the same accent Liam used – was gone. It was different.

One I recognized.

God, but what the hell is going on?

"Angela," I said, not taking my eyes off the vampire.

He was staring me down, and I knew if I looked away, he would gain some sort of advantage over me. And I wasn't going to let that happen.

"Yeah?"

"What do you know about Voodoo?"

Something flashed across the vampire's features, but then cleared so fast, I wondered if I ever saw it.

"What about it?"

"Something is making him do this. Someone else is speaking for him. It's not magic, and we know Renata is behind this. So either he's possessed by a ghost, or it's something else. Do you know what it is?"

"Well, first of all, I'm not picking up on any ... ghosts," she said, making sure not to reveal Peter's existence in front of the vampire.

One thing about Voodoo I knew for sure was that names were dangerous if they were known. If my feeling was correct, Renata was controlling Dracula, and listening as well. The last thing we needed was for her to figure out Peter was with us and use his name against him.

"Second, I don't know a lot about it, but Voodoo is capable of a shit ton of things."

My lips twitched. Leave it to Angela and her way with words to ease the tension in the room. It felt like a collective sigh and everyone – except for Dracula – relaxed a fraction.

"The only thing I can think of is something similar to a spell. But for Voodoo it's not magic. It's something tangible. Like a magical object. Talismans. I'm sure everyone here has heard of Voodoo dolls?"

Various sounds of affirmation sounded in the confined space, but Vlad remained quiet, his mouth stretched in slow succession into a wide grin, revealing twin, razor sharp fangs.

My neck tingled, but I still refused to look away from him.

"Voodoo dolls are gris-gris," my best friend continued. "For something of this magnitude to work, I'm guessing he has something on him. If we can find it and destroy it, it should break the connection."

Just as Tobias was about to step forward, Angela cut him off. "Based on the accent alone, I'm willing to bet that bitch is in there. She's the one that's after us. Why not use him as a Trojan Horse?"

She stepped forward, and I recognized the movement. She was stalking the vampire like prey with her silent, careful movements. There was complete silence as she moved.

Vlad looked away from me and focused on my best friend. I sucked in a breath and looked at her. Her eyes shifted to that eerie icy blue, and though her attention wasn't on me, she was plenty intimidating.

She was badass. And that thought made me grin.

"When I find you, Renata," she growled, "I'm going to rip the flesh from your bones and then light you on fire. But I'm going to make sure you're alive to feel every bit of it."

"I would like to see you try, bitch," Renata responded.

### Chapter 18

"Aisling," Angela said. "If you don't mind, hold him down while someone searches him?"

The hair on the back of my neck rose as I focused on him, and then Dracula groaned as he was pressed into the frame of the bus by the force of my magic.

When no one moved toward Vlad, Connor released my hand and stepped forward.

More magic leaked from me and pushed the vampire harder against the bus, causing it to creak in protest.

My mate approached him and started at his ankles, keeping his body weight forward, to allow him to react quickly if he needed to. Connor trusted me, but he didn't trust Renata, and I smiled inwardly.

Minutes ticked by as Connor methodically checked Dracula for some kind of object. Gris-gris.

When he found it, it was tucked into the breast pocket of Vlad's dirty and blood-stained shirt. He pulled it out, revealing a tiny leather pouch.

Just as he was about to open it, Vlad's expression shifted to excited satisfaction and Angela barked, "Don't!"

Connor froze.

"It's called transference. If you open it, Renata will hijack you just like she did with him."

"Then what do we do with it?" he asked.

"It needs to be destroyed by fire. Does anyone have a lighter?"

"I do," William responded. When everyone turned to look at him, he shrugged. "I indulge in a cigar from time to time. It's not like it's going to give me lung cancer."

He moved to the stainless steel table and Connor followed.

Setting the pouch on the table, William pulled out a fancy lighter. Something was inscribed on the outside, but I couldn't read it. With one swift motion, he pulled back the igniter with his thumb and a flame sparked into life, then he put it against the corner of the pouch and the whole thing lit up in a whoosh of blue flame.

It burned for what seemed like forever, and yet, only a few moments at the same time.

By the time the flames died down, Vlad sagged and started moaning in pain.

I dropped the magic that held him there, realizing what was happening.

Shadow's bite. He was bitten by the werewolf right after Tobias slit his throat. And it was after he let me go that his neck was snapped.

Werewolf bites were like poison to vampires. That was why everyone in Liam's nest was nervous to spar with Shadow without playing a macabre version of flag football where he ripped flags from their bodies instead of flesh.

Though a bite wasn't fatal to the undead – only decapitating a vampire, or destroying the heart of a ghoul would kill them – it would hurt like hell.

While Renata controlled Dracula's body with gris-gris, he wasn't acting like he was in pain. Sure, he moaned a few times when he woke up, but I guessed it was Renata's way of getting our attention.

"Tell me that did not happen."

"Sorry Vlad," Tobias said. "Did you know that was in your pocket?"

"No." The confusion on his face cleared and his dark blue eyes focused on me again, but it wasn't a fight for dominance.

It was genuine concern.

"I apologize, my dear Aisling. I was not myself." He breathed in as another wave of pain washed over him from the bite to his leg. When it passed, his eyes flickered to Shadow, "And thank you to the wolf for the bite that forced me to let her go. I am happy that she–"

Tobias cut him off, "She's fine."

The vampire nodded and went on. "Renata used me as bait to draw Liam. But she wasn't anticipating that Jon would accompany him. I believe that is the only reason she took my children and left me behind. I was injured and weak, and could do nothing but watch."

I was a little taken back by his words. He said Liam and Jon were his children. Given the appearance of the two vampires we were trying to save, they weren't blood brothers. That meant Dracula was their sire, the vampire that turned them.

"No one has heard from you in almost two hundred years," Tobias said. "What happened?"

Wincing, Vlad said, "I left my nest to Liam before that. I was unstable and lost. My children did not deserve to experience it. Sometime in the eighteen thirties, I met Marie Laveau, not knowing who she was. I did not keep track of the years as closely then."

Angela sucked in air. "You knew the original Voodoo Queen of New Orleans?"

"Indeed I did. Though I did not know of her at the time. She knew me for what I was, however. And she knew my true age."

"Okay. What does that have to do with anything?"

"I was over four hundred years old at the time and lonely. Marie seduced me, and when I let my guard down, she struck. She drained me of my blood and took me captive."

My best friend shook her brown head. "I don't understand. What did she need your blood for? And what does Renata have to do with it?"

"Voodoo is a very old practice, is it not? Not magic, but a spiritual binding that changed over time. Vampire blood can enhance the effects of Voodoo, including rituals and gris-gris."

"What else aren't you telling us?" Angela eyed him with suspicion.

The vampire winced again, moaned under his breath and then a small smile lifted at my best friend. "You are very perceptive, are you not?" He waved his hand, as much as his iron shackles would allow, anyway, as if to say it didn't matter. "I know what you are. You do not need to explain."

He sighed and shifted his legs. "I forgot how painful werewolf bites were." As he relaxed again, he went on. "Vampire blood, if consumed in great enough quantities, enhances the potency of the practitioner. The older the vampire, the more power it will provide. Marie Laveau consumed large amounts of my blood to aid in her goals of controlling New Orleans. Marie's children grew up studying her ways. After her death, her daughter took control, but refused to drink or use my blood."

He winced again but continued. "It did not take long before Renata – one of Marie's adopted children – took control of New Orleans at age fifty and began drinking my blood. That was eighteen ninety-six."

I did the math in my head and my jaw dropped. "She's around a hundred and seventy years old?"

"Indeed she is," Dracula nodded. "Though I do not know how she has managed to live so long without aging. The older she has become, the more blood she must drink. She feared I would not be able to sustain her much longer, so she decided to set a trap for Liam."

"If she needed your blood, why would she leave you behind?" I asked.

"I do not know, my dear. I do not believe she was ready for your arrival, or method of entry. It caught them off guard and in the frenzy, there was only enough time to take two. You must understand that she provided little to sustain me, and drained me often. Two healthy vampires are better than one such as myself, is it not?"

I couldn't believe what I was hearing. It wasn't that I didn't trust Vlad's words. Far from it. It was the undeniable capability of people becoming monsters.

Not only was the original Queen of Voodoo in New Orleans a crazy bitch, but she raised Renata to embrace the same practices. Vlad spent so much time imprisoned by them and he didn't deserve it.

No one deserved to spend so much time weakened and in constant pain.

I couldn't imagine what that did to his mind. Based on everything we knew about the infamous vampire in his earlier years, it appeared he was a different person.

Much less cruel and sadistic. But maybe those accounts of him weren't true. Maybe he was the same man he was before, only weaker.

I no longer cared that his blood could heal me. I didn't care that I almost died. The vampire needed to be treated like a person again, and not a prisoner. Stepping forward, I knelt down in front of him.

Those deep blue eyes met mine. "I'm sorry about what happened to you. We will do everything we can to prevent that from happening again. We will find Jon and Liam, save them, _and we will destroy her_." The last few words were spoken with the thousand voices.

Magic leaked out of my body. The painful bite on Vlad's leg disappeared and the poison of Shadow's saliva evaporated as the iron shackles around his wrists and ankles opened. The vampire grinned, noticing my power wasn't dampened by iron.

Unlike normal witches and the Earthens that once shared a collective power, the magic Connor and I shared was more potent and iron wasn't a factor.

With deliberate movements, his hands lifted and cool fingers caressed my cheeks. "And I will help you, my dear. I swear on my life, I will follow you into hell if I must. For as long as I am alive, I will remain by your side."

I grinned back at him.

We were willing to let Renata live and continue on as the Queen of Voodoo in New Orleans. Even after everything she did in an attempt to kill my best friend. But she chose to keep going, and we discovered her evil plans went much further than we thought.

It was in my nature to _not_ kill people unless it was necessary, and _god_ , but it was necessary.

I wanted Renata's head on a platter.

### Chapter 19

By lunchtime, the bus was parked in a long-term garage about four miles away from the hotel William chose on the east side of Memphis. Considering Liam and his nest of undead, and all the luxuriousness of his vehicles, planes, and homes, I was expecting to end up at one of the finest hotels in the city.

But we were at a normal and unassuming hotel suited for everyday travelers. For my standards, it was just fine, but the members of Liam's nest were all but wrinkling their noses at the idea of staying in such a place.

Vlad didn't mind. He wanted a shower, a shave, blood, food, and sleep. Though he promised it didn't matter which order.

As the group milled around the lobby, I tried to keep the humans from seeing the blood on me, and we made our way through the hotel toward our rooms, but before we could step onto the elevator, Dracula said he wanted his group of rescuers to join him in his room.

We didn't protest, and while we traveled to the fifth floor, I realized why William and Angela insisted on that hotel. The goal was to try to remain hidden in the city, even under a neutral's shelter.

Angela knew all too well about how the neutrals were shifting away from helping _others_. So they wanted to employ extra cautions.

But with Renata behind what was happening to Liam and Jon, and her success at keeping Vlad hostage for so long, I knew the choice of hotel was a strategic decision.

When we were dragged to the _Spirit Realm_ and Renata confronted us through astral projection after failing to kill us, she betrayed that she knew Liam. I didn't know the details, but that meant she probably knew about his preferences for opulence.

If she wanted to find us in the city, that hotel was about as inconspicuous as we could get. And a hotel like that would be the last place she would look for us.

At least, that was what we hoped.

When we entered Vlad's room, Salvatore didn't waste any time and ordered room service while Dracula headed straight for the bathroom with a bag of toiletries in hand. The sounds of humming came from behind the door as water flowed in the sink.

The room was spacious, but not large like the suites in Liam's home. And it was bland in décor. Beige walls met with beige carpet and an unsurprising beige blanket covered the king size bed.

A long dresser sat across from the bed with a small flat screen television resting on top. A mini coffee maker sat next to it, and beneath the window to the left of the bed was a small round table and two chairs.

Puffle sat down on the television and let his legs dangle over the front of it while everyone else found places to sit.

Connor and Salvatore claimed the chairs flanking the table and while I curled up in my mate's lap, Angela did the same with hers. Peter sat on the floor in the corner, rolling the spelled red ball back and forth between Shadow and Bugs, both lounging on the floor in front of the bed.

The two ghouls made themselves comfortable on the bed while Tobias hovered by the door as the sound of the shower turning on reached us from the bathroom.

I rested my head against Connor's chest while his strong arms wrapped around me and I dozed while we waited.

Ten minutes later, the door to the bathroom opened, and steam preceded Vlad as he stepped out into the room wearing nothing but a towel. His long, wet hair hung in chunks around his face, falling past his shoulders, still dripping from the shower down the tanned, yet pale skin of his heavily muscled chest.

Like Liam, his skin was marred by raised, white scars that indicated he was no stranger to the sting of a blade slicing into his skin while he was human. He was strong and built for war with as much muscle as I could see in stark relief across his body. Contrary to the effects of starvation or malnutrition in humans, Vlad's muscle mass didn't wither away during his time in captivity.

Just like all the undead, his body remained as it was when he turned. With the notable exception of hair and fingernail growth, the undead would remain as they were until death.

His face was shaved smooth, leaving behind a trimmed goatee. The look suited him. And looked exactly what I would imagine Dracula to look like in the twenty-first century.

"Does anyone have a comb?" the vampire grinned as he looked around the room. "And perhaps some clothes?"

Tobias picked up a bag with a familiar department store logo written across it before handing it to the centuries-old vampire as a knock sounded at the door. While Vlad stayed where he was, Tobias turned and opened it, revealing a young man no older than twenty with a cart full of covered dishes.

Though I couldn't see his face, I could hear the grin in Tobias's voice. "Please, come in." Stepping back, the door opened the rest of the way and he gestured for the man to enter.

The attendant pushed the cart ahead of him and stopped just inside the doorway. Then he looked at everyone in the room.

Since he was human, he couldn't see Puffle sitting on the television or Peter's ghostly visage in the corner, but as his eyes traveled over the massive white werewolf, his eyes widened.

Tobias closed the door behind him and stepped forward. "We left a large deposit to allow our pets to stay with us."

As the young man turned to look at Tobias, he froze as their eyes met.

I blinked and refocused on what was happening with renewed interest.

As the seconds ticked by, they continued to stare at each other. Power filled the room, but it wasn't the kind of power that came from a witch. Or an agitated werewolf resisting a shift – I remembered what that felt like when Salvatore feared for Angela's life.

I glanced up at Connor and the muscles in his jaw clenched as his brown eyes met mine. He felt it too.

Just as I was about to say something, Tobias spoke in a calm tone that almost lulled me to sleep right then and there. "Our friend here needs to take a bit of your blood, but there's nothing to fear. You won't be harmed. And you won't remember a thing. Do you understand?"

God, but what the hell just happened?

The young man didn't say anything. He just nodded his head and then moved toward Vlad without any emotion on his face. Then he tilted his head to the side, revealing his neck.

Still holding the bag full of clothes, Vlad took a step forward and bent his head down. The young man's eyes slid closed as the vampire began drinking.

Ice slid down my spine and adrenaline coursed through my system as I heard the sounds of feeding.

Connor noticed my unease. His warm fingers touched my chin and coaxed me to face him. His deep brown eyes held mine, and I knew what he was doing.

Though there wasn't anything obvious happening that would trigger my PTSD, he could still tell it bothered me. And it did. That man wasn't given a choice to offer his blood.

Anyone that went through the kind of abuse I did would understand how having a choice meant everything. And I was witnessing something happening to a person without consent right in front of me.

Though Connor didn't speak, he held my gaze, and I focused on him, shutting out the deafening sound of Vlad swallowing blood.

Just breathe, Aisling.

By the time the room went silent once more, I was myself again, and I no longer felt the craggy fingers of a flashback trying to pull me away. A small smile lifted at my fiancé, a wordless gesture of gratitude for the strength he offered me, and then I pulled him into a hug before I realized I moved.

I breathed his scent of wood smoke into my lungs and relaxed, grateful for the lifeline he offered me. There weren't enough words in the dictionary to tell him how much I loved him and appreciated everything he did for me. As a writer, that was saying something.

But then the faint scent of blood mixed with the food on the cart filtered to my nose in the next moment. I was on my feet, using my Earthen speed to propel me to the bathroom.

Hoping I would make it in time.

### Chapter 20

I vaulted over Shadow and slipped past Dracula as he pulled back and pierced his thumb on a fang and pressed it to the twin puncture wounds on the attendant's neck. Then, just as I began to heave, I made it to the sink.

Though I could feel Connor following behind me by his pull, I was too focused on purging whatever was in my stomach. Just like the previous day, there wasn't much but bile that left my lips, but I couldn't breathe while my stomach continued to lurch.

My hands gripped the edge of the sink like it was a lifeline as Connor's held my hair and caressed my back in a soothing motion.

Then, just as fast as it began, I stilled and pulled sweet air into my burning lungs. By the time I felt like myself again, I spotted a tiny bottle of mouthwash on the shelf above the toilet. But Connor grabbed it before I reached out and handed it to me.

"Are you alright?" Concern was written across his features.

I nodded, wanting nothing more than to wash that bitter taste from my mouth. Then I twisted off the cap and poured some of the minty liquid into my mouth.

But he wasn't the only one that was concerned. _Others_ weren't supposed to get sick. And a concussion from the day before wasn't a possibility since Vlad's blood was in my system.

Is my neck already healed too?

I didn't feel any more pain from what happened earlier that morning.

The bandage was still taped to my neck and I pulled it away. My skin was unbroken and smooth. If not for the sticky, dried blood that still clung to me and my stiff, dark shirt, no signs of what happened that morning remained.

God, but what the hell is happening to me?

Tossing the bandage into the trash, I turned back to the sink and spit the mouthwash, feeling better. "I have no idea what's going on, Connor," I whispered, looking up at him. "Especially now, none of this makes any sense."

I pushed my hand through my hair and twisted it into the loose bun I tended to wear when my curls were unruly or distracting. The only reason it wasn't already up was to help hide the blood from the hotel's employees. I was surprised I waited that long to pull it back. Once the bun was positioned and the band was in place, I let out a sigh of relief.

Dropping my arms, I realized Connor was still staring at me. His aura was a mixture of dark blue and pink. My hand lifted and touched his cheek, feeling the tickle of his stubble against my palm. "I really don't know what's wrong, and I'm sorry for putting everyone in danger because of it."

"What?" Confusion flashed across his features and he shook his head as his aura shifted to orange. "Oh, honey. You aren't a danger for getting dizzy or sick. Whatever is happening, it's not your fault. And we would do anything to protect you. You know that."

I nodded. I did know that. But the situation could have been much worse. Though I understood what he was saying – I would say the same if he was in my position – it didn't take away the fact that if we were in battle, a dizzy spell could equal disaster. Not just for me, but the distraction would leave us all vulnerable.

Judging by the way Connor looked at me, I could tell he wanted to say more, but he stayed silent. Whatever he wanted to say, he didn't want to say it in front of an audience.

That was fine by me, because the room was silent as everyone waited for us. I dropped my hand and turned to see Vlad standing there, watching us with his head tilted by a fraction to the side and an odd expression I couldn't place.

He was still wearing the towel.

I snorted. "Sorry Vlad, you can get dressed now." Taking Connor's hand, I led him out of the bathroom and back to our seat.

As we moved, I saw the young man was still standing there.

Without making a sound, Vlad disappeared into the bathroom behind us.

The man that delivered our food blinked and looked up at Tobias with an expectant smile. "Everything you ordered is here. Please don't hesitate to call room service if you need anything else."

Tobias returned the smile and handed the man two hundred dollars before letting him out the door. "Treat yourself to a glass of orange juice and vitamin B12."

By the time Connor and I settled into the seat again, with me curled up in his lap, the door was closed and Tobias faced the room again. "Alright, who's hungry?"

Various sounds of agreement sounded from everyone except Peter since he didn't need to eat without his host's body.

Connor and I accepted the food offered to us. But the cheeseburgers and fries weren't appetizing to me. My fiancé seemed to mirror my unease, but the growl that came from his stomach told me he was still hungry.

When Vlad stepped out of the bathroom wearing jeans, a black shirt, and tennis shoes, the plates were set.

And then everyone ate in silence.

Everyone but me.

While everyone concentrated on their food, Puffle flew over to me and sat down at the edge of my plate. I picked at my fries and shared bits of it with the pixie.

Two minutes later, Salvatore's plate was clean and he gave my plate a look of longing. I pushed it toward him, grinning as the pixie took flight to keep from falling from the sudden motion.

Through giggles, the pixie said, "You're lucky I was full, missy," and then fluttered back to his perch on the television.

Connor's aura was light blue as he watched me, still chewing on the last bite of his cheeseburger.

I bumped my shoulder into his chest and he grinned, wrapping his arms around me and kissing my temple.

Then I caught sight of Vlad, sitting at the edge of the dresser while finishing off a French fry. He dabbed at his chin with a paper napkin as if he were sitting at the head of a large and expensive table during a royal banquet and I snorted.

He reminded me so much of Liam.

And just like that, my humor faded away and was replaced with sadness. I missed my friend, just like the rest of us. And though my emotions were more potent than anyone else in the room except for my fiancé, it still felt wrong to show how I felt.

As if he read my thoughts, Connor squeezed my shoulder and whispered, "We will find him, Aisling."

It was a promise.

It was a prayer.

It was meant to help me feel better, more at ease, but it didn't help much. We only knew to look for Liam and Jon because of Vlad's stagnant fog. Without that, we didn't know where to begin to search for our friends.

Was Renata staying in Memphis, or was she moving somewhere else? Would she go back to New Orleans with her new sources of aged vampire blood?

Instead of staying silent, I asked, "How are we going to find them?"

Vlad put his napkin down on his plate and the wordless gesture pulled the attention to him. Then he stood.

Though the vampire was unfamiliar to us, he still oozed with dominance and power. Plus, standing at six and a half feet tall amplified that effect.

"I know how we can find them."

Tobias swallowed his last bite of cheeseburger and said, "How?"

"As you might be aware, I am not like other vampires. It is not that I am old, though I am. And it is not that I _know_ Renata, though I do. It is from my blood connection to her."

"And what the hell does that mean?" the vampire snapped.

Dracula smiled, but it didn't reach his deep blue eyes. "Please, allow me to explain."

Still angry, Tobias waved his hand.

I understood his frustration. I really did. But he was taking it out on the wrong people. We were working together to save Liam and Jon. I just didn't understand why Tobias was reacting so strongly to the situation.

There was more I didn't know, but I stayed quiet and let Vlad talk.

"My father is no secret, but my mother was, at least to humans. She was one of his many mistresses, but she was also Earthen. It is also no secret that my father was a member of the Order of the Dragon. To humans, it was created to defend Christianity, but to _others_ , it was similar to the Malleus. Despite that, my father did not care what she was."

I remembered the history of the crusades, and that Vlad spent a large part of his childhood as a prisoner of war.

Vlad looked down and studied the carpet. It looked like he was recalling some distant memory, and it wasn't hard to guess what it was. Then he looked up and met the gaze of everyone in the room. "It is no secret my childhood was not an easy one. And after I grew up, I developed a taste for brutality along with a few other things. But it was not until after I became a vampire that those ... abilities became more apparent. A blood bond is one of them."

It wasn't shocking news to us that he was the child of an Earthen, but it was enthralling, to say the least, that the legendary man and vampire was telling a story about his past. Giving us a little piece of who he was.

We knew what Bram Stoker wrote about, and Tobias knew some of them were true, though they never met. A blood connection, or blood bond, wasn't a trait Stoker mentioned. I was just as curious as everyone else to know what that meant.

"If someone ingests my blood, and I theirs, a connection is made, is it not?" He paused, but everyone stayed silent. Though a few nodded their understanding, he went on. "Since I am both a vampire and a direct descendant of an Earthen, I can use that bond to my advantage and create a sort of telepathic connection. Sometimes even a hypnotic connection as well."

Those were mentioned in Stoker's book. "So that means you can find out where she is through her thoughts?" I asked.

"In a sense. Though I am not a witch, I still inherited some traits from my mother. An altered version of _sight_ is one of them."

Adrenaline flashed across my body in a slow burn that caused a phantom sweat to break out on my forehead. Vlad's words sank in, and I realized what happened the day before when I was pulled into _sight_ while sparring. And each time since.

Was it possible?

Could Liam connect to me?

I drank his blood many times in the past so he could heal my wounds and stop certain spells that were used against me. I thought back to all the times I spent in Liam's presence.

Was it possible, indeed.

"Vlad?" I asked.

"My dear."

"How much blood do you need to create that bond?"

"Nothing more than a drop would complete it for either party."

"What is it?" Connor asked.

Remembering back to the first time I experienced _sight_ with Liam, it happened the night before we met. In my dream, I could see his face. It was as if he was waiting for me. If I _saw_ him then, how could it be possible he was connected to me?

"Tobias, how long have you been with Liam?"

"A long time."

Okay, that wasn't helpful.

Then I froze.

My grandmother _knew_ what I would become from her precognition. She knew that Liam would be critical to helping me learn what I was and how to access my power.

I looked back up at Vlad's deep blue eyes and asked, "Did Liam have the same ability?"

"He is my son, my dear."

Dracula said that Liam and Jon were his children before, but it was obvious the two vampires weren't brothers by birth.

Smiling at the confusion on my face, the vampire said, "He was my son before I was a vampire. He was my child once more when I turned him and Jon. In answer to your question, my dear, yes, Liam can. But Jon cannot."

My eyes flickered to Tobias. "Before the night we met, do you know if Liam consumed my blood?"

Recognition flashed across the vampire's features and his blue eyes flashed. "Jade brought him a tiny piece of paper with a drop of blood on it. I could tell by the scent that it wasn't hers, but never thought anything of it. She whispered something to him I couldn't hear. Then she spelled the rune on the door."

Her memorial rune. The one on the center of the copper door that lead to the underbelly of Liam's home. That wasn't long before her death. Was it possible that drop of blood was mine?

I froze, tilting my head to the side. "When was that?"

"About three weeks before she died."

I cut myself shaving on my birthday and used a small piece of toilet paper to catch the blood. That didn't happen often.

Son of a bitch, but Gramma gave Liam my blood.

She could have slipped me a drop of Liam's blood without my knowledge.

That meant he was connected to me the entire time. After I _saw_ him in my sleep, it happened again as a warning that the MDM were about to attack.

He never reached me while we were in Germany.

Perhaps because of the heliotrope?

"Vlad, is that connection hindered if you're in pain or anything like that?"

"Indeed it is, my dear."

That explained why he couldn't pull me into _sight_ while I was drugged.

I stood up. "He was trying to tell me he needed me and I didn't know what it meant. God, but I'm such an idiot!" I buried my face in my hands and then Connor was in front of me before I realized he moved.

He took my hands and pulled them away. His deep brown eyes looked into mine. "That was not your fault. He never told us he could do that. How could you have known? You can't blame yourself, Aisling."

"Connor is right, my dear," Vlad said from right behind him. I didn't notice him move, either.

My mate laced his fingers with mine and sidestepped to let Dracula speak.

"Now that we know of your connection, it may come to our advantage. I know what needs to be done to find Renata. But first, I need rest." Vlad's deep blue eyes flashed and I could see the promise of retribution in his gaze.

A slow grin stretched across my face and the corners of the vampire's lips lifted in response.

For once, we were going to take the offensive.

It was about damn time.

### Chapter 21

It was mid-afternoon by the time Connor and I made it to our suite. To my lack of surprise, it looked the same, right down to the last little detail.

Since our trip wasn't as easy as we hoped, and in our haste, left everything but weapons back in Nashville, William sent a few vampires to buy supplies prior to checking in to the hotel. While I took the new duffle bag full of toiletries and replacement clothes to the bathroom, Connor locked the door behind us and made his way to the window to close the shades.

After staying in Liam's home, we preferred the dim light. The way the crystal lights bounced off the shiny surfaces in combination with the flickering flames from the hearth in our suite was soothing to both of us.

Since we met, we spent more time living at Liam's than my house, and I was beginning to think that the billowy linen curtains that lined my bedroom's wall of windows would be changed to something that could block the light if we wanted.

I didn't mind. Being with Connor made me realize that it didn't matter where we were. As long as we were together, nothing else mattered.

And as much as I could tell from him, he didn't mind either. But he was disowned and kicked out of his parents' home when he was fourteen after turning into a witch. After that, he didn't know what it felt like to have a home. A stable place, with his own bed.

Deep down, I knew he wanted that. But I also knew he would never complain about our situation because I was what mattered to him.

After everything I dealt with while growing up, it was still hard for me to accept that Connor loved me as much as he did. Cared for me in a way no one ever could.

As much as I loved him and believed every promise he ever made to me, there was a part of me that still believed all those awful things my step-father told me while growing up. Still waited for the day Connor would leave.

It almost happened once, when he didn't understand the full implications of my magic and my nature as an Earthen. I killed my step-father to prevent him from coming after me again. And a man as devoid of emotion like Martin would always target the ones I loved just to see me suffer.

Earthen witches didn't _want_ to kill. And we didn't. Unless we believed there was no other option. We were natural leaders and inherently good. Pure of heart. That was why _others_ considered them royalty when they were still around centuries before.

It was their good natures and willingness to protect and help those that needed it and so much more that made supernaturals turn to them in times of crisis. It helped that they were so powerful.

But after the Malleus Dei Maleficarum killed them, that feeling of safety died with them. Then the supernatural world crumbled. Though our journey was just beginning, it was going to take some time to set everything right again.

I sighed and magic leaked from my body, turning on the shower to my right as I looked at my reflection in the mirror.

If not for all the blood, I would look normal. No traces of injuries remained. We were lucky that Vlad was the son of an Earthen, but I couldn't ask him for his blood if I was hurt again.

After everything he went through while in captivity, that was the last thing he needed. He seemed like the type of vampire that would agree if he was asked, but I was certain if that happened, he wouldn't be pleased about it.

I wouldn't be surprised if he experienced PTSD from it all as well.

Connor stepped into the bathroom behind me and wrapped his arms around my middle, dipping his head to my shoulder to inhale my scent. My eyes slid closed and I smiled as his head turned and warm lips kissed my neck where Vlad bit me that morning.

Pulling back, my mate began removing my hair from the bun as I opened my eyes and paused. It wasn't so much that I was healed, free from bruises as a result of sparring the day before.

Something was different.

I couldn't tell what it was.

My hair, though messy and unruly from all that happened, looked shinier. Though my skin was healthy, my peaches and cream complexion was almost luminescent. My eyes were a brilliant blue, more vivid than I remembered. Like the ocean off the shore of a tropical island.

But I forgot what I was thinking about as the band was freed from my hair and expert fingers began to comb through the wild, frizzy curls.

While Connor's fingers kept working, soothing me with every movement he made, he spoke. "I think we should take you to a doctor."

I opened my eyes.

When did I close my eyes?

Deep brown eyes met my gaze in the mirror and I turned around. I caught the hem of his shirt with my fingers and lifted it over his head, dropping it to the floor. Trailing my fingertips over the warm velvet of his skin as it stretched over the strong muscles, my fingers made their way to his long, silky brown hair.

God, but I will always love the way his hair feels against my skin.

"I don't know what's wrong with me, but I'm not sick. We don't get sick, remember?"

"I know. But you've thrown up twice, passed out once, and fell several times from dizziness. That isn't normal. Even as a witch, you shouldn't experience anything like that."

"Salvatore is a doctor and he already said I was fine. That was before Vlad's blood was in my system."

Connor heaved a sigh and pulled my shirt over my head, letting it drop to the floor as steam filled the room and left a moist sheen over every surface, including our skin. "I just don't like seeing you like this. Every instinct is telling me to keep you out of this until you're better."

I reached behind me and unhooked my bra. Watching him, his eyes flickered down to watch my movement and the dark blue all but faded from his aura as the pink overpowered it and darkened to red.

My lips twitched and magic leaked from me, unbuttoning his dark jeans and dragging the zipper down in slow succession before pushing them past his hips. I wasn't at all surprised to see he wanted me. He always wanted me. "Close your eyes," I whispered.

Those chocolatey brown eyes dragged back up to meet mine and they darkened as his aura continued to intensify with red.

I waited, resisting the urge to move into his arms to kiss him. When his eyes closed, I continued. "Without moving, I want you to see yourself as if you are unbuttoning my jeans and pulling them off me. See it in your mind."

Purple bled into the edges of his aura as he concentrated and the air thickened with magic.

I ran my nail across his chest and down the center of his abdomen and he shivered as the red in his aura spiked and the button on my jeans opened. Smiling, I whispered, "Focus. See it."

Everything about Connor called to me. From the smooth, long hair on his head to the stubble on his jaw, his eyes to his lips, and the flawless skin stretched over muscle, he tasted even better.

As my zipper lowered, I grinned and leaned forward to capture his Adam's apple in my mouth. He groaned and my jeans and panties were pushed down to my ankles in the next instant.

And he never touched me.

My smile widened and I leaned back, grasping him with my fist. His skin was smoothest there, like silk stretched over iron, and I reveled in it.

A breathless groan escaped him and the red all but exploded in his aura.

I said, "Connor, open your eyes."

### Chapter 22

When Connor opened his eyes, he didn't look down to see if his magic worked. His eyes locked with mine and we looked at each other for a few moments.

Even if I wanted to, I couldn't stop moving my hand. He felt too good.

His gaze darkened along with his red aura and a sly grin spread on his face as his eyes looked down.

Then he froze.

The grin on his face widened as orange bled into his aura. "I can't believe it. It worked."

I smiled back at my fiancé. "You could do it the whole time. I think you were trying to force it, rather than letting it happen."

He didn't respond. He flashed forward and took my face in his hands. He kissed me so hard that it forced me to bend backward over the sink.

God, but he tastes so good.

Before I realized what he was doing, he picked me up and carried me to the shower.

Hot water streamed down our bodies, gliding over us in a sensual caress that only heightened my nerve endings. I wanted nothing more than to have him inside me in that moment, but he didn't move. Not even when I climbed up his body and tried to do it myself.

"No," he said grinning devilishly at me. "We need to clean up first. Tip your head back into the water."

I narrowed my eyes at him but stayed silent. I did as he asked and let the hot water soak my hair and scalp. Wondering for a moment if he planned to clean me first, I forgot what I was thinking as his hand contacted my cheek with a light touch.

His other hand wrapped around my waist as he stepped closer, I could feel the water running down over my neck as he let his hand travel down from my cheek.

Though I was healed, blood still remained on my neck. And despite the fact that my eyes were closed, I knew it was washing away as he moved his hand over the unbroken flesh.

My mouth fell open as I focused on breathing. The combination of the hot water and his touch on my body was almost too much. I always wanted Connor, but in that moment, I felt like I was on fire with need.

I knew it wouldn't be long before my power unleashed from the intensity of my desire.

His hot, wet mouth closed over my throat, right where Vlad bit me hours before. But he didn't bite me. He ran his tongue over my skin and I trembled. The sensation traveled all the way down to my toes and they curled in response.

I let out a breathless moan and realized my hands were at the back of his head, silently pleading for more. While one of his hands tightened its grip around my waist, the other snaked up into my hair and fisted it, pulling my head to the side to give him more access.

What he was doing didn't surprise me.

Territorialism for _others_ was common. Connor was mine and I was his. But Dracula marked me and drank my blood. As my mate, he was replacing what happened. Claiming me as his once more.

I didn't mind. I loved it, in fact. And I knew that if I didn't still have Vlad's blood in my system, I would have some nice love marks, as my grandmother called them, to show for his efforts. The marks would fade, but the memory wouldn't.

And that was the point.

But he didn't do anything else. He released my neck and growled into my ear, "Move out of the water, I'm going to wash your hair."

My skin was practically vibrating with anticipation and he was doing nothing but make me wait.

He let go of my hair and waited for me to open my eyes. When I did, the sight of him made me do a double-take. His gaze was dark and full of the promise of what was to come. And it was nearly my undoing.

I kissed him, hard, wrapping my arms around his neck with a fever, trying to get as close to him as I could. I needed him. All of him. And I needed him more than I needed air in that moment.

And god, but he could kiss.

Too soon, he pulled away with a grin.

"Please, Connor," I whispered.

His hand reached up and traced my bottom lip with his thumb. Unable to help myself, I dipped my head and took the tip of his finger into my mouth, but I kept my gaze locked with his. My tongue circled it before I leaned back and let him slide out from between my lips. He groaned and said, "I have so much planned before I'm through. But I want to clean you first. Just breathe, Aisling."

I didn't want to wait. I didn't care if my hair would be a mess when it dried. All I cared about was him. But I knew that look on his face. He was determined. And he wouldn't give up until he was satisfied. I knew that much from experience. "I'm going to get you for this."

His grin widened. "That's what I'm counting on."

With a sigh, I moved out of the stream to the other end of the shower. I faced the wall as Connor reached out and grabbed the bottle of conditioner out of the duffle bag sitting next to the tub. Then he set it down on the shelf to my left.

My curly hair was always interesting to deal with. Harsh cleansers and soaps would only make the tangles worse and it would strip away all the moisture, which was what helped keep it under control. So in addition to some clothes, William made sure that my conditioner was on the list of necessities before we checked in. I appreciated the thoughtfulness.

But then I forgot what I was thinking as Connor's hands began working through my hair. From my scalp all the way to the ends. It felt so good that I needed to grip the wall to keep from falling to the floor in a jumble of liquefied limbs.

When he was finished, he grasped my shoulders and pulled me back into the stream of water. Working his fingers through my hair once more, he made sure everything was washed away before he eased me forward to repeat the process, leaving the conditioner in my hair to keep it hydrated and under control once it dried.

By the time he was done, I purred with contentment. I didn't even feel him push my hair out of the way before his head dipped and his mouth connected with the top of my shoulder.

My head fell to the side in an effort to give him more room. I was still mindless to what was happening that I gasped when his hands snaked around my sides and claimed my breasts with a slow, agonizing caress of his thumbs over my nipples. " _Oh, god_ ," I breathed, biting my lip.

Connor's teeth grazed my shoulder as one hand moved lower. To my most sensitive spot. As his fingers found my clitoris, I exploded in a flash burn that crawled over every inch of my body.

I didn't come.

But I was so close.

Then his fingers moved in a slow circle.

And that was my undoing.

### Chapter 23

I still didn't come.

I unleashed.

In one swift motion, I knocked his hand away and spun around to kiss him, hard. He responded instantly, pushing me back against the wall with his full Earthen speed.

He pressed me there with his body as he pulled my arms away from him and pinned them to the wall. My wrists were shackled by his warm hands and the delicious friction of his body pressing against mine made me cry out into his mouth.

I wanted him. All of him. I wanted him inside me, filling me up in that perfect way only he could. And I wanted it right then and there.

His mouth ravaged mine and magic filled the room an instant later, turning off the water in the shower. But the power wasn't mine.

Elation filled me.

He's using magic!

Then he bit my tongue and I forgot what I was thinking about.

His hands released me and picked me up in the next instant. I wrapped my legs around him and trailed kisses down his jaw as he moved out of the bathroom and tossed me onto the bed.

Except for my hair, I was mostly dry. But his skin still glistened with water and I wanted to run my tongue over every inch of him. To taste every drop that clung to his body.

He stood there, watching me as I moved backward up the bed, refusing to take my eyes off him. He crawled up after me, catching my legs to stop me and pulled me back toward him with a quick pull of his arms.

Dropping forward, he kissed me like the world depended on it and I forgot I needed to breathe. He pulled away with a gasp and worked his mouth down my jaw, past my neck and moved toward my breasts.

He caught each nipple in his mouth and circled the sensitive tips with his tongue before releasing them with a cool breath. Each time it made me shiver, and I was seconds away from being mindless from what he was doing to me. And he was barely touching me.

Then he moved lower, kissing my abdomen before making his way around to my hip and biting the sensitive flesh. I cried out, arching into him and throwing my head back into the mattress. "Oh, god, Connor. _Please_ ," I moaned.

His deep brown eyes looked up at me, "Just breathe, Aisling," he said, low, before moving to my other hip to bite it, too.

A shaky groan left my lips and two things happened at once. Before I registered the movement, he pushed my legs out further, and then his hot, wet tongue circled my clitoris.

I hissed and then froze. " _Ah_ , stop."

He froze and looked up at me. "What's wrong?"

Oh dear god, what could I say?

"Um ... I...," I stammered and flushed.

"Honey, there's nothing to be ashamed of. Talk to me."

"That's probably not a good idea. Can we leave it at that?"

God, but I was going to die of embarrassment.

As if he understood what I meant, he looked down. Then his gaze flickered back up to mine. "First of all, I don't see anything different. Second, you don't taste or smell different."

I covered my face with my hands, laughing despite myself.

Then his hands found mine and pulled them away. "Look at me."

My eyes opened and found him sitting next to me and not on his knees at the edge of the bed like he was a moment before. Though his aura was still red, blue was snaking through it. He hovered between sadness and humor, but still wanted me. I wasn't sure what to make of that.

"Listen to me, Aisling. If you don't want me to do something, I won't. I will never do anything you don't want me to do. But you don't have to be embarrassed. About anything. I love you, just the way you are." His thumb caressed my jaw. "I love doing anything I can to make you happy _and_ feel good. Alright?"

I didn't know what I could say. He always knew the right words to make me feel better. Even when I was dying from my own shame.

Tears leaked out of the corners of my eyes and he wiped them away. " _Oh, honey_." He leaned forward and kissed me.

I responded instantly, no longer caring what bothered me moments before. Connor was everything to me, and he proved it over and over again. The faint saltiness of my taste still lingered on his tongue. And he was right. The taste was the same.

My hands moved to his face and I held him there, deepening the kiss as he planted his arms on either side of me and moved between my legs. I wanted him inside me, his hands on me. I wanted his mouth against mine. I wanted it all, but he just hovered there.

I reached up behind him and pulled at his hips, begging for what I needed.

He impaled me in the next instant and I cried out into his mouth as he pressed his hips against me in a slow, agonizing grind.

Before I even realized I was coming, I crashed over the edge and broke away from the kiss, arching as much as his body would allow as I rode the wave. It was so intense that lights flashed behind my eyes and my toes curled.

By the time I calmed enough to look at him again, he was watching me. Though his aura was flaming red and alive, something about his expression caught my attention. I stopped moving and my hands moved to his face. "What's wrong?"

"Do you have any idea how beautiful you are and how good you feel when you come?"

I smiled and kissed him again, hard. Then I pushed him onto his back, moving with him.

He sat up and moaned as I ground against him, slowly fucking him so he could feel me wrapped around him. My arms gripped his neck and I kissed him with a fever.

Since Connor could make me feel so loved, not only from his devotion but his words, his touch – everything about him and everything he did – I wanted to repay him. Just like I promised myself.

I wanted every nerve in his body on fire.

I wanted him to come over and over again.

And I was just getting started.

### Chapter 24

Being with Connor was like nothing I ever imagined before I met him. He was my first kiss, first lover, first everything. And even then, it was beyond amazing.

Not only did he know how to drive me wild, but he also knew when to take it slow and focus on every detail of what we were doing.

Though he did let me take control and set the pace from time to time, I always ended up mindless. He spent so much time focusing on me, making sure I was thoroughly satisfied that I never thought about what it was like for him. Sure, he insisted he enjoyed every second, but he wouldn't allow himself to come as often as I did.

And as an _other_ , he was capable of it.

But that day was my turn to show him that we could both experience it without detracting from it. At first, he tried to resist. It didn't take long for him to figure out what I was doing, either.

I was half expecting him to take control again, but he didn't. I reveled in every moan, every cry that escaped his lips, and I didn't want to stop.

By the time the sun went down, I lost track of the number of times he came. And though I stopped trying to count them after our first day together, I didn't notice any decline in mine.

We moved around the room, utilized the furniture, walls, and floor. We took it slow, went hard and fast, and tried new things. We both even spent our fair share of time unleashed from the intense desire we shared. Everything was beyond my wildest dreams.

I wanted to keep going, long into the night, but Connor stopped after we both crashed over the edge after the last of the sunlight faded from behind the curtain. Though I was sitting on the edge of the sink in the bathroom, I was still breathless from exertion.

Breathing hard, Connor held me and buried his face into the curve of my shoulder and chuckled, his aura swirling with a flaming red and vivid light blue. "Oh, my god, Aisling. That was ... _wow_."

I wrapped my arms around his shoulders and held him against me as I smiled. "I couldn't agree more."

He pulled back and his chocolate brown eyes looked into mine. "I didn't know I could do that."

An unladylike snort came from me and then my humor faded as I rested my hands on his face. "Connor, I have never seen you _not_ willing and ready, so I knew you could. But you spent so much time focusing on me that you held back. You didn't need to do that. I wanted to show you."

"You are an amazing creature, do you know that?"

I smiled. "Speak for yourself. You used more magic in this room than you have since we bound together. Combined. _That_ is amazing."

Leaning in, my mate kissed me. It was slow and passionate and did nothing but make me want him again. And just as my hands began to work their way to his ass to silently urge him on, since my mouth was otherwise occupied, he pulled back.

I frowned and he chuckled in response.

"As much as I don't want to stop, we need to eat and get some sleep. You look like you're about to fall over if I let you go."

That was strange. I didn't feel tired. All I wanted was more of him. But as if on cue, my stomach grumbled and at the same time, a huge yawn escaped me.

As the red in my fiancé's aura started to fade in intensity, the light blue brightened and he smirked. "See?"

I narrowed my eyes at him. "That's not fair."

"What's not fair?" His grin faded and he looked at me with mock sadness.

I couldn't help myself. I laughed. "Because you know what's going on before I do. And you have impeccable self-control, do you know that?"

He sighed, his grin fading away, and shook his head with a solemn expression as the blue in his aura darkened. "I know. It's a curse."

Just as I was about to say something, thinking I made him sad, his grin returned as the light blue returned to his aura with interest.

I laughed again. He just tricked me with his aura. "You jerk!"

He laughed too, tossing his head back in the process.

Taking advantage of the situation, I leaned forward and captured his Adam's apple in my mouth.

His laugh cut off with a groan and his arms tightened around me with renewed interest. "You're killing me, Aisling," he said as he picked me up and carried me to the bed.

But I didn't stop. I ran my hands through his hair and reveled in the smoothness of it for an instant before I fisted it and pulled his head back further to give me more access.

He pressed me into the mattress in the next instant, easing into me, and started moving with a slow, agonizing grind. "One. More. Time. Then we have to stop, alright?" He groaned as my hands flashed to his ass and I pulled at him, letting my nails dig in a little.

Releasing his throat, I kissed him with more fervor. I didn't answer him. I didn't need to. I would take whatever I could get.

An hour later, we finished eating a light meal that consisted of a large bowl of strawberries, a tray filled with cheese, crackers, an assortment of vegetables, and small squares of lunchmeat. Though the meat didn't look appealing to me, I ate plenty of everything else. For once, I was starting to feel normal again.

Then Connor pulled back the covers on the king size bed and I curled up beside him, tucking my shoulder under his arm and resting my head on his chest. As the scent of wood smoke filled my nose, I relaxed and began dozing.

I couldn't be sure, but I thought I breathed, "I love you," as I drifted off to sleep.

Pain flashed across my senses, but I knew they weren't mine as my eyes opened to see someone I didn't recognize standing in front of me with my arms and legs shackled to a stone wall behind me.

Dream- _sight_.

But it wasn't the same.

Somehow, I could _feel_ that it was him.

Liam.

I didn't know how to explain it. But even though I didn't hear any thoughts or other sounds coming from him, and his eyes remained locked on the person standing in front of him, I still _knew_. I didn't know why I didn't recognize it before.

The strange man was shirtless and his dark skin combined with his hate-filled eyes made him look sinister in the low light. Liam was afraid, but not of the man in front of him, looking at him as if he waited for some sort of reply.

Liam turned his head to the side, looking at his bare arm. It was dirty. Raised white scars covered his skin, the evidence of the life he lived before his father made him a vampire.

Though I saw him shirtless before – and the scars that marked his flesh – I never saw him in such a condition. He prided himself on his appearance. It just added to the overall effect that he was in charge and a master vampire.

It was no secret to his nest that I was in control, but every day, he maintained that manicured and expensively attired persona to everyone that saw him. Whenever I deferred, attention went to him.

His arm covered in blood and dirt, while coagulated blood dripped from a large gash running along his forearm into a large bucket beneath, was unnerving.

The low light of the room seemed to make his scars more visible and it did nothing but make my heart ache for him.

His human life wasn't easy, and his undead life wasn't much better.

While the Earthens were alive and well centuries before, he and his mate, along with Jon, guarded them. He lost his beloved when the Earthens were killed and though he didn't show his sadness over it often, even after so much time, it still affected him.

And there he was, watching his blood drain into a bucket so that Renata could get her power boost from it. On top of that, it looked like he was being interrogated. Tortured.

A loud, hard packing sound that I knew too well as the sound of a fist against flesh registered across my senses at the same time pain exploded in my cheek. But I didn't take the hit.

It was Liam.

He didn't even grunt as he turned his head to glare at his torturer.

"How can the Earthen be killed?" The accent wasn't European. Yet it was still distinct and familiar. It held that French Creole lilt. I didn't know if he was a Voodoo practitioner like Renata, but he was at least aware of what Liam was. What I was.

I felt a tingling in the vampire's gums, and I guessed that his fangs descended. And then I felt his lips pull back into a smile. "In order to kill the Earthen you must wear a pink tutu and sing _I'm A Little Teacup_ ," the vampire responded in that same old Romanian accent.

Anger flashed across his inquisitor's dark features while at the same time, pride filled me.

In a different situation, those words would have made anyone burst into laughter.

Liam was hurting, yet still giving answers that would surprise anyone. It proved that his sense of humor was still intact, despite the grim circumstances.

And it did nothing but make the man angrier.

Liam knew torture better than most people. And I was willing to bet he spent his fair share of time on either side. That just made me appreciate what he was doing more.

The torturer was tasked to question and drain him, but he wasn't doing a good job of it. Or Liam was just that good at enduring it.

A thought crossed my mind. I didn't know if it would work, but I wanted to try.

Before, I was able to pick up on the thoughts and memories of the vampire that tried to kill me with his blood just by pressing a little deeper into his mind. I wondered if I could do the same with Liam.

Moving deeper, I chanted the same words, hoping he could hear me. _We are coming to save you._

Liam's eyes slid closed and I thought for a moment I would wake up, but I didn't. The pain continued to register against my senses. Then I heard him.

My dear Aisling. It is good to hear your voice.

Elation and relief filled me.

You can hear me?

Yes.

Do you know where you are?

They have not said and I could not see where they brought us, but we were on the road for some time.

Vlad is with us.

I know.

Sadness replaced my elation.

I'm sorry I didn't realize it was you I was seeing before, or we would have come sooner.

It was my fault, my dear. I should have told you of our connection.

Pain exploded across his face again.

I felt the connection fading and just before I woke up, I shouted into his mind.

We're coming, Liam.

### Chapter 25

My eyes flew open and I sprang out of bed. The faint light of dawn filtered through the window as I moved as fast as I could to the bathroom.

"Aisling? Are you alright?" Connor asked as he followed after me and leaned against the doorframe with a yawn as I started pulling clothes out of the duffel bag.

"I'm fine, but Liam's not. He pulled me into another dream- _sight_ and they're draining him. They're torturing him, asking questions about me."

" _Sonofabitch_ ," he muttered, all sounds of sleepiness gone from his voice, and moved toward me, helping sort the clothes in the bag.

When we were dressed, we packed the bag and made our way to Vlad's room down the hall.

A few vampires were milling around, looking a little sleepy, as they tended to look around dawn, but otherwise no worse for the wear.

We didn't stop walking, but I spoke to the first vampire we saw and gave him instructions. He nodded and was a blur of motion as he moved down the hallway behind us.

Knocking on the door to Vlad's room, the door swung open an instant later and the bleary, blue-eyed vampire looked out at us as they flashed against the light from the hallway.

"Liam's being tortured," I said.

The vampire's eyes widened and he stepped back, holding the door open for us to enter.

Two minutes later, Jorge, William, Shadow, Bugs, Peter, Salvatore, Angela, and Tobias were in the room with us. I wondered where Puffle was until I caught sight of him. The pixie looked half asleep as he sat on Tobias's shoulder and I smirked.

"Sorry to wake everyone up, but I had another dream- _sight_. Liam doesn't know where he is, but he's being drained and tortured for information about me." My eyes flickered to Angela. "I'm guessing he was getting questions about you, too, but I was only there a few minutes."

Tobias looked at Dracula. "Have you rested enough to connect to Renata?"

"I believe so," the vampire inclined his head. "Though I did not sleep as much as I hoped, there was quite a racket for most of the night." He grinned.

My lips twitched as the auras of Connor and Salvatore shifted to light blue. I even thought I heard the pixie chuckling.

I crossed my arms, trying to fight the blush that crawled up my neck and looked up at Connor. He grinned down at me, unashamed and wrapped his arm around my shoulder.

But then I caught sight of my best friend. Her chocolate brown skin was flushed as well. I guessed Connor and I weren't the only ones that made noise. Salvatore looked unaffected by the comment. But then Connor elbowed the werewolf and everyone started laughing.

Even Angela and I laughed, despite our embarrassment. It wasn't the first time. And we knew it wouldn't be the last.

Leave it to a vampire, a werewolf, and an Earthen witch to incite a huge chuckle fest in the room.

Dracula fit right in.

When the room quieted, Vlad looked at me and held out his hand. "My dear, you should connect with me. Two sets of eyes might very well be better than one."

I didn't think of that, but it was a good idea. Nodding, I stepped forward and took his outstretched hand. I felt a slight zing of power as his cool skin made contact with mine, but it was so faint compared to touching Connor that I almost didn't notice it at all.

We didn't need to establish a connection after what happened the morning before, so I closed my eyes and willed myself to _see_ through Vlad's eyes. He watched me for a moment with an unsurprising purple and pink undulating in my aura. From what I understood, those were my default colors. Purple was common for contentment, but it was also a good indicator that someone was using magic.

But because I was so powerful, I didn't _feel_ that I was using any while I used _sight_. After a moment of studying my features, Dracula closed his eyes and made the connection to Renata.

I wasn't expecting what I saw. To be honest, I wasn't sure what to expect.

Vlad did say his connection wasn't the same as _sight_. I didn't know what was different. But we were floating in an unfamiliar room like the wraiths at the warehouse, holding hands while we looked down at Renata as she slept on an extravagant bed.

It was large, a king size, with creamy silk sheets and a thick beige comforter that looked like it cost several hundred dollars or more. The bed was a four poster, but nothing quite as elaborate as the hand carved masterpieces in Liam's home.

The woman was sleeping and she looked ... peaceful. Not like the crazy sociopath we knew.

I turned to say something to Vlad, but he pressed his finger against his lips in the universal gesture for silence. I clamped my mouth closed and nodded as he floated toward the wall.

Flinching just as we were about to impact it, my eyes closed on reflex, but I didn't feel anything. Seconds ticked by and I cracked my eyes open to see that we were outside looking at a mansion.

Did we just pass through the walls?

The house was huge, and in the early morning light, it looked ethereal with the light fog that surrounded it from the cool air against the warm and well-manicured grounds.

It wasn't as cool outside as I expected. And then I realized they must have been further South than I thought.

Then we stopped like we were at the end of a leash. Vlad remained silent and made his way in a circle toward the curved driveway. There were a few sleek, black Mercedes sedans parked with Mississippi license plates. But it wasn't enough to narrow down where they were.

Dracula kept moving in a wide circle, but didn't extend out any further. It was as if we were tethered to Renata. And then I realized we probably were. It made sense that he could only extend so far away from her through their connection.

Ahead of us was a guard station that was common at such large estates. Sure enough, a guard was inside, flipping through a magazine.

I couldn't see any aura.

Could we see auras in that state?

He didn't look undead.

Either way, I hoped he wouldn't be able to see us.

As we passed through the glass, I saw the video monitors, pointed at different locations in the yard that surrounded the house. From one of them, we should have been visible, but the video feed showed nothing.

Vlad's hand reached out and pointed at a cutout newspaper photo taped to the wall between the windows. In the photo, the guard stood next to about twenty children. A little league baseball team, I realized. And they were standing in front of the mansion with a small caption beneath.

The Little Devils posing in front of the Crane estate, their largest benefactor, after their victory in Saturday's home game in Jackson, Mississippi.

Bingo. The Crane estate in Jackson, Mississippi.

I looked at Vlad and he nodded.

Then everything faded to black.

### Chapter 26

One second we were in the air like Superman, and the next we were standing in Vlad's hotel room. My equilibrium was overwhelmed and I swayed on my feet as I tried to catch myself.

Cool, strong arms caught me as my legs gave out from beneath me and stood me on my feet again. Dracula's deep blue eyes met mine but he didn't say anything. In the next instant, he released me to Connor as he moved up behind me and laced his fingers with mine.

I knew he was there by that pull in my stomach.

I looked back at Vlad and nodded. The corners of his mouth lifted in a sly grin and I mirrored it back to him as he told Tobias where they were.

There was a flurry of motion as we made preparations to leave. Everyone showed excitement. Even Puffle. He was flitting around in the air as fast as a hummingbird, while Jorge left in a blur of motion to get the bus and bring it back to the hotel.

Ten minutes later, we were on the road, taking the three-hour journey to Jackson.

Along the way, Connor, Angela, Salvatore and I stood in the middle of the bus moving with slow, careful precision from one stance to the next in the long form of Connor's special blend of martial arts.

It sounded easy, but moving at highway speeds down Interstate 55 added a whole new level of difficulty to the movements.

Vlad watched us move with interest while Tobias kept glancing at me. I wasn't sure what was on his mind, but he looked conflicted and concerned.

"I do not recognize these movements, is it something that was developed after I was taken by Marie?" Dracula asked.

Connor chuckled as our arms moved in a wide circle over our heads. "In a manner of speaking."

"Tell me, please."

"I learned several different disciplines, and then, once I felt I knew them well enough, I developed a hybrid form of them. Blending them together. In my experience, people learn at most one or two forms of martial arts, if any at all. And it's not often they learn enough to combine them. It gives us an advantage if we need to fight because no one expects it." He shrugged. "It's served us well so far."

Vlad looked at my fiancé with an expression I didn't recognize. I thought it was respect. "I believe I have underestimated you, Connor."

My fiancé chuckled once more. "It happens all the time. I may look like a lot of things, but calculating and conniving isn't one of them."

I snorted, "Oh, please, you aren't like that. You are unassuming. And that goes to your advantage."

Confusion flashed across his features and it was Angela that spoke next.

"Come on, Connor, you are a lot stronger than you should be."

Salvatore added, "Not to mention the kind of knowledge and skill it would take to combine over five different forms of martial arts is remarkable."

"Seven, actually," Connor said with a grin. "Though I'm thinking of adding a few more."

"I am impressed," Dracula said with a bow of his head.

I blinked. Seeing the vampire bow in a sign of respect wasn't something I expected. The same thing happened with Liam after we met him. Men like Liam and Vlad wouldn't bow to just anyone.

"There's not a lot of room for it, but would you like to see us spar?" I offered.

The vampire's deep blue eyes flashed and he stood up. "But of course, my dear."

We broke out of the long form and while I faced Connor, Angela and Salvatore faced each other. Maintaining a relaxed pace, we let Vlad watch us move, how we used each stance to our advantage during a fight. The slow speed wasn't necessary because the vampire could see just fine, but we did it anyway.

The vampire circled us, watching our movements and once he made a full circle, our speeds increased. I wasn't a violent person, but when Connor and I sparred together, we enjoyed it.

Liam protested at first since fighting wasn't supposed to be fun. But it allowed us to fight together against our enemies when we needed to, and he saw it firsthand when we were in Germany.

The best part was when he admitted he was wrong. That didn't happen often.

And, though I would never announce it, sparring together was great foreplay. There was something about watching the movements and anticipating them that made us want each other even more. It was no different with my best friend and her mate.

Since Angela's gifts only started a few days before, sparring was still new to them. But I could tell by the look in their eyes how they felt while they moved.

It was still odd seeing my best friend move with equal speed and grace as Salvatore. But it didn't help her for long. The werewolf was older than he looked, and he was a skilled fighter, even though he was still learning Connor's form.

I caught the combination of pink and orange in his aura, which I guessed meant amazement that my best friend learned so fast. But then he dropped low and swung his leg out, knocking hers out from beneath her and then pinned her to the floor of the bus before she could react. His eyes shifted to yellow as his aura changed to red.

"Dammit," my best friend muttered as she grinned up at her mate with ice blue eyes. Despite not having an aura, I could guess by the change in her eyes that she felt the same.

It was nice seeing her happy. In love. Salvatore was perfect for her, and he broke her out of her shell, showed her that her past didn't define her, and that she was home. With us.

Their exchange distracted me. And before I realized that he moved, Connor's fist shot out to land a punch to my abdomen. But the bus swerved as the horn blared for an instant, knocking me off my feet.

I landed on my back with a thud and all the air left my lungs with a whoosh of air.

"Apologies," Jorge drawled with his southern accent from the driver's seat. "A car decided to merge on top of us."

But that wasn't what caught my attention when I looked up.

Vlad held Connor by his throat, lifting him off the ground like he weighed no more than a gallon of milk. He looked uncomfortable, but his air wasn't cut off. "You were about to hit your mate," Dracula hissed.

Before I could pull sweet air into my lungs, I was on my feet at the same time Tobias warned, "Vlad." Everyone was on high alert from the intense reaction, but no one approached the vampire. Angela and Salvatore were on their feet, but they stayed still.

With careful movement, I rested my hand on the vampire's arm and breathed delicious air into my screaming lungs. "He was never going to hurt me." I took another breath. "He never does."

"What?" Vlad growled.

"He always stops right before and tickles me."

"I would never hurt her," Connor said. His voice was a little raspy, but he remained calm.

The vampire lowered him to the floor and released his neck. But what happened next surprised me. He straightened Connor's dark shirt for him.

I wasn't sure I understood Vlad's reaction, but it was meant to protect me. I couldn't be angry with him for that.

"Apologies, Connor. I did not know." Dracula extended his hand.

A faint green swirled in his aura, and despite the confusion written across his features, he took the vampire's outstretched hand and shook it while his other hand went to his throat. "It's alright. You were protecting her."

Vlad's instant reaction meant that his vow of allegiance was genuine. Everyone knew it. And that was good to know.

"We are about five minutes away," Jorge said and took the exit toward Jackson.

Tobias walked over to us and leveled his blue eyes on me. "You should stay on the bus, Aisling."

I narrowed my eyes at the vampire. "Why?"

"Your health is not one hundred percent." He paused and then quickly added, "For whatever reason."

"That's ridiculous. I've been fine all day. Whatever it was, it's gone now."

The muscles in Connor's jaw worked and I could tell he wasn't convinced either, but he didn't protest. He knew I wouldn't stay behind and let them go in without me.

Tobias was fighting a battle he would lose.

The vampire didn't look pleased, but he nodded. "Very well. But you are not to go off on your own. Just in case. Can you at least agree to that?"

My lips twitched. Tobias knew I would insist. His angle was to compromise. I knew everyone would feel better if I agreed, and I wasn't planning on wandering off anyway. So I nodded. "No problem."

The bus slowed to a stop and the hydraulics hissed, but that time, no one jumped. About a block ahead of us was the Crane estate.

"We're here," Jorge said and the engine cut off.

### Chapter 27

"I can't be sure, but the guard at the gate seemed human," I said.

Jorge nodded. "I have an idea about that." His brown eyes flickered to Vlad. "Can you make it look like the engine has overheated?"

The vampire grinned at the ghoul. "Indeed I can." As promised, white puffs of smoke started to rise up from beneath the bus, dissipating as it rose.

Grinning back, Jorge said, "Wait here, I'll take care of the guard and open the gate. Be ready to go when I signal."

The door opened and the ghoul stepped off the bus, walking toward the guard post next to the gate. Though I couldn't hear him, it looked like he was trying to tell the guard the bus broke down.

But then he froze and stared at the man. The ghoul's lips moved, saying something else and then he looked away as the gate started to open.

Then he turned to us and nodded.

"Same groups as before. Surround the building, and then enter," William said and we sprang into action.

Despite our best efforts, Connor and I weren't as silent as everyone else. But no one from within seemed to notice.

I caught sight of the guard inside the small building and he was staring off into the distance like he was in a trance. Maybe he was. Considering what happened with the hotel's room attendant the day before, I made a point to ask about it once we were finished and safe.

We slipped through the gate and everyone was a blur of motion. Just like before, our group moved right to the front door. "I can sense two undead in the lower level," I whispered.

That wasn't the only thing I could sense within that building, and that worried me.

Just like at the warehouse, I could sense the ghosts – no, the wraiths, as Angela called them. And I understood the vibe I felt from each of them. It was pure rage. Yet just like before, they were in stasis.

I wasn't sure how I could tell those empty spaces I sensed were filled with rage, but I could.

Without bothering to count them, I guessed there were about a hundred within the mansion and another dozen or so outside. Angela didn't comment on them as we stepped through the doorway, in search of stairs to lead us to a lower level.

"Wraiths, too," I whispered.

That thought worried me, so I turned and my best friend's ice blue eyes flickered to mine and she nodded, answering my wordless question. She could see them, and she wasn't happy about it.

We continued moving, checking closed doors for any signs of stairs as we moved. As the minutes dragged on, I was beginning to wonder if it wasn't hidden, like the entrance to the dungeon beneath Liam's home, a door disguised as a wall that opened to a copper door with a few magical runes welded onto its surface.

Except for Angela, Connor, Vlad, and Shadow, everyone started spreading out, looking. I felt more exposed, but I wasn't worried about my safety. With my friends moving further apart, it was harder for me to keep track of them and keep them safe.

But that left one problem. The undead and Angela were the only ones that could see the wraiths in the building. If my time in the _Spirit Realm_ was any indication, my magic was useless against them. So, how could I fight them, if my magic wouldn't work against them?

From my knowledge, with her unique and potent abilities, Angela was the only one that could, but if she did, she wouldn't just harm them, she would obliterate them – killing them and what remained of their souls.

God, but what was I thinking? And why in the hell didn't I realize that before?

I couldn't protect anyone if I couldn't see nor register those wraiths as anything more than rage-filled air.

If they attacked, we were going to be in trouble.

Fear, with the beginnings of panic washed over me as I realized that something wasn't right. The wraiths weren't moving around, just like in the warehouse. And we were still searching the halls and rooms for the stairs.

Then I froze.

How could I be so stupid?

I was too busy focusing on the wraiths and never sensed anything but one slightly different human – a signature I was beginning to see as a Voodoo practitioner – and the two undead.

Just as I was about to speak, something cool and hard hit me from behind with so much force, it knocked the wind out of me.

Instead of falling on my face, it bent me forward and wrapped around me in the same instant. I looked up in time to see Connor turn, then the sound of slashing noises came from behind me. A few drops of blood landed on my mate's face as his eyes widened an instant before he was knocked to the side by something I couldn't see.

A wraith.

Shadow howled and a brown hand shot out above my head so fast, I did a double-take, and that pocket of rage disappeared as if it was never there at all.

My best friend just killed the wraith from her touch, rescuing us.

A grunt sounded from behind my ear and I recognized it. Vlad protected me. His arms loosened and he sagged against me.

Tobias was there in the next instant and helped pull the vampire off me while Connor moved to his feet, shaking his head to clear it.

I straightened and turned to look at Vlad. His eyes were red, burning with anger, as he hissed from pain.

It wasn't hard to guess what happened. A wraith meant to kill me, but Vlad blocked it and took slashes to his back instead. He was lucky the wraith didn't rip off his head.

Dracula leaned against Tobias for a few more moments while his eyes continued to blaze. Then he straightened and growled, "It tried to sneak up behind you and kill you." He glanced at Connor. "Are you hurt?"

I looked at him and though I couldn't see any signs he was injured, his posture was stiff. "I'm alright," he said.

Rolling my eyes, I grabbed his hand and magic leaked from me. His chocolate brown eyes dilated for an instant before returning to normal. "Better?"

He grinned at me.

But before he could say anything, the sound of a man's voice – the voice I recognized as the man that tortured Liam during the night – called out. It reverberated off the walls in an unnatural way. It was as if that accented, baritone tenor was speaking through a sound system, but he wasn't. Something carried his voice.

Words were spoken in a language I didn't recognize before leaving behind a deafening silence.

Ice slid down my spine as William came back into the room and waved for us to follow him.

We were a blur of motion and reached the stairs leading down into the lower level of the mansion.

Then the wraiths attacked.

### Chapter 28

Sounds of our friends as they sprang into action reached us. I could sense angry pockets of space moving around, and there were several moving toward us as we moved deeper into the mansion.

The lower level was darker than I expected, but we kept moving.

We made it to the room where the two undead were. It was locked, and without hesitation, William ripped the door off the hinges and tossed it to the side as the wraiths reached us. But I didn't have time to look inside.

The ghoul gasped as something sliced across his cheek and coagulated blood welled up to the surface, oozing down his face.

Instinctively, I threw up a shield, a magical barrier to protect us, but it did nothing. The wraiths flew right through it as if it was nothing but air. And then we started fighting.

Angela attempted to use her voice to command them, barking out instructions as she moved to block their attacks. Since her voice was a Siren to them, it should have worked, but they didn't stop. "It must be the Voodoo," she growled as her hand shot out and connected with something a few inches from my face.

The look on her face told me how much she hated doing it, but we were left with no other options. Wraiths were ghosts once – and could be again. Just like people, as ghosts, they were fully sentient, but as wraiths, they not only looked different, but all traces of them were gone, leaving behind that endless rage.

We were faced with one simple fact.

It was them or us.

And they weren't going to stop.

The Voodoo that controlled them wouldn't allow it. All we could do was rely on Angela to keep us alive.

Then an idea hit me. With magic, if a witch died, their spells dissipated with them. Unless a spell was meant to last beyond the grave. Perhaps it was the same with Voodoo.

I gasped, realizing what I needed to do.

It went against my nature, but I believed there was no other option. The wraiths weren't going to stop until we were all dead, or Angela killed them all.

Or, if I was right, the man that commanded them was dead.

With lack of a better option, I dropped to my knees and pushed out everything else but Connor. I recalled every memory since the moment I first saw him, letting him fill me and my power unleashed.

Sparks flew out from my fingertips and I opened my eyes, unsurprised that I wasn't on the floor any longer. I was levitating.

If Earthens needed will to use their magic, then I would will the whole damn building to the ground if it meant protecting the people I cared about.

" _Get everyone out, now_!" the thousand voices erupted from me. I could only hope everyone else could hear it. And hope they would listen.

The mansion started to shake like a massive earthquake hit with me as its epicenter. Connor grabbed me out of the air and carried me over his shoulder while I ripped the mansion apart with my magic.

I could feel the man on the upper level, still oozing with that strange power, and I could feel everyone else trying to retreat, even breaking windows to do it.

Connor let out a pained shout and grappled for balance as he tried not to fall to the ground as something slammed into his back, but he kept going as plaster started to fall around us. I couldn't be certain, but I thought I felt it come within inches of my face.

It was a little disturbing to me that the Voodoo priest remained where he was. I felt him standing there with his arms raised in the air and that strange air oozing from his body.

I didn't know if he was unaware of what was happening, or if he planned to continue until his last breath. It didn't matter, because there was nothing else to do.

As part of who I was, I couldn't let anyone else take that burden. Nor did we have time to find him the old fashioned way. I only hoped that everyone would make it out alive and that no one, especially Connor, would hate me for doing it.

But I could worry about that later. Deal with the consequences of my actions. It felt like the right thing to do. So I did it.

I was protecting my family. The people I cared about. And if killing one man with a mission of killing us all was the price I needed to pay to keep them safe, then I would pay it.

As I felt the warm rays of the sun hit my back I forced the roof down, giving everyone else just enough time to get out before the mansion collapsed, killing the Voodoo priest inside.

But before I could tell if the wraiths stopped fighting, something crashed into Connor, knocking him off his feet into what felt like a brick wall that grunted from the impact. That voice was Vlad's as we fell to the ground in a jumble of limbs.

Connor lost his grip on me from the force of the impact with Dracula and my momentum carried me out until I collided with something soft yet powerful. Something that smelled of leaves in the fall.

I knew that scent.

It was Shadow.

Then everything went black.

Darkness surrounded me. It was so dark I couldn't see anything. No faint shapes. Nothing. It was eerily silent. Yet I felt a phantom breeze from the speed of being pulled toward a destination I didn't know if I wanted to see.

I felt Connor nearby and, judging by the pull, it felt like he was close. So close that if I reached my hand out, I would find him in the dark. I felt around with my fingers, trying to find him.

But there was nothing.

I wasn't sure what that meant, but it did nothing but make my fear rise to the level of panic. And then that overwhelming feeling grew stronger as I was pulled into water.

At least it felt like water to me. It felt like I was attached to a heavy anchor in the middle of the ocean, sinking. But it was the darkness that solidified my terror.

I couldn't breathe. My lungs protested against my ribcage and my heart hammered in my chest. The pressure rose in my head, inciting a headache that would probably end up as a migraine if I didn't drown first.

The sheer terror that I felt, right down to my bones in those last seconds, froze me. I felt my marrow turn to slush and the blood in my veins thicken as my skin started to frost.

Then I started thrashing around. It was my body's last effort to reach air. At any moment I would inhale on reflex, and then I would be dead.

No. This is not the way I'm supposed to die.

My eyes burned from the overwhelming feeling of loss. I was dying. Drowning in the deep, infinite dark water that surrounded me.

And I never said goodbye to anyone.

I didn't know if Connor was in that water with me, traveling the same path, but I hoped he was okay.

Instead of fighting it, I let the terror wash over me until there was nothing left. Just as my reflex kicked in to pull that water into my lungs, the last of me froze into ice.

And then I was no more.

### Chapter 29

I thought I was dead. I really did.

But something changed. The blackness disappeared and I saw I was on the ground, curled into the fetal position. The only reason my eyes were open, I realized, was because my eyelids froze that way.

I knew where I was.

There were many different indicators, and I recognized each one from the first time I was dragged there with Connor, Salvatore, and Liam.

First, it was the light. It was as if the sun was just beyond the horizon, but it was impossible to tell where. In every direction, the light was the same.

That eerie, sepia light covered everything, along with plenty of dust, trash and debris, and what looked to be a small city full of buildings that were left to rot for a dozen years or more.

But if those weren't indicators enough, ghosts were everywhere. But they didn't seem to notice me, lying there on the dirty ground, doing my best impression of an ice cube.

I couldn't move. Blink. Or open my mouth to speak.

A deep sadness washed over me, and I wanted nothing more than to sob and scream into the sky. I was dead. I didn't know how else I could be in the _Spirit Realm_.

I wanted to scream for Angela. For Connor. For my grandmother. Anyone. I didn't want to be dead. But I was frozen.

How can a ghost be frozen?

Something moved into my vision, but I couldn't see who it was. All I saw were black pants and shoes as it moved closer from somewhere beyond my vision.

I was confused. That person didn't look like a ghost to me. And as he dropped to his knees and his face filled my vision, I knew I wasn't dead.

Vlad was in front of me, his face less than a foot away from mine and his long hair fell against the dirty cobblestone beneath him, but my eyes struggled to focus on him.

His head tilted to the side as if he was listening to something, but I couldn't hear anything. Everything was silent to my ears.

If Dracula was there, that meant Connor was too.

As if in answer to my question, Vlad disappeared and Connor appeared in the next instant.

A wave of elation washed over me and my hearing returned. But I still couldn't move.

"She is alive, Connor," Vlad said from behind me.

"Yeah," my mate said. "I can see her aura. But she's never been this cold before." Gray undulated in his aura from the fear running through him. It reminded me of a powerful winter storm.

I wanted to reach out, touch his face. Anything to tell him I was okay – frozen and sore, but okay.

As an Earthen, my reaction to something like fear didn't cause me to unleash. At least, up to that point it never did. But when I was terrified, I froze. Literally.

The term _frozen with fear_ was an accurate one.

Earthens also didn't feel hot or cold. We could be burned or frostbitten, but we didn't feel it. I could stand in the middle of a snowstorm and not feel the cold. Other than when I was poisoned with heliotrope, rendering me so depleted of magic that I was almost human again – the fear was the only time I felt cold since I transitioned.

Up to that point, Connor never froze from fear. It made me feel weak since it happened to me so often.

"Will she thaw out on her own?" Vlad asked.

My gaze locked on Connor as he assessed me. But it was all I could do. Everything else was solid.

The pain of it was so intense. I wondered how long it would take for me to thaw. Then the thought crossed my mind that I might not be able to. It was much more widespread than ever before.

I heard a snort and then something warm and wet shoved into my frozen palm, and I knew it was Shadow.

That was when I realized what happened. A wraith impacted Connor and meant to push us into the _Spirit Realm_ , so our bodies would be left behind, vulnerable to attack. But in the process of hitting us, we were pushed into Vlad and Shadow, and that must have brought them with us.

Our bodies were back at the front of the mansion that I destroyed. If we weren't dead yet, there was a good chance we would be if those wraiths didn't stop after I killed the man that commanded them.

Connor looked at me for another moment and then responded to Vlad's question. "I only know one way to bring her out of it, and she's not going to want that happening out here. We need to take her somewhere private."

Two ghosts flickered into view behind Connor and he spun around with his full speed as the man I recognized as Angela's grandfather, Ghost King began talking. "There is no danger here. We will make sure of that. Come, we will take you somewhere suitable to your request."

One of the strange things about encountering a ghost, especially one that talked, was that their voices didn't come from within them. They didn't even move their mouths when they spoke. Sure, their facial expressions could change, but watching it was unnerving. It was the same with Peter.

I recognized the ghost standing next to the king, but I couldn't recall her name. She was the one that helped Angela when she was first brought to the realm. The one ghost that was able to resist the Voodoo and helped defend us when we were dragged there only a few days before.

Though Ghost King looked normal, as normal as a ghost could, anyway, and filled his role with an air of confidence not unlike Liam, the girl was different. As most ghosts were in the realm, their appearances mirrored how they looked when they died.

Just like Peter, and the skin missing from his cheek.

But she looked much worse.

Her clothes were dirty and ripped in places and her blonde hair was matted and so disheveled, it looked like she suffered for days before she died. But that wasn't the worst of it.

Dried blood trailed from a bullet hole in her forehead just above her left eye and her mouth and cheek looked worse than Peter's. Her throat was slit and some kind of wavy cross was carved into her chest, right along her collar bone.

Though her eyes weren't as pale as Peter's, they were still dead and alarming to me as they locked with mine.

Then her eyes flickered to my mate, Vlad, and then Shadow in quick succession. "We have called to Bugs, so as long as your bodies are well, you can return when Angela arrives."

Without another word, she turned to follow Ghost King down the street.

"Let me carry her, it will be awkward for you," Dracula said.

The muscles in Connor's jaw worked, but after a moment he nodded. I felt warm arms reach under me, wrapping around my shoulders and beneath my knees. Then the vampire lifted me up and followed the ghosts.

### Chapter 30

Connor stayed in my line of sight as we moved, and a few minutes later, we stepped inside a small house. It was dim and several inches of dust covered every surface in the small space. A ripped and faded couch sat under the pair of filmy windows in the otherwise empty room.

Vlad lowered me to its lumpy surface and then straightened. "I will wait outside."

At that, he turned and walked out.

My gaze locked with Shadow's next. His light brown eyes glimmered against the low light as his aura shifted from purple to light blue and he stepped forward to lick my face.

A groan escaped from me and I rolled my eyes as the massive white werewolf let out the same coughing noise I knew was his laugh and then made his way out the door after the vampire. The werewolf knew we would be fine, and he also knew what needed to happen to thaw me.

Connor's aura was still swirling with gray, but little spots of light blue started peppering into his aura as he reached out and wiped the werewolf's slobber from my face. His lips twitched and he whispered, "That wasn't very nice of him was it?"

I snorted.

"We need to warm you up." His gaze darkened and red started to creep into his aura.

In order to stop the terror in my system, I needed to replace it with something else. Something more powerful. And Connor was the key. Just from that gaze alone, I started to thaw. But it wasn't enough.

And we both knew it.

His hand lifted and his hot fingertips connected with the frozen skin on my forehead. He trailed a path over my temple and down my cheek toward my jaw as he leaned in and kissed me.

Shivers moved across my body as the ice started to melt away and my fingers twitched. But I couldn't kiss him back. And god, but I wanted to.

His mouth traveled along my jaw, working toward my neck with careful movements. He moved with agonizing slowness, letting me feel his lips and his hot, wet tongue.

My eyes slid closed as I reveled in the sensation. Before I realized I moved, my fingers were touching the back of his neck, letting his smooth hair slide between them.

"That's better. You're warming up," he said, low into my neck and I shivered again.

"P-Please," I whispered. It was all I could muster. But he was right. Every movement I made hurt like hell because my muscles were slush.

His hand moved to my hip and slipped up underneath the hem of my shirt, letting his heated fingertips slide up the frozen skin of my side in a gentle caress that made my toes curl.

I forced my legs to straighten with a pained gasp and then Connor's mouth was on mine again. I wasn't sure if it was from my doing or his, but it didn't matter. My mouth opened, giving him access and the warmth of his tongue burned against mine.

God, but he tasted so damn good.

A breathless moan escaped me and then his hand reached my breast, circling my nipple with his thumb and forefinger with an agonizing slowness through the material of my bra, forcing me to arch toward him.

He pulled back and breathed, "Do you like that?"

I nodded.

"Do you want more?"

My eyes slid closed as his hand slipped beneath my bra and cupped my breast, his thumb gliding over my nipple at the same time. "P-Please don't stop," I whispered and he kissed me again. But that time, he kissed me with a fever and I pressed closer to him.

His hand let go of my breast and traveled lower. I knew where he was going and a wave of heat washed over me from the anticipation.

When his hand slipped under the waistband of my pants and found me, several things happened at once. I shuddered, but it wasn't from the cold. With a gasp, I broke away from the intensity of his kiss, but he didn't stop. His mouth worked its way back to my neck as I gripped his wrist, silently pleading for more.

His fingers didn't stop moving as I sat up and pulled him toward me and kissed him, hard. He moved between my legs and pressed me into the couch. But his hand never stopped moving.

A breathless cry escaped from me as his mouth ravaged mine, but I needed more.

If my magic worked in the _Spirit Realm_ , our pants would have been removed already, but since our power was useless there, I reached out and felt for his pants, but his hand caught me before I could unbutton them.

He pulled back and shook his head with a devilish grin. "This is all for you. After we get home, we can do whatever you want." His voice slid over me like a caress and my eyes rolled back as I fell into the couch.

I was so close. Opening my eyes, I forced myself to stop writhing and said, "I'm warm enough."

The look in his gaze and the red swirling in his aura told me he wanted so much more in that moment. It didn't feel right to let him continue without reciprocating. Though his fingers slowed their torment of my clitoris, he didn't stop. "You still aren't all the way warmed up. And I want to do this."

"I know you do. But unless you want something in return, I want you to stop. It doesn't feel right otherwise."

His eyes narrowed, but he didn't say anything. Then his fingers stopped moving and he removed his hand.

I thought he was stopping, but then he moved with his full speed and removed my boots, jeans, and panties. He unzipped his pants and impaled me in the next instant. I cried out, wrapping my arms around his neck and pressing against him for more contact.

Grinding his hips against me, he moved slow but increased his speed until I crashed around him with lights exploding in my vision from the sheer force of my orgasm. He slowed, letting me ride the wave and a groan escaped him. "Oh my god, Aisling," he whispered into my ear and then started moving faster.

I pressed forward, taking my weight off the couch and increased the friction between us as I felt the urgency of his oncoming orgasm. With one final thrust, he crashed over the edge and I followed after him.

When our breathing slowed to a less dangerous level, Connor kissed me, long and slow and then pulled back. "Now you're warm again," he grinned.

A few minutes later we were dressed and we stepped outside the house to see Shadow and Vlad standing next to the two ghosts across the street.

As we reached them, Dracula shook Connor's hand but looked at me. "Are you feeling better, my dear?" He let go of my mate and his head tilted to the side again, but I didn't understand what it meant. Then he glanced down at Shadow. The werewolf raised his head in a nod, as if answering an unspoken question, but I still didn't understand.

"Yes, thank you," I replied to his question.

"We only know one way to fix it," Connor added.

"I heard, and I fear I may never recover," the vampire said in a solemn tone, but his lips twitched.

My jaw dropped as Connor and Shadow's auras shifted to light blue. My fiancé's head tipped back and he erupted with guffaws as that same coughing chortle came from the werewolf.

Recovering, I narrowed my eyes at Dracula. "Touché," I said, grinning at him.

Then I looked at Ghost King. "Um, is my grandmother here?"

"I'm here," a familiar voice said from behind me.

I spun around and saw my grandmother, standing in her nightgown. The same one she wore the night she died. Moving toward her, my eyes burned with tears. "Gramma?"

She held out her arms and without thinking, I crashed into her, surprised I didn't fly right through her in my haste, but she was solid and hugged me back like she always did, smoothing her hand down my back in a reassuring caress. She still smelled like apples.

"I miss you so much," I cried into her shoulder as tears fell from my eyes.

"Oh, Aisling. I've missed you too." I could hear the smile in her voice, that cadence of it that always made me feel better.

She pulled back and held my face in her hands. Though she felt cool, she was still my grandmother. I could feel the lines in her skin as if she was still alive.

Gramma stood at my height and her wavy gray hair fell just past her shoulders. Her dark blue eyes were a little paler than I remembered as she looked me over. "You've grown into your role," she said with a smile and then glanced behind me.

I felt Connor step forward, but he didn't say anything.

Though Gramma held my arms, just above my elbows, her attention was on him. "Connor," she said and released me. "It's good to see you again."

Moving out of the way, I let my grandmother move past me and she took a few steps forward. She reached up and touched his face. Though _others_ were territorial over what they considered theirs, nothing about the exchange between them bothered me.

The intensity of emotion swirled in his aura, but it was the look in his eyes that caught my attention.

Though they only knew each other for one night, she _knew_ what he would mean to me. _Knew_ that we were fated to be together. And she _knew_ that when she died, he would come to pay his respects, but find much more waiting for him.

From the look on his face, I could tell he wanted to say so many things to her. But instead, he said two words. "Thank you."

A small, warm smile crept across her lips and she wrapped her arms around his shoulders, hugging him. "You were always meant to be with my granddaughter. You just needed a little nudge to find her."

As she released him and pulled back, Angela appeared, standing next to the Sphinx.

Calling Bugs a Sphinx didn't do his description justice. He was five hundred pounds of a majestic lion. But his face wasn't a lion. It was human. A mane covered most of his head and face and was so long, it hovered just over the ground.

The skin on his face was darker than Salvatore's exotic skin. And right above his shoulder blades were huge wings.

Even if I didn't already know him as the loud, crotchety feline he was at home, those vivid, glowing, intelligent green eyes were a dead giveaway. He was the son of Sekhmet, the original Sphinx from ancient Egypt, which meant, at least in part, mythology wasn't all myth. He was the oldest creature we knew.

Vlad looked a little paler than usual as he took him in. "This is Bugs? The cat?"

Angela smiled and nodded, scratching behind the Sphinx's ear. He let out a grumble that wasn't unlike his purr back home, but in his massive body, it reminded me of a dying jet engine instead of a dying lawnmower.

Shadow padded up to Bugs and rubbed his face against him. "It is good to see you too, Shadow," Bugs said in his deep voice.

"Please tell me our bodies are still alive," I said to my best friend.

"Alive and well," she said and then looked at my grandmother. "Hi, Gramma." She smiled and hugged her.

"Angela," she breathed and then pulled back. Then she glanced at all of us before saying, "I'm proud of all of you. But you need to get back. There is still much to be done to save Liam and Jon."

"You knew my children?" Dracula stepped forward.

My grandmother assessed the vampire. "Yes, I met them when I was twenty-three years old. They were my friends."

I introduced my grandmother to Vlad, and her eyes widened.

"I see my reputation precedes me," the vampire grumbled. "That is my punishment for befriending a writer."

My lips twitched, but I didn't comment. Bram Stoker wasn't one for subtlety.

Angela was the one that spoke next. "Stoker had balls of iron."

Despite my best effort, I snorted and watched my grandmother's lips twitch. Shadow chuckled as his light blue aura matched Connor's.

If I met a vampire or any _others_ as a human, I wouldn't dare write about them.

That was just asking for trouble.

"I wasn't referring to the book, Vlad," Gramma continued without moving her mouth. "Liam's home is filled with reminders of you, and now we know why."

We said our goodbyes and starting with me, Angela sent us back to our bodies. My best friend took my hand, and, through her deep connection to everything, I could see the interior of the bus.

The four of us that were shoved into the _Spirit Realm_ were lying on the floor, while Angela sat in Salvatore's arms. Bugs was curled up on the seat next to them. It looked like we were all sleeping.

My best friend moved forward, pulling me with her and just as she bent down and touched my forehead, everything went black once more.

### Chapter 31

I wasn't sure how long I laid on that floor, but by the time I opened my eyes, Connor was already sitting up, watching over me. His warm hand squeezed mine and I looked down.

How did I not realize he was holding my hand?

My muscles tried to move me into a sitting position, but they wouldn't cooperate. Panic washed over me as I thought I was hurt in the fight after all.

Concern washed over his features and he looked up, talking to someone behind me as a sickly gray fear washed over his aura. But I didn't hear his voice – or anything else for that matter.

That did nothing but make the fear grasp me tighter. I felt my temperature start to drop and Connor stopped talking and looked down at me.

He shook his head once and smiled, but I could see the tightness behind it.

When Renata dragged us to the _Spirit Realm_ a few days before, it took a few minutes to regain control of my body when we returned, but I didn't understand why Connor was fine and I was still paralyzed on the floor.

A pale hand shot out over my head and handed a piece of paper and a pen to Connor.

He started writing something on the page and then he turned it so I could read it.

They are looking for gris-gris. We think that's what's doing this to you.

I attempted to nod, but it failed. Instead, I looked back up into his eyes. I didn't know for sure if he understood, but he didn't write anything else.

He took my hand again. All we could do was wait.

Several minutes later, Angela and Bugs returned and my best friend moved to my side as she realized something was wrong.

My gaze flickered back and forth between the two people I loved the most as they spoke to each other. I couldn't read their lips and could only gauge what they were saying based on Connor's aura and Angela's body language.

It didn't help, because Connor's demeanor didn't change and Angela's didn't look much better. When I saw the vein in her forehead, I knew she felt a combination of anger and helplessness.

But then Salvatore caught my attention. He was looking for something, but he wasn't behaving like a human. He took deep breaths, but his mouth wasn't open. His nostrils flared as he moved around.

I didn't know what he was looking for, and the fact that he was looking in our bus didn't help to ease my fears over the entire situation.

A second later, a puff of air hit my ear and I would have jumped by three feet, but my body didn't move. A cold, wet nose pressed into my neck a second later and I realized what it was.

Shadow.

He was searching too.

His massive white head came into view as his nose traveled over my chest. Angela sat back, giving the werewolf room to move.

I kept my eyes on him as his nose continued to move down my body. And the further he went, the more discouraged I felt. If it was some kind of Voodoo spell aided by the use of gris-gris, I didn't know. But I knew that my paralysis wasn't wearing off. Whatever was happening was beginning to look like it might be permanent.

From what I understood, were-animals' noses were better than the enhanced noses of the undead. Even Angela's nose wasn't as powerful. I never asked, but I was sure their sense of smell went beyond even bloodhounds.

But the two werewolves weren't finding anything, and Connor's aura looked like a winter storm swirling around him from all the gray and dark blue that filled it. His shoulders were slowly sinking and the muscles in his jaw were working, the further Shadow moved.

I couldn't read the werewolf's emotion because he was so careful about which emotions he betrayed. His aura was almost always purple, which meant he was content or letting his alpha nature show. Beneath it all, I knew how sad he was. And in that moment, I couldn't read anything else from his body language or his aura.

But then he pushed at my hip with his snout.

Connor's hands shot out and gripped the side of my body and turned me toward him.

A wave of hope and anticipation washed over me at the same time white started to bleed into his aura.

Tobias appeared next to Connor an instant later and he flinched. The vampire held out his hand with a lighter already burning. Then I felt someone reach into my pocket.

A delicate brown hand flashed out a second later and held a small, dark bag.

It lit up in a brilliant flash of blue flame before disappearing as if it was never there.

Sounds flooded my ears and pain washed over my body as I felt the aftermath of being impacted by a wraith and falling to the ground.

I was bruised and stiff.

But it was my hip that hurt the worst. It was throbbing and sent shockwaves of pain down my leg. I remembered pain like that from long ago and the craggy hands of a flashback crawled up my neck in the next instant.

A hiss escaped from me.

Blackness encroached on my vision as the pain continued to shoot down my leg and my breathing increased. My heart hammered in my chest and more fear washed over me, cooling me once more.

Connor noticed and pushed Tobias away before pulling me up into a sitting position, holding my face in his hands and his chocolate brown eyes searched mine.

"Listen to the sound of my voice, Aisling. You're right here. You're safe."

The pain in my hip was less severe but I still felt a flashback threatening to take me away.

I gripped Connor's upper arms like they were a lifeline.

"Just breathe, honey. You're safe. Focus on me."

I breathed, and took everything in.

My fingers went to his neck, felt the warmth of his skin and the silkiness of his hair. His scent of wood smoke filled my nose. The scratchiness of stubble on his chin tickled against the curve of my shoulder as he repeated his words, telling me I was safe.

My name is Aisling Green. I'm on a bus with Connor and my friends. It's December nineteenth and I'm safe.

As my vision began to clear, I moved into my fiancé's arms and hugged him. His strong arms wrapped around my middle, and he let me feel his strength.

I closed my eyes and relaxed as the last of the flashback's pull subsided. "Thank you," I whispered.

Instead of responding with words, he held me tighter and nodded.

Remembering what happened, I asked, "Is everyone alright?"

"We are all fine, my dear," Vlad said from somewhere behind me. "Even the pixie." I pulled back and turned to look at the vampire.

Puffle was sitting on Dracula's shoulder looking like he belonged there. He reached out and the vampire raised his arm in response, tapping the pixie's outstretched fist.

My jaw dropped.

Dracula just fist bumped Puffle.

Then Salvatore caught my attention and I turned. He held several more gris-gris bags in his outstretched hands.

That was when I knew, without a doubt. Renata wanted us to go to the mansion.

The bitch set a trap for us.

### Chapter 32

Something else in Salvatore's hands caught my eye. It was tiny, like an oblong marble with iridescent colors within it. But it was no ordinary stone. It was spelled with dark magic.

I moved out of Connor's arms and stood, wincing from the pain in my hip, but kept moving. "Wait," I said as Tobias moved forward with his lighter ready.

Taking the small rock, I assessed it, turning it over in my hands. As much as I studied it, I couldn't tell what it was spelled to do.

Connor moved next to me and looked down at the item with the black aura that swirled around it like smoke. Looking up at him, I almost forgot what I wanted to say. When he was unguarded and focused, he was at his most beautiful. He was the definition of sexy, but it was more than that.

His knowledge of the supernatural world might not have been to the level of Liam's, but his expertise in witchcraft was incredible. Though my fiancé lived a difficult life, it never stopped him from learning. He was smarter than most of the people I knew at college. Since I was a writer, it appealed to me on a deep level as well. He could hold an intelligent conversation and offer more insight than I could in certain situations.

That moment was no different. It took him no more than a few seconds of assessing the stone before he looked up at me and said, "It's a glamour, but I'm not sure of what."

"Do we want to stop it?" Salvatore asked.

Connor nodded. Various other affirmatives sounded within the bus and then he turned back to me.

"What do we do?" I asked.

"We destroy it."

Without waiting to figure out how to accomplish that, a pale hand reached out and caught the stone between his thumb and forefinger. I saw out of the corner of my eye that it was Vlad an instant before he squeezed his fingers and it shattered into dust.

"Well, that's effective," I said appreciatively and the vampire grinned at me.

Everyone looked around, waiting to see what would be revealed, but nothing happened.

The seconds ticked by as we continued looking around. Connor turned to Salvatore, "Where did you find it?"

"The front of the bus."

Silence washed over us as the blood drained from my face.

Everything was a blur of motion as someone shouted, "Get off the bus!" and something slammed into me like a truck, carrying me away in the next instant.

When we made it across the street, I landed on my feet and spun around, seeing Vlad dropping Connor from his shoulder. Just as I was about to ask what was happening, the bus exploded into a huge ball of flame that threw us backward.

When I opened my eyes, my ears were ringing and I couldn't see anything but the dying light in the late afternoon sky. More pain shot through me, but I didn't let it slow me as I sat up and looked around.

Peter flickered in and out of focus as he watched his adopted parents on the ground. Salvatore covered Angela with his body and his eyes were glowing yellow as his aura pulsed with gray and green. If he felt anything like I did, he was in shock that we were almost killed by a bomb, but he also felt a mixture of anger and fear that it happened, and his mate and friends were in danger because of it.

Connor was next to me, but he was still on the ground as I moved toward him. His brown eyes opened as I touched his face, but he didn't look harmed. "Are you okay?" I shouted over the ringing in my ears.

He nodded and sat up.

Releasing him, we started assessing our friends. In the confusion, I didn't know if everyone made it out of the bus before it exploded.

I glanced at Vlad. He was shaking his head, trying to clear it, but I didn't see the pixie. "Where's Puffle!" I cried as panic washed over me.

No. Please.

I couldn't handle losing another pixie.

An instant later, Puffle flitted into view. He was covered in the same soot as everyone else, but looked unharmed.

My mind was reeling. A combination of relief that the pixie was safe and the overwhelming sense that everyone almost died inside that bus.

"Is anyone missing?" I called out, as I spun around, trying to find everyone in the chaos. I caught sight of Bugs, growling with his ears back and glaring green eyes flashing against the flickering light of the flames. Shadow stood next to him, looking around.

The bus was still burning, and it wouldn't take long before the humans arrived with fire trucks. Considering the arsenal of weapons that were on board, I was worried about what they might see once the fire was extinguished.

As the day faded into night, I realized one was missing. "Where's Tobias?"

Vlad swung around and his eyes were red as they flashed against the low light of the flames behind him. His eyes flickered across the group of us and then landed on me again.

I didn't need to see an aura to know what he was thinking.

Magic leaked out of me and the flames coming from the remnants of the bus fizzled out until it just smoldered and sent white smoke into the air. Once the flames were gone, Vlad began searching the wreckage for Tobias.

Using my full Earthen speed, I followed to help. Before I realized what was happening, everyone was there, sifting through the rubble, trying to find our friend.

As Vlad attempted to use his power to take away the smoke inside what was left of the bus, Puffle dropped pixie dust to help and the smoke evaporated, allowing us to see. And then my heart dropped as I saw the missing vampire.

Our friend was covered by melted red velvet upholstery from one of the seats. I flashed forward and ripped it off of him, hissing as my hands burned in the process.

"Tobias?" I cried as I knelt down next to him, not caring that my knees were sizzling beneath me. His head was still attached but his skin was black.

It wasn't soot. His flesh was charred.

Without an aura, and the fact that the undead barely breathed, it looked like he was dead. My eyes burned as that thought started sinking in.

"Please, Tobias," I whispered.

A groan escaped from the burned vampire and his eyes opened. Pained blue eyes looked up at me and I gasped as huge tears leaked from me. "I'm right here, you don't have to shout." What was left of his lips twitched and I laughed.

"You jerk," I said as I assessed his injuries. He needed my help, I knew that much. The restorative energy from the blood in his system would have allowed him to begin healing on his own by the time we found him. But he wasn't healing.

I reached out. My eyes closed as my fingers made contact with his flesh. He hissed, and I knew from experience how much burned skin hurt, but what I was about to do would hurt worse.

I only hoped he would forgive me for it.

Power leaked from me and I willed it into my friend. He screamed, arching his back in the process and my eyes flashed open to watch him. But the magic didn't stop flowing from my fingertips. Arching his back even higher as his ruined flesh cracked and fell away, Tobias kept screaming. New, unblemished flesh grew with rapid succession.

My magic wasn't convenient enough to generate some clothing for him, but I was surprised to see he was returning to the way he was before the explosion.

His eyelashes grew out, eyebrows filled in, and his normal, trimmed haircut was growing longer as his goatee and beginnings of a beard covered his face once more. I forced myself to keep from looking lower.

Vlad pulled off his shirt and draped it over Tobias's waist. Once again, I was reminded that Dracula lived a hard human life, just like his son.

At a time like that, I didn't care that Tobias was naked, and I was willing to bet that the vampire that acted like my older brother didn't care either. But we both appreciated the gesture from the vampire.

Despite being naked, Tobias's fresh skin was the cleanest of all of us as he grinned up at me. "That was useful. Thanks for that."

I chuckled grimly as I heard sirens nearing. "You're still a jerk, you know that, right?

Then in his best impression of Liam and Vlad, he said, "But of course."

My grin faded as the full implications of what happened sank in.

Our bus was rigged with a bomb, and the glamour was meant to keep those of us with enhanced senses from noticing it. I made a point to ask about that later. But that wasn't the most disturbing part.

Not only did we walk into a trap, but I looked at the two undead that we rescued, staring off into space like they were catatonic. Whoever they were, they weren't Jon and Liam.

My heart sank as I realized Renata knew about Vlad's abilities, and she lured us there.

Either way, we were outsmarted by the Voodoo Queen of New Orleans once again. And we could have been killed if Vlad didn't destroy the glamour.

We needed Liam. Desperately.

The master vampire was brilliant, and he shared a history with Renata. I didn't know what that history was, but they knew each other. We were going after her on her turf, going against things we couldn't fight, and we were losing.

The bitch took our friends, and we weren't going to stop trying to find them. But I didn't know how many lives we would lose in the process.

The flashing lights of Jackson's fire brigade turned down the street toward us as Tobias stood up and wrapped the sleeves of Vlad's shirt around his body. It covered just enough of the necessary bits, but that was the least of our worries.

I wanted to ask what the hell we were going to do about a bunch of humans that were about to discover the rubble of a mansion and a blown up bus full of weapons.

Just as I was about to speak, I felt a wave of dizziness wash over me and what was left of the floor of the bus rose up to meet me.

### Chapter 33

I thought for the briefest of moments I was about to smack face first into what was left of the bus's floor, but nothing happened. I wasn't sure what was happening.

Suspended in the air, nothing but darkness surrounded me. I wasn't being dragged back to the _Spirit Realm_ , because I didn't feel the same sensation of movement. At least I hoped that was the case.

It felt like stasis, like I was floating in space. I tried to remember what happened, and realized that I didn't sense anything but my own dizziness before I lost my footing and fell.

Those dizzy spells weren't behind me after all. Confusion didn't begin to describe how I felt in that moment.

While standing there in the ruin of the luxury bus, I didn't feel tired, or overwhelmed, except for the joy that Tobias was alive and I healed him.

Given the nature of _others_ , my problems were already odd, but they were becoming more alarming.

In the day or so leading up to my period's predictable visit, I would sense brief episodes of vertigo. But I never passed out or lost my equilibrium. My issues with lightheadedness and the inconvenient bouts of nausea started three nights before. Two days longer and more severe than I ever experienced them.

_Others_ weren't fertile unless we wanted to be. And despite my lack of knowledge on how to allow it, Connor and I never discussed it. So I knew pregnancy wasn't a possibility.

In addition, we couldn't contract disease or illness. Based on what we knew, the poison heliotrope was the only thing that could affect witches. And, to the best of our knowledge, it was the cause of the Earthen downfall centuries before.

Heliotrope could deplete our magic, or render it useless. But Salvatore created an antidote for it when we went to fight the demon. I remembered all too well what it felt like with the drug in my system and I wasn't experiencing any of it.

But, I realized, it didn't happen until after I _saw_ through Liam in the training room while sparring. Was it possible that Liam was causing those symptoms?

All of those thoughts were going through my mind as I hovered there. I wasn't asleep, but I also wasn't awake. Unconscious, yet aware.

My eyes opened and I realized why.

Looking out from what I knew were Liam's eyes, he was in motion. He wasn't in the same van he and Jon were taken in before because there were windows that gave him a view out of the sides of the vehicle speeding down the road.

It was dark outside and lights flashed by in quick succession, which gave me no clues on a location, or even a direction where they were headed. My only indicator was speed – highway speeds by the look of it.

But considering the harsh lights that whizzed past the windows, it made sense that even Liam's eyes couldn't see beyond them. That also meant he was facing the right side of the road. Unfortunately, from his viewpoint, he couldn't read any useful road signs.

Despite his impeccable vision, even in the darkness, there wasn't enough information to know where he was. A thought crossed my mind, but I dismissed it just as fast. As Earthens, we couldn't cast a spell to locate our friends, and we didn't have any normal witches in our group to do it. From what I knew, _sight_ was an Earthen's best option in locating someone, but even that was limited.

Liam?

I still wasn't sure how deep my _sight_ could go, and I didn't know until the previous night that I could communicate with him. He did say that over time my powers would develop and it would become more like a second nature to me.

But as the seconds ticked by, I wasn't sure if he could hear me. Or maybe he couldn't respond. I pushed a little deeper into his mind, hoping it would work.

Pain flashed across my senses as a combination of anger and fear washed over me. It took me a few moments to come back to myself again, as I tried to sort out the barrage of emotions and pain from various injuries across Liam's body.

Liam?

I am here.

If I could have sighed in relief, I would have. _Are you okay?_

I am significantly drained of blood and thus cannot heal my injuries. But I am alive. Jon is as well, but they are keeping him unconscious. They picked the wrong person to keep under.

That sent a fresh wave of fear over me, but it wasn't the vampire's emotion I felt. It was mine. That never happened before.

How in the hell was that possible?

Do not fret.

You felt my fear?

But of course. Your abilities are growing. That is good, is it not? I will be fine. I do not have the strength to break free, but they will not break me. I would die before I tell them anything about you.

I wasn't sure how to respond to that, so I didn't. _So much has happened, Liam. We are trying to find you, but we are always a step behind._

_I know, my dear. They do not say much when they are around. I do not know of their plan or even where they are taking me. Though, it would not surprise me if they are making their way back to New Orleans._ There was a long pause. _She is not what I thought, Aisling._

Yeah, we figured that out the hard way. She blew up your new bus. We would have been inside if not for Vlad destroying a glamour that Salvatore found. Only Tobias was inside.

I felt the overwhelming sense of fear and sadness wash over my friend and my heart hurt for him. He pulled against the restraints I didn't even realize were there. _Is he?_

He's fine. I healed him and then I ended up here.

Relief washed over him. Being deep inside Liam's head let me feel something. Something more. Combining that with Tobias's outbursts, it made me wonder. I didn't ask. If it was something either vampire wanted me to know, they would tell me.

_How much time do we have?_ I asked.

I do not know.

Can I ask you something?

But of course.

_There's something happening to me, but I can't figure out what it is. Is it possible that pulling me into these_ sights _has messed with my equilibrium?_

What has happened?

I explained the timeline of each episode in concurrence with each time I _saw_ him. By the time I was finished, he remained quiet. _Liam?_

It is not often that I am required to do this, and from what I understand, this has never been a problem. I do not know what is happening to you, but you must be careful to not allow yourself to be vulnerable.

Sadness washed over me. Liam was brilliant, and his extensive knowledge of _others_ and beyond went further than any of us. Even Angela's vast supply of knowledge in her vault was more limited than what Liam understood of the world. Bugs was by far the oldest creature in our group and he knew a great deal more from his status as a guardian between realms. But unless he was in the form of the Sphinx, it wasn't easy to talk to him.

If Liam didn't know what was happening to me, then I wasn't sure how to find out. I could only hope that it would stop. And fast. Or it was going to make rescuing my friends trickier than I thought.

I am sorry, my dear.

Liam, it's not your fault. You have nothing to be sorry for.

The vampire chuckled grimly and Jon let out a faint moan on the floor.

Listen to me, my dear, I do not have much time left. There is much I have learned about Renata. I do not know how much will help you, but this is what I know....

### Chapter 34

I was reeling from the onslaught of information that Liam gave me before we were cut off. Hovering in the darkness again, I assessed everything I learned.

Though I wasn't sure what they planned when the strange men opened the back of the van and stepped inside, but I could guess.

Jon was waking up. And he was in pain.

I wasn't sure how weakened he was from as pale as he looked. Normally, the massive bodybuilding vampire held a bit of brown in his skin, despite the lack of melanin in all the undead.

When I first met the vampire, I thought Jon was more dangerous than the rest. Even Liam. But from everything I saw, bulkiness and the sheer size of muscle wasn't a good indicator of overall strength when it came to the undead.

Sure, he was powerful and deadly, but every other undead person I knew was as well. No one looked quite as intimidating as Jon. And that came to their advantage.

In a way, Liam was right that they picked the wrong vampire to keep unconscious. I was hoping he would use that to his advantage to break free. But I knew he wouldn't take that chance if it meant leaving his best friend and second in command behind.

With everything they went through in their long lives, they were about equal in age. Both in human years and after Vlad turned them. And still closer than ever. They were a team.

For a friendship so solid that it lasted for over five hundred years was nothing short of amazing. They experienced tragedy together. Happiness. And war.

They tried and failed to save the Earthen in their charge, and were lucky they survived in the process. Liam lost his mate. But they remained friends.

Liam was calculating, careful, and brilliant. If anyone was capable of breaking free and saving his best friend from a bunch of Voodoo practitioners, and their queen, it was him.

But that didn't mean we were going to turn around and go home. We were still going to go after them. I wasn't going to leave them to the same fate as Vlad. He spent centuries in captivity and in pain.

Liam understood Renata was using aged vampire blood to boost her power. But what came as a surprise was what Liam learned.

And the more I thought about it, the more I started to realize what we needed to do. But that left a few problems.

I didn't know if Vlad or anyone else would like the idea that was developing in my head. But for once, we needed an advantage. We just needed a little luck on our side and we just might pull it off.

Once the plan was formed in my head, I knew there were a few variables that might not work, but there was enough information from Liam to give us what we needed.

And then I started to wake up.

I wasn't sure how much time passed since Liam pulled me into the _sight_ , but I was pretty sure enough time passed that we were no longer outside with the smoldered remains of the luxury bus.

Based on the cool air that surrounded me, and the way voices traveled to my ears, I knew we were inside. At first, I couldn't make out what the voices were saying. It was as if they were speaking through a long tunnel and the cadence of their voices reverberated around so much that their words were distorted.

But I knew who was talking.

It was my best friend and my mate.

I could tell Connor was close from the pull in my stomach, but I was too disoriented to cast out magic to find out who else was in the vicinity.

As the moments ticked by, their voices began to clear and I realized they were having some sort of argument.

"No," Connor said. "It doesn't make any sense."

"Dammit, listen to me! I'm telling you it's there. Salvatore heard it. Even I can hear it. It's real, Connor. I don't know how to explain it, but it's fucking real."

Even though I still wasn't awake enough to open my eyes, I knew Connor's posture. I knew he would push his hand through his hair as he sighed. I knew his movements so well, even without seeing him, I knew how confused and frustrated he was.

But I didn't have a clue what they were talking about.

After a long moment, he said, "Alright." There was something about his tone of voice. A grim resignation that I didn't understand.

Silence filled the room and my anxiety grew with each passing moment.

What the hell is going on? What happened?

My eyes fluttered open and I let out a breath I didn't realize I was holding. The first thing I noticed was that we were in yet another nondescript hotel room and I was on a bed that was about as comfortable as the floor. My eyes flickered to the two people I loved the most.

Angela's hands were on her waist and the vein in her forehead was sticking out again. That was a sure sign that she was angry. But I couldn't figure out what she was angry about. Or why she would be angry with Connor.

My confusion only grew when I caught sight of him sitting near my feet, looking down at the floor, lost in thought. The sheer intensity of the gray and dark blue swirling in his aura made me think of a powerful winter storm. But the faintest hint of white made me pause.

Whatever they were talking about, my best friend was angry, and my fiancé was afraid, sad, and hopeful.

As the silence stretched on, ice started to slide down my spine.

Whatever it was they were talking about, I didn't think I was going to like it.

### Chapter 35

Angela sighed, "I didn't want to have to tell you. We honestly thought you would figure it out by now."

"No, it's alright. I understand. I just don't know what's going to happen when–" he glanced at me and froze.

In the next instant, he was by my side, holding my hand. His thumb caressed over my knuckles in a gesture that was always meant to calm me.

It usually did. But in that moment, based on the way they were acting, I was anything but calm.

Angela stepped forward at a normal pace and smiled down at me. But her smile was tight, and I could see the unease in her gaze.

The soot still covered their faces and that smell of smoke surrounded me, which smelled nothing like Connor's scent. And though I wasn't looking in a mirror, I was pretty sure my appearance mirrored theirs.

"How are you feeling?" my best friend asked.

Neither one of them looked comfortable enough to tell me what was going on, but I would let that slide, for a little while. Besides, I figured once I found out, nothing else would matter. And there were more pressing things to ask first.

"I'm okay." I winced as I tried to sit up and a combination of pain and dizziness washed over me. But the vertigo wasn't quite as powerful as what I experienced before.

Small victories.

"Take it easy, you hit your head when you fell," Connor said as green started to dot into his aura.

"Hey," I breathed. "It's not your fault you can't heal me yet. You're doing better." My mouth lifted into a reassuring smile, but the muscles in his jaw worked.

That also meant that Vlad didn't offer to heal me while I was out. Good for him. He spent more than enough time supplying Renata with his blood.

Though the demon was terrible – and I was sure some of the things I experienced with him would haunt my dreams for the rest of my life – it was anyone's capacity for good or evil on epic proportions that disturbed me.

It was a human that terrorized my childhood and came back later to take my life. It was humans that kidnapped, tortured, poisoned, and tried to kill us. Living with pain was just a part of my childhood, and I could deal with a bump on my head and some sore muscles, despite what everyone else might like.

My gaze flickered up to my best friend. "What happened while I was out? How long was I out?"

Instead of answering, my best friend bent down and kissed my forehead. "I'll let him fill you in. I'm going to head back to my room." She gave me a tight smile and left.

When the door clicked, Connor's chocolate brown eyes locked with mine. "Before you ask, everyone is alright. Tobias wanted me to make sure you knew he was thankful for healing him." He chuckled at the memory. "Though he didn't use those words."

My eyes narrowed. "What did he say?"

His aura shifted to light blue with his humor and he said in his best Tobias falsetto, " _I need to buy Greenie a candy bar_."

I snorted. "That sounds like him."

Even in the worst of situations, the vampire knew how to make me laugh. Even when we were seconds away from fighting the demon and his army of minions, he distracted me by saying I had chicken arms.

Though I was beginning to catch on to the overall theme of Tobias's teasing. He thought I was too thin. Needed more meat on my bones. Needed to be stronger.

I wasn't skinny, I considered myself healthy. And I sure as hell wasn't weak. But it still ruffled my feathers and made me relax a little at the same time.

Looking at my mate, I asked, "What happened?"

"Well, it was interesting to see the vampires and the ghouls using their mind tricks on the humans. But I was too distracted to ask what they were doing."

Though it wasn't surprising that Connor didn't know what the undead could do to humans – there was plenty of lore out there in mainstream society about the different kinds of things vampires could do. Mind tricks included. I didn't think it was impossible for some of them to be real.

After all, Connor's rule of _everything is real_ never steered us wrong before.

But I could tell it bothered him that he didn't know. I wasn't even sure if Angela knew about it, either.

As our Guardian of Information, there were still plenty of things Angela didn't know about _others_. The vault was far from complete. But she was working on it.

Her exposure to our world and becoming our Guardian gave her much more information than she ever knew as a neutral. Yet we were still encountering new things on a daily basis.

I knew her well enough to know that if she didn't already know about those mind tricks, she would. And she would document the hell out of it.

If we survived.

I was sure there were still _others_ out there I didn't know about. That knowledge filled me with both a sense of excitement and fear. I learned so much in the two months since I transitioned into an Earthen, but I only just began to scratch the surface of the supernatural world.

Sighing, I said, "I'm sorry that happened again."

The fear and sadness of his aura brightened. "It's not your fault. You don't have to apologize. Are you alright?"

I knew he would say that. A slow smile spread across my face. "Of course I'm alright."

Pink started to bleed into his aura as the corners of his mouth lifted, but he didn't say anything else.

Though I loved to see him smile, even if it was only a fraction, it didn't help my growing unease over what was happening. "It was Liam. He pulled me into _sight_ so fast I didn't have a chance to react."

"What happened?"

I tried to sit up again and Connor moved, supporting me. He kept one strong arm around me as he reached out with his other hand and situated the pillows behind me. Moving back a little, I settled against them and Connor crept closer, refusing to break our contact.

Then I started talking. I went over every detail I could remember. About twenty minutes and several follow-up questions later, he nodded.

I picked at some ash that still clung to my pants and asked, "Do you mind if I ask you something?"

"Of course not," he replied.

"I know you don't like talking about Zoe, but you said she researched a lot, right?"

Connor's ex-girlfriend was an Australian witch that he helped when she was new. Nearly five years before, she was attacked by a dark witch and she used her knowledge of the darkness to defend herself.

After that, he left, but she followed him around, hoping to win him back. But then she tried to kill me and tried to spell him to go back to her. When all that failed, she teamed up with my step-father before he murdered her right in front of us.

I understood why he didn't talk much about her, her betrayal and death hurt him on a deep level.

A sad, dark blue undulated in his aura and I regretted asking him. But he answered, "She tried to learn about a lot of things. Power was usually the topic of choice."

"Do you know if she tried to learn about Voodoo?"

Connor froze and his deep brown eyes snapped up to mine. "Yes. Why?"

"I don't know how everyone else will feel about it, but I have a plan," I said.

His brown eyes glittered as his aura started to bleed with more white. "What are you thinking?"

As I spoke, the corners of his mouth rose into a slow smile. By the time I was finished, his aura was a combination of pink, orange, and white.

"That might actually work," he said in what I guessed was a blend of awe and appreciation.

"Only if everyone else agrees. I don't like doing it, but I think it's a good plan."

"I agree," he smiled again and I forgot what I was worried about. "You are amazing, do you know that?"

I snorted. "It sure doesn't feel like it. We're both covered in soot and could have died today, Connor."

The smile faded from his lips and the same gray and dark blue filled his aura once more.

"Will you tell me what's wrong?"

"Nothing is wrong, Aisling."

"Then tell me why you were sad and scared when I woke up."

He sighed. "Can we get cleaned up first?"

I couldn't resist. "Why? You don't like my new look?" I feigned shock as my eyebrows shot up into my hairline.

Just as I hoped, he tossed his head back and erupted in guffaws. Instead of trying to resist, I moved toward him as fast as I could. In the next instant, my hands splayed on the sides of his neck and I captured his Adam's apple in my mouth. His laugh cut off with a groan as his arms wrapped around me and held me against him.

I didn't care that I tasted soot instead of his skin. Nothing else mattered than being with him in that moment.

He pushed me back a moment later and growled as red swirled in his aura, "Shower. Now."

### Chapter 36

It didn't matter to me that we were dirty. All I wanted was him. So I didn't stop.

I moved onto his lap and straddled him. His eyes widened in surprise and then I kissed him, hard, opening my mouth to give him access. Another groan escaped from him but I could tell he was holding back.

The intensity of his need was obvious as I pressed against him, yet he wasn't responding the way I expected.

He pulled back and growled, "You've _got_ to stop doing that. We need to take a shower. Then we can do whatever you want."

I grinned devilishly at him and then I ground against him, gasping breathlessly from the delicious contact between us.

A hiss escaped from him and his red aura brightened. At that point, I wasn't sure if he would forget about the shower idea, or if he'd start insisting. He carried me to the bathroom and lowered me to the floor.

Then he started removing his clothes with an agonizing slowness that left every nerve ending in my body on fire with anticipation. He lifted the hem of his shirt, and I could see every movement he made as more flesh was revealed.

The fact that we were already barefoot helped.

So I followed suit, removing my shirt with equal speed, letting him get an eyeful at the same time magic leaked from me and the shower turned on.

By the time our shirts were off, the steam started to rise in the room. Then Connor started to unbutton his pants.

My eyes watched the movement and before I realized what I was doing, I licked my lips.

God, but I wanted to taste him so bad.

By the time he dragged the zipper of his pants down, I was nearly mindless. For someone who insisted we take a shower, he was inciting me to the point of unleashing. And he wasn't even touching me.

The light above the sink surged and brightened for an instant before it started flickering from the magic that threatened to leak from me. But he didn't stop.

With slow, careful movements, he pushed his jeans past his hips. As always, he was commando and the sight of him made my mouth water.

He was long, and thick, and–

The light exploded above the sink, but he didn't move. He knew there was no danger. The shards of glass hovered in the air for a moment, glittering against the low light before they floated to the trash can and fell.

The corners of Connor's lips lifted into a grin as he took a step forward, out of his pants.

More magic filled the room, but it wasn't mine. The clasp on my bra opened and I grinned back at him as I let it slide off my shoulders. I was seconds away from unleashing and he was walking toward me like a predator.

When he reached me, his hands worked the button on my pants. His eyes never wavered from mine.

A groan escaped from him and I looked down, realizing what I was doing. My hands weren't at my sides. They were wrapped around his hardened length. It felt like silk sliding over iron and I reveled in it.

To my surprise, he didn't stop me. His hands kept working to unzip my pants and his eyes slid closed. But he didn't push my pants down like I thought he would. He dropped his hands.

Power leaked into the room again, thickening the air like a humid summer storm was building over our heads and my pants were pushed to the floor in the next instant.

Closing the distance between us in a flash, his mouth met mine in a fierce kiss as his hands reached around and lifted me up. I wrapped my legs around him and he moved with a blur of motion into the shower.

Hot water hit us. It felt like a caress as each droplet slid down my skin.

I tried to move. Tried to angle my hips so he would enter me and give me what we both needed, but he didn't move. Instead, his hands moved higher on my body and I let my legs slide down.

If he wanted us to clean up, then I would allow it. But not for long. There was only so much patience I could muster.

He broke away from the kiss and moved his hands to my face as he studied me, taking in each and every feature. "God you are so beautiful," he whispered.

Despite my soot covered face, just like his, those words made me smile. He knew the perfect words to say. He always did. "I love you," I said back to him.

The mood shifted into something different. It wasn't an overwhelming desire that coursed through our veins, it was something deeper. More.

Connor took his time, making sure every last bit of grime was removed from my skin, and he made sure my hair was clean before he allowed me to focus my attention on him.

First, I ran my fingers through his hair and then I worked on his skin. I made sure his face and neck were clean before I moved to his forearms and hands.

When I finished, he was looking at me with hooded eyes. I was about to tell him I loved him again, but before I could open my mouth, his hand moved to the back of my neck and he kissed me, hard, pushing me back against the wall of the shower.

Oh god, but I love kissing him.

That same intensity and feeling of more behind what he was doing filled me. I needed him more than I needed air, but it wasn't with the same mindless need as before.

My arms wrapped around him and held him. His body surrounded me, pressed me deliciously into the wall and I moaned into his mouth.

I let my fingers roam over his skin, feeling the muscles move in his shoulders. Then my hands went to his neck. My fingers laced into his hair and my thumbs rested in front of his ears as I silently begged him for more.

He trailed kisses down my jaw but then he stopped when he reached my ear. "Aisling," he said, low.

His voice traveled down my body like a caress and it made my toes curl. "Oh, god, Connor, please don't stop."

But he pulled away and cradled my face in his hands. There was something about the look in his eyes that caught my attention. His aura wasn't just swirling with red any longer. It was a combination of red, gray, dark blue, and white.

I froze. I wasn't sure why he picked that moment to tell me what was going on. A part of me didn't want him to. It wanted him inside me, without any cares, if only for a short while. But the other needed to know what was bothering him. "What's wrong?"

The muscles in his jaw worked and after a few moments, he sighed. A small smile crept across his lips and then he said, "Aisling, you're pregnant."

### Chapter 37

Of all the things Connor could have said, those three words were the last I expected. They were so unbelievable I thought I was hallucinating.

I blinked. "Come again?"

His thumbs caressed my cheeks and he said, "You're pregnant."

Okay, so I wasn't hallucinating. I didn't know what the hell was going on. I shook my head as if that would help the situation. Every cell in my body wanted that reality to fade away like it never happened. "No. That's not possible, Connor."

"I know. I don't understand it either. Angela told me before you woke up. I've been trying to figure out how it's possible."

Shudders wracked through my body and I shook my head again. " _Others_ aren't fertile unless we change that. I didn't do anything."

I crumpled as a wave of overwhelming emotions washed over me. But I didn't fall. Connor was standing too close to me to allow it, but he remained silent.

No, please.

My body shook from the intensity of the fear. It wasn't just that bringing a baby into the world we dealt with every day would be dangerous and irresponsible.

But it was Connor. We never discussed having children. Though he never said that he didn't want them, he never said he did, either.

The last thing I ever wanted was to be in a situation like that with him.

How could he ever forgive me?

Underneath it all, sadness enveloped me as I realized he would leave me for it. Of all the things I ever did in my life, getting pregnant was the worst.

Connor. The man I loved. The man I would die for. He would leave me because of that.

Sobs wracked through my body and two things happened at once. Magic leaked out of me, turning off the water in the shower and pushed my mate away from me.

Then I crumpled to my knees. Right there in the tub.

I buried my face in my hands and rocked.

My ears were ringing. My mind was reeling. It didn't matter if we thought it was impossible. Connor said anything was possible. Why didn't I think of that?

Why didn't I insist on protection like any normal human would?

The only thing I wanted in that moment was to be in Connor's arms, but that would never happen again. More sadness fell over me as I felt something else gripping me and I forced myself to stand.

I needed to get away. Fast.

Just breathe, Aisling.

I kept my head down and my shoulders hunched and then moved as fast as I could to grab a towel, wrap it around me and then retreat into the main room of our suite.

But I didn't move to the bed. I went to the corner by the window and the nearly moonless night. Then I sat down, hoping the walls would devour me.

By then, it was too late.

The moon wouldn't shield me from what was happening. My teddy bear could never save me. And my daddy always found me.

It was only a matter of time.

I looked around my darkened room and heard the pounding footsteps moving up the stairs, announcing my step-father's arrival.

Please, let him go to bed.

He didn't. He never did.

I begged. It didn't matter who I begged to, I just wanted someone, something to save me.

I'm six years old. Please, somebody, save me.

But no one ever did.

I was alone. I was always meant to be alone.

It was just me, my daddy, and the pain.

With every kick of his steel-toed boot, every punch of his fist, I was reminded of my wrong doings. Reminded of my unworthiness to be alive.

And I was only alive because _he_ allowed it.

I felt something press against my mind, but I didn't know what it was.

My daddy rubbed the bulge at the front of his pants again and muttered something, but instead of gagging, I threw up.

Though there was nothing in my stomach, it still made him angry. With hate filled eyes, my daddy gripped my shirt and pushed me into the corner so hard, my neck started to pop in protest.

Then he pulled his fist back. But he didn't hit me. He reveled in moments like that. He said it was like Christmas morning. Making me wait was so much fun to him.

I was already bloodied and bruised, more than normal, and there was nothing I could do to stop him.

In that moment, I knew. My life was in my daddy's hands. And eventually, I would die by them.

Just before my daddy let his fist hurl toward my face, I felt something at the back of my neck. It wasn't uncomfortable, yet it wasn't something I recognized.

But then someone appeared in the doorway. Someone I didn't recognize. On some level, I knew he was there to save me. One second no one was there, and the next, there he was.

I didn't recognize him, but his features were hard to make out from the light pouring into my room behind him.

Despite being silhouetted in light, I could tell his hair was long, one side was tucked behind his ear and the other fell against his face, almost in line with his jaw. It even covered the back of his neck. And it was nothing like my daddy's hair.

The shadows moved as the muscles in his jaw worked and I could see short hairs there.

As my daddy turned around to see what stole my attention, the man sprang into action. He was so fast my eyes couldn't keep up.

My savior didn't hesitate. He punched my daddy in the face so hard, it forced him to release his grip on me. As I crumpled to the floor, my daddy crashed into the wall, dazed.

Panic rose in me as Daddy recovered and directed his anger to the only person that ever came to my rescue. Fists flew, but from what I could tell, my daddy didn't harm the other man.

I always thought Daddy was strong and powerful, but the other man was so much more. My rescuer was taller by several inches, but they both towered over me as they fought and I tried to shrink into the floor.

But I wasn't scared of him.

He was fast. Strong. Then, almost as soon as the fight started, Daddy crumpled to the floor. He looked like he was sleeping.

I was still cowering in the corner, shaking like a leaf, and looking up with wide eyes at the man that rescued me.

Something flashed across my senses for an instant before the lamp beside my bed clicked on. But my savior didn't move. He just stood there, watching me with concern on his face as he breathed hard.

I could see him.

And he was magnificent.

He wore dark clothes, jeans and a long-sleeve shirt with the sleeves pushed up to his elbows and the buttons open at the top, revealing a little bit of hair on his chest.

That man was everything my daddy wasn't.

"It's alright now. He can't hurt you anymore," the man said in a voice that slid over me. It comforted me in a way I never felt before.

He moved slow, first to his knees, and then inching closer. When he was about a foot away, he stopped, not pushing too close.

I was still shaking, but I wasn't afraid of him.

He saved me.

Someone finally saved me.

My eyes took him in, memorizing his features. When our eyes met, I felt an unfamiliar jolt travel through my body. His deep brown eyes saw me. But he didn't look at me like Daddy did.

That look in his eyes made me feel important. Like I wasn't a waste of air.

Before I realized I moved, I was out of the corner and crashed into him. I wrapped my tiny arms around his shoulders and hugged him.

If I thought his voice was soothing, it was nothing compared to the way he smelled. The way his scent made me feel. I breathed him in as his strong arms wrapped around my little body and held me.

For the first time in my life, I knew the true meaning of safety.

### Chapter 38

"You're alright. Just breathe." The sound of Connor's low voice traveled over me. It wasn't a whisper, but it was close.

His hand traveled over my back in a soothing caress and I realized I wasn't small anymore. I was wrapped in a towel, sitting on Connor's lap on the floor with my arms around his neck, hugging him like there was no tomorrow.

Then I noticed he wasn't dressed, and warm droplets of water still clung to his skin and his hair was dripping.

I breathed him in.

My name is Aisling Green. I'm with Connor. And I'm safe in a hotel room.

He waited while I tried to calm myself, but the shudders wracking through me didn't stop.

That was one of the strangest flashbacks I ever experienced. It didn't make sense. Connor was never there when I was a child. He was four years older than I was, so he couldn't have saved me as an adult when I was six.

"What the hell just happened?" my voice was nothing more than a whisper as I trembled.

"You started screaming and I used _sight_. I don't know how I did it, but I put myself in your mind."

I remembered why I fell into the flashback in the first place. I tried to scramble out of his arms and put distance between us. I didn't want him comforting me when he was going to leave me.

But his arms tightened and held me with ease, despite my struggles. I sagged against him and silent tears fell from my eyes as I buried my face into his bare shoulder. I couldn't say anything. I didn't want to.

"You pushed me away with your magic and held me there when you ran. I couldn't get through, and you didn't hear me. I did the only thing I could, and I didn't even know if it would work. I knew what you went through was bad, but I had no idea. I am so sorry."

I still couldn't talk. Connor just used _sight_. But he went above and beyond what I ever experienced with it. He put himself right in the middle of my flashback and he fought my step-father.

He was there.

He saved me.

And he was going to leave me.

Then I started sobbing. It wasn't just that he used _sight_ , which was a significant accomplishment for him. But it _felt_ real. Like he showed up one night in my childhood bedroom and saved me all those years ago.

Even though he did something so significant, I knew he would never forgive me for getting pregnant.

It didn't matter that Angela told him, or how it was possible. If it was true, he wouldn't stay.

And that hurt me more than anything.

I struggled against his hold once more but his arms tightened.

"Jesus, Aisling, stop. Why do you keep trying to move away?"

"You're going to leave me," I cried.

"Honey, look at me."

I shook my head. I couldn't. I wouldn't. My heart was shattering into a million pieces and he was trying to comfort me.

Why wouldn't he just leave?

He sighed. "Aisling, I'm not leaving you. I made you a promise and I'm not going to break it. Do you hear me? I'm. Not. Leaving."

I didn't believe him. I always thought being with him was too good to be true. He was too good for me. And I didn't deserve him.

"I've been trying to figure out how a pregnancy is possible. The more I think about it, the more I believe it."

God, but I took the bait.

"Why?" I asked through sniffles.

"Are you late?"

I froze. I wasn't sure. My mind was still on overdrive and I couldn't slow it down long enough to think properly. "What day is it?"

"The twentieth."

I sighed. "A few days."

"You started showing signs a few days ago."

Pulling back, I looked up at him. His deep brown eyes flickered between mine. "What?" I asked.

"Think about it. You started getting dizzy right after you were pulled into the _sight_ , and the only time you've thrown up was when you smelled cooked food."

The blood drained from my face and I looked down, but my eyes weren't focused. Gramma told me stories of my mother while she was pregnant with me. She couldn't be in the same room when food was cooking, and she often threw up before eating.

Just as I was about to ask Connor how he knew, I remembered the last bits of his conversation with Angela.

We all heard it.

There was only one thing they could hear. I didn't realize their hearing was that enhanced.

I tried to recall everything I knew about the timing of fetal development. It was only a month since my last period.

A month was too soon for a heartbeat. That much I knew.

I shook my head and looked back up at my mate. "I'm not pregnant."

Confusion flashed across his features. "But–"

"Angela said they heard it, I'm assuming she meant a heartbeat, right?"

He nodded, still confused.

"It's been a month, Connor. That's too soon."

And then I froze.

The metabolisms of supernaturals were more advanced than humans. We could regenerate faster. Our energy was higher than humans because of what made us _other_.

Could it be possible that the rate of development was faster too?

Then my mind whirled, trying to recall the time of conception. I flipped through the events in my mind, trying to pinpoint when that was.

My jaw dropped and ice slid down my spine.

Almost two weeks to the day, we were at Varick's home in Germany, consuming food laced with heliotrope after being poisoned with it by the Kramer Scholars.

The heliotrope.

We made love several times that night.

"What is it?" Connor asked.

"Oh, shit," I said as my vision blurred again.

Connor's hands shot to my face and he forced me to look at him. "Listen to me, Aisling, don't shut down. I'm not going anywhere. Just talk to me."

"U-Um," I said as the shudders wracked through me with renewed vigor. Massive tears fell from my eyes as I tried to think of the right way to explain it. I took a deep breath and went on. "My period is usually a month apart. There's only a short window that I could have been fertile. Two weeks ago. Almost to the day."

I let him figure it out on his own.

After a few moments, his eyes widened and he locked his gaze with mine. "The drug."

Nodding, I asked, "Do you remember what Liam said after you fell and he gave you blood?"

"He said it was like we were human," Connor said with wonder.

### Chapter 39

My lips trembled. The fact that Angela insisted that she and everyone else could hear a heartbeat didn't make sense to me. But there was too much of a coincidence about when we were both poisoned with heliotrope to think they could be wrong.

More tears fell from my eyes as I whispered, "I'm so sorry."

"Oh, honey," Connor said, low, and pulled me into his arms again. "Nothing about this is your fault. It takes two to make a baby. We didn't know."

"We never even talked about this," I cried.

He chuckled. "We've been dealing with so much, it never came up." He pulled me away and his chocolatey eyes searched mine as he held my face in his hands again. "Listen to me, Aisling. Ever since I met you, I've wanted to have a family with you."

I froze, blinking more tears from my eyes. "What?"

A slow smile spread across his face and his thumbs caressed my cheeks, wiping away the tears. "It's true. I know that it's not the ideal time for this, but considering everything we've been through, the right time might never happen."

I didn't say anything. I didn't think I could speak.

"I don't know how they can hear it, but they have no reason to lie to us." His eyes flickered back and forth between mine and then dropped to my lips for a moment before moving back to my eyes. "We're going to have a baby, Aisling."

The smile that spread across Connor's face was nothing short of amazing. I always loved it when he smiled like that. And in that moment, he was smiling because I was pregnant.

Minutes ago, I was certain he would leave me because of it, but there he was, sitting on the floor with me in his lap, genuinely happy. I couldn't help it. I smiled back. "I love you so much," I whispered as I ran my fingers through his wet hair.

Instead of letting him answer, I kissed him, hard. And he responded instantly. His mouth opened, granting me access as his arms tightened around me.

Smiling against him, I pushed him back to the floor and pulled off my towel in the next moment.

That night, two miracles happened. I was pregnant and Connor saved me from a flashback. But he didn't just help pull me out of it and calm me down. He used _sight_ and put himself in the middle of it.

He saved me from my step-father. And it felt real.

I didn't realize how much I needed that. Someone to rescue me. Better to happen nearly fifteen years too late than never at all.

Connor was everything to me. And he continued to save me from myself.

Positioning over him, I lowered myself down, letting him feel every inch of me as I sheathed him all the way to the hilt. He groaned into my mouth and I sucked on his tongue for a moment before I broke away, trailing kisses down his jaw.

"I–" I kissed him "–love–" and again "–you–" and again "–so much."

Warm, strong hands reached up to my face and pulled me back to his mouth as I started moving, fucking him with an agonizing slowness.

But then an idea hit me and I smiled against him once more as another groan escaped him.

Magic leaked out of me and forced his hands to reach above him on the floor. And then it held him there as I reached for his hands.

I dragged my nails over his skin in a feather touch, trailing them down his arms as I sat up. The sensation forced him to arch up and my eyes rolled from the intensity of it.

God, but it felt so good when he was inside me.

Grinding against him, he moaned and arched up again, just like I wanted him to and I gasped as it sent tingles down my spine and made my toes curl.

Then my magic pushed his hips down and I grinned devilishly at him.

I probably looked like hell after crying so much, but the way he was looking at me in that moment made me forget about everything else. He knew what I was doing, but he didn't say anything.

Then I reached behind me and dragged my nails up the insides of his knees and his thighs.

His head pushed back into the floor and he exposed his throat to me. I bent down and captured his Adam's apple in my mouth as I started moving again.

I ran my tongue over every inch of skin I could reach, but I didn't stop moving, and I kept holding him down with magic.

While his chest heaved from the build of the wave I was causing, he hissed, "Aisling," as I ground against him again.

"I'm going to keep torturing you until you do something about it," I purred and locked my gaze with his.

His lashes were hooded, but I could feel the burn of his gaze as he watched me move over him. His flaming aura was red and it undulated around him with a heat that burned sweetly. I poured every last bit of passion that rolled through my veins into him.

He kept watching me with those brown eyes that could see into my soul, and I began to wonder if I was doing enough to let him unleash. But then I felt his need growing in tandem with mine.

The wave was coming for me and if I didn't slow down, I was going to crash over him. My breathing increased and I knew in that moment he could sense it, because his lips lifted into a grin an instant before his eyes turned white and power leaked out of him.

His hands shot out and gripped my hips, assisting my movements and I shattered.

Lights exploded behind my eyes and my nerve endings lit up from the intensity of the orgasm.

By the time my mind returned and the wave subsided, we weren't on the floor any longer.

We were on the bed and I was trapped beneath Connor's body as he pinned me there, caging me between his arms. His eyes were still white as he watched me.

I reached around, gripped his ass, and yanked him toward me with all the strength I could muster and he groaned. But he stayed still.

My nails dug into his skin, not enough to break through, but enough that he could feel them. He still didn't move.

"Careful. Or I'll just take over again and keep torturing you," I warned.

He grinned and magic pulsed from him.

I didn't know what he did, but I didn't care as another orgasm, much more powerful than the first, wracked through my body from the overwhelming sensation.

His hips ground against mine and it felt like I was floating in the air, it was so intense.

Then he started moving, a slow in and out that had me writhing beneath him before I registered we were moving. His tempo increased with each thrust and he dropped to his elbows to get closer as he hammered into me.

As the wave crashed over me, another pulse of magic shot out of him and I screamed, arching up on the bed so hard, it forced him to lift up to give me room.

I couldn't tell if I was screaming. But _god_ , I didn't care.

Somewhere in the back of my mind, I knew my power unleashed, and I continued to lift off the bed from the overwhelming feeling of fire rushing through my veins.

The room started to shake, and I wondered for a moment if it was my doing or his, but it didn't matter. Nothing else mattered but him.

Without any idea of what he was doing, I couldn't fight him. I didn't want to. But I knew I didn't want him to stop. The longer I could keep him unleashed, the more he would learn how to use his magic.

Power shot out of my fingers as I struggled against him, but his body continued to cage me on the bed. " _Don't. Fucking. Stop._ " The thousand voices erupted from me and glass shattered from somewhere in the room, but I forgot about it in the next instant.

It was a constant tug of war as our magic fought for dominance. He would let me take control for a few minutes and then another one of those insanely delicious pulsations of power would erupt from him just as I was about to crash over the edge and then I would go mindless for a while.

He found his release as often as I did, and that was even better.

As I hoped, Connor stayed unleashed.

It wasn't until the pre-dawn light started to filter through the window that we both crashed over the edge at the same time, and then our magic fell away.

He pulled me into his arms, still breathless, and chuckled. "Holy shit, Aisling."

I smiled into his chest. I couldn't agree more. But then curiosity won out. "I'm not complaining at all, but do you have any idea what you were doing with your magic?"

"You mean the pulses?"

"Uh huh," I purred.

He chuckled breathlessly. "I don't know. I just wanted magic to wash over you, to intensify what you felt. And that's what happened."

I shuddered against him. "Feel free to do that again, anytime." Then I pulled back and looked up at him. "Do you feel better?"

"What do you mean?"

"You spent quite a while unleashed."

"Oh, a little bit. It's definitely good practice," he wriggled his eyebrows and I laughed. "We need to rest before we get moving again."

I nodded and yawned.

He pulled back the covers and I crawled up the bed before dropping onto the mattress, waiting for him. But he sat there for a second, looking at me with a deep pink swirling in his aura.

Something caressed over my lower belly and he watched me with a look I couldn't place. "Did you feel that?"

My vision blurred with tears and I nodded. He just used his magic again. That gesture told me he was learning to control his magic. But it was more than that. And I knew in that moment, as if I didn't already know with every fiber of my being, he would be a great father.

A slow smile spread across his lips and he moved toward me. He kissed me. It was deep and it was passionate. Too soon, he pulled back and settled onto the bed, pulling the covers over us and wrapped his arms around me.

I tucked my shoulder under his and let my other arm run the length of his torso with my hand in front of my face as I rested my head against his chest.

"I love you, Aisling," he whispered as I listened to his heart beating and felt sleep pull me away.

I wasn't sure if I responded, but I thought I breathed, "Connor," before oblivion surrounded me.

### Chapter 40

It felt like I only closed my eyes when I felt something moving over my arm. The feeling was so small, but the delicate touch reminded me of a feather and I shivered from the sensation.

I moved closer to Connor's warm body and squeezed my eyes shut, trying to fight off whatever it was that was waking me. It didn't surprise me that I was sprawled against him. I would be more surprised if I wasn't.

My leg covered his and I was still using his body as a pillow, but that faint touch was still moving over the arm that was draped over him. I pulled my hand back, trying to escape the thing that was pulling me out of my sleep. Then my world shifted.

I gasped as Connor turned and pushed me on my back, capturing my wrist and pushing it into the mattress by my head. My eyes flew open and his face was right in front of mine, brown eyes searching me and dropping to my lips every few seconds.

His aura swirled with light blue and red and his lips lifted into a sly smile.

My eyes were dry and bleary, so I blinked up at him. Part of me didn't want to be awake, but the other responded instantly and lifted my leg a little higher to align my hips with his.

The pounding of my heart increased in tempo tenfold and I was sure he could hear it as fire rushed through my veins.

"Well, good morning to you too," I purred.

"We need to get moving," he said, low as his eyes dropped to my mouth again.

Before I realized what I was doing, I licked my lips and the red in his aura brightened as the light blue started to fade away.

Of all the times we slept in each other's arms, Connor never woke me like that. I was the one to wake up, notice how much he wanted me, and do something about it. But that time was different.

I wasn't sure what to think. But I knew how much I wanted him in that moment, so I couldn't bring myself to care. "I'm going to need a little incentive to get up."

His grin widened. He knew I was awake but he was playing along.

Sleeping naked came to our advantage and I arched my back toward him as much as his body would allow, since half of my body was pinned beneath him.

He moved a little closer, pushing me back into the mattress and his mouth found mine in the next instant. I gasped into his mouth as several things happened at once.

Shifting, he moved between my legs. I straightened out as much as I could and bent my leg at the same time, inviting him. His free hand grabbed my other wrist and repeated the gesture of restraint. Then he lifted my arms a little higher and crossed them so he could hold me down with one hand.

Though his physical prowess was stronger than mine by a wide margin, I wasn't helpless. My magic would allow me to escape if I wanted. But I didn't.

He pulled back and his dark brown eyes locked with mine as he pressed my wrists further into the mattress. It forced my breasts to push deliciously into his chest and I moaned as he started his free hand's slow descent down my arm.

By the time he reached my hip, I was mindless and seconds away from unleashing my magic.

I wanted his mouth to ravage mine. I wanted him inside me. And I needed it all more than I needed air.

But before I could even formulate a demand, his hand pushed my hip down and he impaled me, grinding his hips against me once he was sheathed all the way to the hilt.

I cried out and pushed my head back into the mattress as I tried to move my hips, but he waited. When I looked at him, he was still watching me. "Connor," I warned.

He grinned at me and ground his hips against me again. "Are you awake?"

Anger and pure unadulterated passion washed over me with the force of a tornado. "What the hell kind of a question is that? Of course I'm awake. If you don't start doing something I'm going to make sure you _live to regret it_ ," the thousand voices finished for me.

And just like that, I was unleashed. Then he kissed me with a vehemence that nearly pushed me over the edge as he started moving.

Several minutes and multiple orgasms later for me, Connor found his release.

We dressed in clothes that were left outside the door sometime in the night. Connor wore the same matching dark pants and shirt with the sleeves pushed up to his elbows and the buttons open at the top. I wore matching dark yoga pants and a tank top with a built-in bra and an athletic jacket.

Though I didn't need the jacket, since I wasn't affected by the cold, it was for appearances. Liam always insisted I carry weapons and the jacket would disguise them.

When we made it to the hallway, a few vampires were milling around and they told us where to go. So we followed them down to the lobby and toward the back of the building.

There were a few conference rooms ahead and we followed the last of the vampires into a small room that was just big enough for our group. As we stepped inside, everyone erupted into cheers.

At first, I jumped. It was the last thing I was expecting. But there they were. All of our friends except for the two we needed to save and the ones we left back at Liam's home. I didn't see the two vampires we rescued the day before, but it was only a passing thought.

God, but those cheers are for us.

My cheeks warmed as I flushed and Connor wrapped his arms around me. His head dipped to my ear and he said, "Are you alright?"

I wasn't sure I could speak from all the emotion that ran through me. It was difficult enough to keep from crying from happiness at the knowledge that I was pregnant. It was so much harder to do that with so much commotion. So I did the only thing I could. I nodded and forced a smile.

Connor released me but kept his arm over my shoulder as we turned to face the crowd again.

The cheers and whoops died away and I sucked in air, trying to calm myself. As we made our way to the center of the room where our closest friends stood, we were congratulated by everyone as we passed.

By the time we made it, I was shaking and Connor was holding me tighter, trying to offer me strength. I didn't think he enjoyed the celebration much either, but he didn't look bothered.

Shadow sat on the floor next to Vlad with Puffle sitting on the his shoulder. Tobias stood beside them with the two ghouls, Jorge and William at his other side. Angela, Salvatore, and Peter stood at the end. Bugs darted out from somewhere behind me and rubbed against Shadow's legs before sitting down.

I could tell by the look on my best friend's face that she knew I was uncomfortable, but she didn't make any moves to offer me comfort in front of Liam's nest. She knew it would shatter the last bit of control I had to not break down in front of everyone.

The doors to the conference room closed and I looked at Angela, forcing my emotions down. "I have a plan."

### Chapter 41

A few minutes later everyone in the room was practically vibrating with anticipation. Except for Angela.

"We know that our attempt was a trap, so we should try something different," I offered.

"What do you suggest we try?" Tobias asked.

My gaze flickered to Angela. "I think Angela is the key."

"What?" she said as confusion fell across her features.

"Well, since Liam and Jon probably can't give us any more information, I started thinking. You told me the first time you were dragged into the _Spirit Realm_ that you saw Salvatore, right?"

Her eyes widened as she realized what I meant. "Emma," she breathed as a smile spread across her face.

Various questions were flung at us as the people in the room wanted to know what we were talking about.

"When I was dragged to the realm," Angela began, "I saw Emma. She was one of the only ghosts left that didn't fall under Renata's Voodoo. She was trying to explain to me that I was the only one that could help them, and then she explained that Salvatore was the key to learning what I was and what I could do. I didn't know what that meant at the time, but she did something," she shrugged. "I still don't know exactly what it was."

"What did she do?" Vlad asked.

"It was like a projector turned on and I could see Salvatore taking care of my body while I was away." She smiled and looked at her mate.

Purple and dark pink swirled in Salvatore's aura as he grinned back at her.

Then she turned back to the room. "If Emma could connect to Salvatore and show him to me, then maybe she can do the same thing with Renata since we know her name. I just need to go there and find out."

William stepped forward and addressed the room while Tobias looked relieved. "Be ready to leave when Angela is finished. If we don't get a concrete location, we will head to New Orleans and track her down the hard way."

He turned to Jorge. The ghoul nodded and said, "Another bus is on its way. It's not to Liam's standards, but we needed something fast. It should be here within the hour."

Nodding, William turned back to the rest of the group. "Let's get moving."

A few minutes later, the room was empty of all but our closest friends. Vlad closed the doors to and moved back to the middle of the room while Puffle floated over our heads, watching with his arms crossed in front of him.

Even though we were staying in a hotel – a neutral safe place to stay – we weren't necessarily safe since the neutrals started shifting toward the side of the humans. But Angela didn't seem to mind.

So she sat on the floor of the small conference room and Bugs curled up in her lap as Salvatore sat behind her, supporting her. The rest of us spread out around them. It didn't matter if she felt safe. We were still going to surround her with protection.

She nodded to Bugs and then they both went limp. It looked like they were sleeping.

Ten minutes later, her eyes opened and she sat up with a grin on her face. "I've got her."

When we boarded the charter bus, I understood the look on the driver's face when he caught sight of the massive white wolf.

His eyes widened in fear, but then Tobias, as he explained after, used compulsion on him. But that wasn't the first time I heard of it. Witches could use compulsion as well.

From what he said, it was closer to hypnosis than magic. And he assured me it worked on humans, but even then, some were immune. Whatever it was, the driver's look of terror disappeared and he remained calm and quiet the entire drive.

Almost two hours later, we were just outside New Orleans traveling down the highway. As we were sitting in our seats, watching the historic city appear over the horizon ahead of us, an idea crossed my mind. I stood up, pulling Connor with me as I walked toward Angela and Salvatore at the other side of the bus.

Peter and Shadow were in the aisle rolling that spelled red ball back and forth to each other. Every few minutes, Bugs would dart out in a blur of gray fur and attack the ball like it was a mouse, which incited giggles from the ghost. The five-thousand-year-old Sphinx liked the boy well enough to play with him, and that made me appreciate him that much more.

Salvatore sat with his back against the wall of the bus while one long leg rested against the back of the seat as Angela stretched out against his front. His heavily muscled and tanned arms were wrapped around her as they watched Peter play with adoration.

Their attention shifted to me as I knelt down on the floor beside them and Connor moved behind me at the edge of the aisle and bent forward to listen.

Even though everyone with enhanced ears could hear me, I hoped the ghost wouldn't so I spoke low, "I think Peter might be able to help us."

My best friend leaned forward, pulling Salvatore with her and whispered, "What do you mean?"

"I've never been to New Orleans, but its history and Renata's presence is enough to make me think ghosts might be plentiful there."

"That makes sense," she nodded.

"I think – if you're okay with it, we should send him ahead to scout the area around her home. I doubt anyone would notice."

Worry crossed my best friend's features as she chewed on her lip. I knew how difficult it was for her to make that decision. It bothered me to suggest it because I knew how much the boy meant to them.

Those strong arms tightened around her and Salvatore spoke next. "I think if he knows to stay hidden and safe, it's worth a shot."

His head tilted to the side to look at Angela. "You have a Siren call. You can make sure he will be protected from her. He came with us to help, and I think we should give him that chance."

She took a deep breath and considered his words. Then, after a few long moments, her eyes met mine and she nodded.

But before we could do anything, the driver slammed on the brakes, and the momentum caught us off guard. As I fell against the back of the next seat, Connor lost his balance and started to hurl toward the front of the bus before Salvatore's arm shot out and caught his wrist.

If it weren't for the werewolf's quick reflexes, Connor could have been hurt. By the time the bus stopped, everyone was looking ahead to see what happened.

When I made it to my feet and looked, the blood drained from my face.

Several dozen men stood in the middle of the highway. A few of their eyes flashed against the early afternoon light and I knew them for what they were.

Undead.

### Chapter 42

Fear washed over me as I realized what was happening.

Renata knew we were coming, and she sent what looked like a whole nest of undead to stop us. I didn't know what we were going to do, but no matter what, I knew we weren't going to like it.

"We should just drive over them," Vlad sighed as he picked something out from beneath a fingernail, looking relaxed, like he belonged in his position behind the driver.

Just like that, my fear drained away and I snorted. Dracula wasn't far from the character in Bram Stoker's book. But it was odd seeing him sitting on a charter bus looking bored with an army of undead creatures outside waiting to kill us all.

I knew how absurd that comment was. Sure, we could drive through them, but vampires and ghouls were too fast, and even if we did manage to run them over with the bus, it would only piss them off.

Vampires and ghouls were strong, so much stronger than humans. The men standing in the middle of the highway could tear the bus apart before it could penetrate their line.

More screeching of tires sounded behind us as cars stopped to avoid an accident and horns started to blare.

Whatever we were going to do, driving through them wasn't an option.

I wasn't an expert on undead politics, but I could guess that a diplomatic talk wouldn't help.

The men standing on the highway looked angry. Like they were out for blood.

Was it because we were trying to enter their city?

My eyes flickered to Tobias. He was in charge of Liam's nest. But then my focus shifted to William. The ghoul was the one that knew battle strategy and war games. "What are we going to do?"

William shrugged, "We have no choice but to fight them off. Whatever reason they are here, they have no interest in speaking to us."

I figured as much, but that left a bit of a problem. When we left Nashville, we were stocked with weapons. But when Liam's bus went up in flames, everything went with it.

Though a quick stop at a store that claimed they carried _All Things That Make Men Great_ , and a compulsion to the owner with a healthy donation later, a small arsenal was in our possession. But it wasn't enough. And it wasn't meant for fighting a bunch of undead.

To make things worse, the weaponry was stored beneath the bus. I doubted the men would wait for us to arm ourselves before they would attack.

I didn't see any weapons on them, but that didn't help me relax.

It was going to come down to hand to hand combat. And we were outnumbered by at least a dozen people. Though our group included two werewolves, a spirit wolf, a pixie, a vampire with Earthen blood, a bunch of other undead, and two Earthens, I wasn't sure we would come out the other side without some deaths on our hands.

Whoever those men were, and to which vampire's nest they belonged I didn't know, but I didn't want the weight of more deaths on my shoulders.

"Can I at least try to talk to them?" I asked.

William assessed me once more and the muscles in his jaw worked as he considered my question. "You can try, but I doubt you will make a difference." He paused and then added, "I also do not know if your magic will be enough against them."

Anger washed over me, but not enough to make me unleash from it. William was brilliant, but in that moment, he was being an idiot. A pulse of magic erupted from me, forcing every last undead person on the highway ahead of us to fall backward.

I knew I could do it, and I wanted to remind William of how much I was capable of. Even when I wasn't unleashed.

But he knew. He saw it many times over.

I could think of about a dozen things I alone could do to neutralize them, without killing them. Our best hope was convincing them to back down, and as much as I hated to accept it, I knew William was right.

But in that moment, even I was itching for a fight after what he said.

I moved forward, but my legs weren't moving. I hovered a few inches in the air until I was right in front of the ghoul that didn't seem to notice what happened behind him.

Though William was a few inches taller than me, he wasn't as tall as Connor and just hovering over the floor meant I was looking at him straight in the eye. I lifted my hand in the air and William lifted off the ground until his head hit the top of the bus.

His eyes widened in an expression I knew as fear, even without an aura to validate it.

That's right. I'm not even touching you.

"You listen to me, William. I do not want anyone dying today. Especially not them. I don't know who they are or why they're here. But it doesn't matter. If you can't respect that, then what do you think Liam would say?" I held up a finger to keep him from responding.

"Furthermore, I understand that you weren't around when Earthens were, but you must not have paid attention during training because you don't seem to remember what I can do. Do. Not. Test. Me." As I said the last four words, I lowered myself to the ground. And then I dropped my magic.

William landed on his feet with so much grace, I almost did a double take. He straightened his shirt as if nothing happened before meeting my gaze again. "If you insist on talking to them first, be my guest." I caught the tone in his voice that suggested I was being an idiot, but I ignored it.

Without another word, I walked past the ghoul and let my magic open the door for me. Then I stepped off the bus.

While I walked, I thought of Connor. I could feel him following behind me, but he was letting me take the lead. I remembered everything we shared together, and I let every moment, emotion, and touch, fill me.

By the time I stopped to face the undead men ahead of us, sparks were flying off my fingers and I could feel my power waiting to be used. Though I couldn't see myself, I knew my eyes were white.

Some of them looked a little taken back by my appearance, but I didn't let it slow me. Fog was beginning to build around us and I appreciated the camouflage Vlad was creating to keep the humans from seeing us. It also meant we couldn't see as well either.

Then I focused my attention on the men.

" _Why are you here_?" the thousand voices asked.

I wasn't sure what they were after, but they weren't expecting me. A few of them looked around like they were waiting for something.

At last, a man in the middle raised his head to me and said, "You are not welcome in this city."

Before I could respond, he snapped his fingers and his men were a blur of motion, moving right toward us.

The fog was growing thicker, but I could feel them. Magic pulsed out of my body and every last one of them flew backward about twenty feet into the air before they landed on the pavement.

Various pained moans and grunts of surprised shock came from them, but I couldn't see them through the fog.

"Um, Vlad, you might want to tone that down," Tobias said from behind me.

The vampire in question growled and I turned around to see his eyes were no longer that deep blue that spoke of the centuries he lived.

They were red.

He didn't like the situation any more than the rest of us.

I could feel the energy pulsing from them with the intensity of their desire to fight. After everything we were doing to save our friends, they needed a fight.

And that was something I could give them.

Liam was adamant about training the people in his nest, and I was willing to bet, judging by the appearance of some of the men that threatened us, that their master wasn't as militant.

Their clothes weren't meant for fighting. And yet, there they were, defending a city and, whether they were aware of it or not, a Voodoo queen.

My friends knew how to fight, and they could hold their own. They also knew that I didn't want anyone to die. They could accommodate that. And I trusted them to honor it. But they also trusted me to keep them safe if they needed it.

Though Connor and I were fast and knew how to fight, vampires and ghouls were still much more powerful in terms of sheer strength. I wouldn't fight them if I didn't have to, and I didn't want Connor to fight them either.

I took a glance in his direction, using my magic to hold off the undead from advancing toward us.

Those deep brown eyes met mine. His aura was green, and I understood why. It was William. But he remained calm. "I'm not going to fight them unless I have to," he said in answer to my unspoken question.

I grinned at him. "Vlad, try to keep the fog up in a perimeter around us so the humans don't see what's happening."

"Very well," the vampire responded and I dropped the magic that held the men at bay.

Then the battle began.

### Chapter 43

Though we were outnumbered by at least two to one, we could hold our own. Everyone was a blur of motion, and though my eyes struggled to keep up, I knew everyone was alright as the melee began.

Angela and Salvatore fought side by side while their eyes glowed with those eerie colors that always made me do a double-take. Despite their appearances, the men advancing on them paused as they caught sight of their eyes an instant before a menacing growl escaped from them.

Because of the lore that claimed partial shifts in were-animals weren't possible, I was willing to bet those men didn't know what they were. And they looked a little nervous to fight them.

Salvatore flashed forward and his fist landed a powerful punch to the chest of the first man that reached them, sending him flying backward into a few of the undead men.

I saw a streak of white as Shadow darted across my vision and I locked my eyes on him just in time to see his teeth connect with one of them. That man was on the ground screaming in agony in the next moment.

The undead were leery of werewolves. Though a bite wasn't fatal, it hurt. Bad.

I saw a tiny bird flutter out of the corner of my eye and turned to see Puffle dropping pixie dust onto the head of a vampire as he hissed with his fangs in full view. Then he fell to the ground and looked like he was asleep.

I blinked, grinned and my hand shot out as another vampire ran straight for Connor and me. Power pulsed out and I hurled him back through the air toward Jorge. The ghoul caught him and snapped his neck in one swift motion.

My grin widened as I remembered the first time we met him. He was in my front yard and caught one of my step-father's Malleus Dei Maleficarum mercenaries as I flung him in the air like I tossed him a candy bar.

He grinned back at me, remembering, and gave me the same good old southern wave before moving on to the next man to come within three yards of him.

Vlad and Tobias were fighting side by side a few yards away and they were both laughing, it forced me to blink to make sure I wasn't hallucinating. They were both enjoying the carnage, despite not killing anyone. I could tell they weren't pleased with that, but it didn't stop them from making those men suffer for a few moments before snapping their necks.

I glanced around. Through all the commotion, I wasn't keeping track of everyone. Not only was I not paying attention to what was going on within the bus, but through all the chaos, I couldn't find William.

Magic fanned out around me and I searched for everyone. I found that earthly, yet different signature that I knew was the Sphinx on the bus with the human driver and the two rescued vampires, but I couldn't find Peter.

"Where is William?" I asked as I fanned my magic out further, into the fog, hoping he was just hidden. But then I noticed that the laughter stopped.

Connor looked around, scanning the melee for the ghoul as more fog started to develop around us. An angry green still swirled in his aura as the muscles in his jaw started working. "I can't see him."

I caught sight of Vlad, standing about twenty feet away, facing us.

But he wasn't fighting.

He was just standing there.

All emotion was gone from his features as he stared at me with his lips curling into a scowl that made me think he wanted to eat me.

Ice slid down my spine as I realized, too late, what was happening. "Stop!" I cried, hoping someone would hear me and realize something was wrong, while at the same time I grabbed Connor's wrist.

But before I could do anything else, a fog developed around us and thickened to the point we couldn't see through it.

Angela broke through the fog into the empty circle that surrounded us like a cocoon, coming to our aid.

Then something hit Connor in the back of his head and he collapsed to the ground.

I knew someone was behind me, but I couldn't turn around see who it was. Someone just knocked out my mate and I was so angry I couldn't decide what to do next.

Recognition crossed my best friend's features as she looked behind me to see who was there. But I was still frozen.

Why can't I turn around? Why can't I do anything?

Connor made a noise as he started to stir, but I couldn't force my eyes to look at him either.

I just kept staring at my best friend and I felt my face curl into a snarl.

The blood drained from my face and terror coursed through my veins as I realized I wasn't in control. And I was pretty sure I knew why.

It felt like my body was being used like a puppet, but not in the same way as when the demon controlled me. A part of me was fully aware, and still somewhat in control as I fought to keep myself in place.

The other part of me was trying to move toward my best friend and fight her. Not just to spar with her. Whatever that part of me wanted, it wanted her dead. Or me. Or both of us.

That left only one person that would want either one of us to die.

Renata.

I didn't know if she was nearby, controlling me through Voodoo, or if there was something much more complicated going on.

Connor moaned again and rolled over in my peripheral vision, but I still couldn't look down at him.

Sparks arced from my fingertips, but I wasn't unleashed. And I couldn't be sure, but I thought the undead creature that stood behind me was William. No one broke through the line that I didn't push back, and he was the only one of our group I couldn't locate.

Fresh fear washed over me as my best friend realized what was happening.

"You son of a bitch," she growled at the creature behind me. "Stop this."

"William isn't home right now. He hasn't been for some time now," his voice spoke, but I recognized that accent. It held that distinctive lilt to it, and I knew the words were true.

William was gone.

Renata was speaking through him.

I didn't know if he was dead, and she was somehow animating his body, or if it was something more like possession. But it didn't matter.

Whatever Renata was doing, William wasn't in control.

I wasn't either.

Judging by what I saw of Dracula before the fog surrounded us, I was pretty sure he was in the same position.

I tried to plead with my eyes, or my aura. Anything. I wanted Angela to understand that I couldn't stop myself.

More fear washed over me as I realized if Renata was in William's head, she would know our secrets and our plans. But I didn't think that was the case. She wasn't acting like she struck gold.

What bothered me the most was that it felt like my mind was being searched. As if someone was trying to figure out how I used my magic, so they could force me to use it.

That was the last thing I needed. The sociopath known as Renata Crane was insane. Her quest for power knew no bounds. She, Zoe, and my step-father would have been great friends. If those two weren't dead.

Renata didn't have my power, but she was trying to learn it while she was in my head. Yet I still couldn't figure out how she was controlling me. She was never able to do it before. I wondered what other tricks she kept up her sleeves.

Could it be some new form of Voodoo? Playing me like a marionette? Or was it something else?

My body started shivering while my blood thickened as it slowed and the marrow in my bones turned to ice.

That's when I realized what it was.

Renata was using Vlad's abilities as the direct descendant of an Earthen against him. To control him. From what I understood, his talents with compulsion went above and beyond any vampires or ghouls.

He was able to control people's minds, and their movements.

All with his mind.

And when we first met him, he attacked me and drank a significant portion of my blood, some of his blood entered my system when his throat was slashed.

We were connected by blood.

And that meant Renata was connected to me as well.

" _You must die_ ," the thousand voices spoke from me in a whisper to Angela. It resonated within the thick wall of fog that surrounded us and my skin started to frost over in response.

My best friend's eyes widened as she realized that I wasn't in control of myself. But she could still see that I was freezing from fear. And I was sure my aura was a brilliant gray because of it.

I didn't want to hurt her. She was my family. And I was hers. But there I was, clenching and unclenching my fists in a way that left me feeling that all too familiar sensation of a flashback waiting to take over.

What would happen if I fell into a flashback? Would my body still move around like a puppet, or would it sever my connection to both Vlad and Renata?

I didn't know. I wasn't sure I wanted to find out.

Another moan escaped from Connor, but I couldn't see him because my gaze didn't waver from my target.

My best friend's eyes flickered to him and then moved back to me as she readied herself, dropping into a defensive position.

It looked like she was about to call out to our friends. I hoped she would, but Renata noticed.

Before she could say anything, I was a blur of motion, using my full Earthen speed as I attacked her.

### Chapter 44

Vlad grunted and called out for help as I reached Angela, landing a punch to her jaw in the same instant. There was a commotion as our friends moved to his aid, and I heard a laugh behind me as William – no, Renata – took pleasure in the situation.

The ghoul was behind me, and I knew he was gone. I wondered for how long, but couldn't keep thinking about that.

My best friend grunted from the pain but didn't drop her stance. "I don't want to fight you," she said through gritted teeth. "Don't make me do this."

A wide smile spread across my lips as I kicked out, but Angela was ready for it as she swiped my leg away before it connected with her midsection.

She dropped down and swung her leg out, catching mine and knocking them out from beneath me. I landed on the pavement and all the air in my lungs whooshed out of me. But it didn't stop me from moving.

I kicked out with both feet and connected with her face. She fell backward into the fog and bounced off like it was more of a barrier than fog. Then I was on my feet before she could react and I punched her stomach.

With a grunt, she fell to her knees and spit blood out of her mouth as I heard Connor move, but I wasn't sure if Renata noticed. I hoped she didn't, because I didn't want to hurt him either.

I wanted to keep Renata as distracted as possible so Connor could wake up and help us. Or call for help. Or maybe enough time would pass that someone would notice the fog surrounding us and our absence from the fight.

Angela's fist shot out and fresh fear washed over me as it connected with my stomach, but it was too high to cause any damage. I let the fear spread, knowing it would continue to ice me over, and, if I was lucky, slow me down.

The last thing I wanted was to hurt my best friend, but there I was, trying to beat her into a pulp. I wasn't sure if Renata's goal was to kill her, or if she just wanted to enjoy seeing us beat the shit out of each other first.

It didn't matter. Angela was still on her knees and she was tiring. Her eyes weren't that ice blue anymore. They were back to brown. Sadness filled her features and my heart broke.

I was hurting her.

It looked like she was about to call out again, and my fist shot out so forcefully, I heard that all too familiar hard packing sound as I connected with her face.

She fell to the side and blood spewed from her mouth from the impact.

I kicked her and heard a rib snap as she cried out again.

Then several things happened at once.

Salvatore called out, "Angela!" as nausea washed over me like I was hit by a truck, and I almost lost my balance. But something happened. It was like the snap of a rubber band against skin and that faint sting that came after it.

I was free.

Swaying on my feet as the world spun, I felt those clammy hands of a flashback as I remembered hearing the sounds of the Kramer Scholars torturing Connor in their dungeon, the sound of my childhood dog's ribs breaking as my step-father kicked him with his steel-toed boot. In the last seconds before I was pulled away, something knocked my feet out from under me.

I knew it was Connor as I fell to the ground. My head bounced off the pavement as I heard my mate call out, "Stop William and Vlad!"

And then everything went black.

I didn't know how long I was out. But for a while, all I saw was darkness. It surrounded me, enveloped me. It wasn't a feeling of safety, but it kept me from seeing the damage of my actions.

Whether I was myself or not, I still hurt my best friend. I hit and kicked her several times and though I was screaming inside for it to stop, my body didn't listen.

All because of her. That bitch, Renata.

I wanted to rip the flesh from her bones, just like Angela promised. But the darkness continued to surround me.

As if through a long tunnel, I heard two snapping noises, like limbs were ripped from trees in the distance. But I didn't know what it was.

It didn't matter.

Connor woke up and stopped me from continuing to hurt Angela. He must have been aware for longer than I thought. He waited just long enough to realize where the dangers were, but he didn't see the wave of dizziness wash over me.

He didn't know I was myself again.

That was fine with me. I deserved it. I deserved the flashbacks that came in rapid succession. I deserved every last bruise and bump. I was forced to do something I would never do otherwise, and I needed to suffer for a while.

It felt right.

I relived everything. First in those moments when I fought the demon. Then everything he did to terrorize me, felt the pain of the unspelled vampire blood coursing through my system. Every agony from being tortured in the dungeon, heard everything Connor went through in his cell. Saw the injuries on his face and the rest of his body when I finally reached him.

Then I saw my step-father. And every moment I was helpless in my bedroom, trying to escape from him. I saw him hurt my dog and then watched the poor creature suffer from antifreeze poisoning before dying.

It was my personal hell. And I deserved it.

Because everything was my fault.

My only hope was that Angela would one day forgive me. That Salvatore could forgive me for hurting his mate. I wasn't sure I deserved it.

But then there was Connor.

He was hurt, not by my hands, but he watched me as I attacked my best friend. That kind of betrayal was unforgivable. And I felt like dying.

Hurting my family was never something I wanted. And yet it happened. I was still alive, and I was in agony.

What was worse, I was knocked on my back twice and punched in the stomach. Not only did I hit my head, but I didn't think being impacted like that was good for the baby.

Oh god.

The baby.

Everything I did, I did it with a tiny fetus in my belly.

Agony washed over me as fear took hold.

Though I was already cold from the fear of hurting Angela, my body began to freeze faster than ever before as the thought of losing the baby crossed my mind. The marrow in my bones solidified into ice and my veins crystallized as I felt my skin frost over and my muscles turn to slush.

If I lost the baby, how could Connor ever forgive me?

How could I ever forgive myself?

### Chapter 45

My eyes fluttered open and tears filled them, blurring my vision. But I was so cold they froze before they could fall. A jagged breath sucked into my lungs and though my vision was blurred and every cell in my body hurt from the intensity of the ice that enveloped me, I could still make out the shape of Connor's body as he knelt next to me.

His head snapped down from the sound and he realized I was back, but I couldn't move. The sound of my thickened blood moving through my body filled my ears and it drowned out everything else. I thought he moved his mouth as if he was speaking to me, but I couldn't tell.

My breath came out in erratic bursts, and though I wasn't making any sounds, I knew what was happening. I was sobbing. Other than the air moving in and out of my lungs, my vocal cords were frozen.

Hands that felt like they were as hot as the sun touched my face and I screamed in my head because my mouth wouldn't do it for me. I knew they were Connor's hands, but it was still painful.

He let me go in the next instant and bent down so his face was next to mine. I felt the stubble against my cheek and it sent a shiver down my spine.

Then, as if through water, I heard the sound of my mate's voice as he spoke against my ear. "Aisling, it's alright. Everything's fine now."

Though I was happy that the danger was gone and they stopped Vlad and William, and Renata's influence, the damage was still done.

Something entered my vision to my left and though my eyes couldn't move to see, I was sure it was Salvatore as he started to look me over.

His size was a dead giveaway, but his aura, combined with his exotic tanned skin were enough of an indication of who he was. Connor sat back and the two men looked at each other. But I couldn't tell if they were talking.

Then Salvatore looked back down at me.

Pain flashed across the back of my head as his fingers moved over the bumps that stood out, but then it was gone as he checked my ribs for damage.

I was bruised, but I knew my ribs weren't broken. I couldn't say the same for Angela and more sadness washed over me.

Not only did I hurt her, but judging by the brilliant emerald glow that surrounded the werewolf kneeling over me, he wasn't pleased with what I did either.

None of that would compare to the intensity of my sorrows if the fetus was lost. That would mean I would lose more than just the baby. I would lose Connor because of it.

He never came out and said it, but he was more than just happy that I was pregnant, despite the surprise of it. He wanted to be a father. To have a family, the kind of family he didn't have growing up.

I didn't know all the details of his past, but from what I understood, his parents were strict, deeply religious, and intolerant of anything different. But what was more, they were cold, and never showed him the kind of love a child deserved.

Though my situation wasn't the same, I learned a similar lesson from an early age. There were still people in my life that cared about me, despite the fact that it took years to escape my step-father's abuse.

Connor wanted a family. He deserved to be happy. In the span of just a few minutes, we could have lost it all.

And that broke my heart.

If I lost the baby, Connor couldn't bear it. I knew that much. And that mantra kept repeating in my head.

Angela appeared in my vision, standing behind Connor. While Salvatore continued to search me for more damage – or maybe he was looking for something else, I couldn't tell – it looked like she was talking to Connor.

His posture shifted and his aura spiked with a bright gray of fear.

Was she telling him the same thing? Could they hear if that tiny heart stopped beating in my belly?

I thought Salvatore said something because Connor's attention shifted to the werewolf, but I still couldn't hear what they were saying. My sobs of air continued and I thought I heard faint cries.

But then I realized they were coming from me.

Connor turned back to me and his hands seared against my face again. I could see his mouth moving through the frozen tears in my eyes, but I couldn't make out his words.

Then he bent down and I felt the stubble on his face tickling against mine once more as his voice traveled into my ear. "You're frozen and I don't know if you can hear me, but you're fine. The baby is fine, too, Aisling. It's alright."

I wasn't sure if what I was about to try would work but I concentrated on him and willed myself into _sight_.

Sitting up, he rubbed the back of his neck as he looked down at me. "Aisling?"

Through Connor's eyes, I could see myself. My skin was pale and frozen solid. Frost built up on my exposed skin and my eyes were so frozen, they were no longer a bright blue, but instead looked like a dull gray. As if I was really dead.

That scared me even more, but I forced myself to push a little deeper into Connor's mind hoping I could talk to him like I did with Liam.

Connor?

Aisling, what's going on?

I'm so sorry.

What are you sorry for? None of this was your fault.

More erratic breathy sobs escaped from me as the sadness started to overpower the fear in my body.

I could have lost it.

Oh, honey, it wasn't your fault. You're alright. The baby is alright.

I watched through Connor's eyes as some color began to return to my skin and a little frost melted away. But it didn't make much difference.

My eyes blinked the melting ice away, but I didn't pull away from the _sight_.

I never wanted anyone to get hurt. I could have killed Angela, and I wasn't in control of my body.

I sounded like I was sobbing in Connor's head, but he didn't protest, so I went on. I couldn't use magic. My mind was there, but nothing worked. It was her. It was Renata.

I know.

Those two words forced me back into my body and I started sobbing in the next instant. My body curled in on itself and I felt Salvatore move to his feet and walk away.

I hurt my family and yet Connor was still there. He understood what happened to me. That was the only thing holding me together in that moment.

Either everyone would understand, or they wouldn't.

But as Connor pulled me up and into his arms, I knew eventually, everything would be okay.

### Chapter 46

I shivered like a leaf, but Connor's hold on me never wavered. I wrapped my stiff arms around his neck and held him as tight as I could.

The need for his comfort went above and beyond anything I ever felt before, and he was there, doing the same thing he always did. Soothing me, whispering to me that everything would be alright again.

That was something I could hold on to.

I knew my fears were illogical, at least about everyone's ability to forgive me. I knew I was played as Renata's puppet. Without a choice.

But it still hurt that I couldn't fight it off. I was supposed to be the most powerful supernatural creature in existence, right along with Connor.

Yet the demon could hijack my body and use me. And there we were, again, dealing with me and my inability to control my own body with Renata.

That wasn't very encouraging.

But Connor remained solid. He was my rock. My everything. And he never wavered. I would have died so many times over if it weren't for him.

Ever since I met him, he was there, protecting me, caring for me. And it felt like everything was one-sided.

Though I was so cold that my teeth were cracking together in the mild Louisiana winter, I knew I wouldn't warm up for a while, so I forced myself to calm down as much as I could.

I took deep breaths, and despite the pain of moving, I ran my fingers through Connor's silken hair, felt the heat of the flesh on his neck and the strength of his arms. His scent filled my lungs and the wood smoke empowered me to steel myself and pull back.

Turning toward my best friend, I looked up at her.

The blood drained from my face at her appearance, but I didn't look away.

Even without an aura, I could tell by that raised vein in her forehead that she wasn't happy. She was pissed, beyond anything I saw from her before.

Her small arms crossed in front of her and that flawless, milk chocolate skin radiated as it always did, but she wasn't in pain. She wasn't wheezing from the broken rib.

One of the vampires must have healed her with blood.

That was the only thing that made sense.

She healed fast, but not that fast.

But it was the anger written on her face that burned me.

She towered over me from my position on Connor's lap as he knelt on the pavement. And those eerie ice blue eyes glared at me.

Salvatore stood behind her, and with his added height, it send more fear through my body. His aura still swirled with green, but his eyes weren't changed. With the knowledge that I attacked his mate, and the territorialism he felt, it probably took every ounce of control to keep from attacking me in retribution.

They both looked like they wanted to throw choice words at me, but they only glared at me.

"Are you okay?" Angela asked in a clipped tone that told me her mood was unchanged.

I hunched my shoulders and looked down. "I'm s-sorry, Angela. I know it won't make a d-difference, but I would never h-hurt you."

What happened next surprised me.

She took a quick step forward and I flinched, thinking she was about to punch me. I deserved it, so I waited.

Even though I was still on his lap, Connor didn't move, but that was a good thing. I didn't want any fights breaking out over me.

I kept waiting for the blow to come, but nothing happened. Then, she dropped to her knees in front of me and grasped my upper arms, forcing me to look up at her.

"Listen to me, Aisling. I am not angry with you. I would never hurt you and I know you would never do the same to me if you were in control. I saw your aura when you realized what was happening."

Tears burned my eyes and my vision blurred. Relief didn't begin to cover what I felt in that moment, but I was still confused as I continued to shudder.

She must have noticed, because she said, "She's done too much to us, Aisling. Even if she's surrendered and on the ground, I'll fucking kick her when she's down. _And then I'm going to kill that bitch_." She growled the last sentence with enough venom it scared even me.

Her eyes shifted back to brown and the anger in her features fell away. "Did you really think I was angry with you? So angry I would hurt you?"

She pulled me into her arms and hugged me. I grunted from the intensity of her embrace and her grip on me loosened. I tried but failed to return it from the deep ache in my body.

"Jesus, honey, you're so cold," she said, pulling away.

"I'll b-be alright," I tried to smile as I let my arms drop. "W-Where's Vlad and William?"

Salvatore stepped forward and the anger in his aura was a little less bright, but the fact that it remained made me think he didn't share the same viewpoint as Angela. At least in part, his anger was directed at me.

"Their necks were snapped," he said. "They'll probably come around soon. We need to get moving. There's enough of a traffic backup that we're drawing attention."

I wasn't sure what Salvatore was thinking in that moment because his eyes shifted to yellow as he watched me.

Fresh fear washed over me and his expression cleared as his eyes changed back to hazel. "I'm not angry with you, Aisling. I want to break their necks again for good measure."

"If y-you aren't angry w-with me, you shouldn't be a-angry with them, S-Salvatore." I grunted and hunched my shoulders as my eyes slid closed. It hurt too much to try to hold a conversation, let alone think.

"Alright, let's get you on the bus and try to get you warmed up," Connor said.

But then the whispering in my head started again.

### Chapter 47

The whispering in my head didn't happen often, but I listened when they did.

The first time it happened, they told me how to replenish Connor's magic. Then it happened again when I defeated my step-father and again with the demon.

Perhaps the most significant time it happened was when they told me how to resurrect the fallen vampires as ghouls. Jorge and William were two of them.

When we were desperate for guidance, they helped. Told me what I could do about it. And they never steered me wrong before.

Though I didn't realize there was anything I could do about the situation we were dealing with, it didn't come as a total surprise when they started whispering. But it wasn't just that they were speaking to me that caught my attention. It was what they said that surprised me.

According to the whispers, Earthens and Shamans shared a long, healthy history with each other. That was something I didn't know. I wasn't sure Liam knew. He knew a little bit about Shamans, clairvoyants, and the _Spirit Realm_ , but not as much as Bugs. But neither of them mentioned anything about it before.

The more I thought about what they were saying, the more it made sense to me that it might be necessary for Earthens to befriend Shamans. Sometimes they dealt with things that weren't supernatural, and during those times, Shamans came to their aid.

Just like Earthens, they weren't common. Only certain people were born with the ability to connect with everything. In most cases, it ran in family bloodlines.

My best friend learned more in one week about what it meant to be a Shamaness than any of us knew, and she only scratched the surface of her abilities.

Like most Shamans, her gifts were inherited, but she was more powerful than anyone in her family. We didn't know how or why that was the case, but for her sake, I hoped we would find out one day.

Even though my best friend's mother was a Shamaness too, she couldn't be trusted. Estelle tried to use her daughter as an anchor between our world and the _Spirit Realm_ when she was sixteen, and if Angela wasn't pushed back by her grandfather, Ghost King before her spirit was separated from her body, she would have died.

Only animals and creatures like Bugs were capable of acting as anchors and guides. After Angela's new capabilities emerged, she could cross over without a guide.

Though we didn't know all the details, Ghost King suffered that fate when a trip to the _Spirit Realm_ went wrong. Either he was used as the anchor, or their animal guide was killed before they could all return.

His ghost was alive and well in the realm and, despite being dead, he was still powerful, which earned him his title as king. I didn't know him well enough to know if he dealt with _others_ or Voodoo practitioners in his lifetime, but it wouldn't surprise me if he did.

My trusted friends were thrust into a situation we didn't know how to handle, and it seemed Renata was always one step ahead. One of the biggest issues we faced was that she never used the same tricks twice. It made it that much harder for us to anticipate her moves.

That was a big problem for us. And though we tried, we still couldn't gain the upper hand over the situation.

The more time that passed, the more I was beginning to think that rescuing Jon and Liam was going to come at a much higher cost than any of us anticipated.

I wasn't sure I wanted to know what that cost was, but it already cost us enough.

For once, we could gain a little bit of an advantage, if the thousand whispering voices were correct. And I didn't have any reason to doubt them.

Connor's strong arms wrapped around my back and underneath my knees. But as he started to lift me, I turned to look at him. "S-Stop," I said, still shuddering from the cold that enveloped me. "They're w-whispering again," I said, tilting my head to the side as they said something else. "L-Let's get moving first. S-Salvatore's right. We n-need to get the highway cleared."

Everything was a blur of motion. Honks from impatient travelers continued to sound from behind us, and the fog that surrounded the entire perimeter was beginning to dissipate. Allowing humans to see a bunch of undead men with their necks broken and scattered across the highway wouldn't bode well for us.

The undead men that stopped us were tossed to the side of the road, obscured by the bushes away from the roadway by about a dozen yards. It offered enough cover that the humans wouldn't notice their presence.

Then everyone in our group, including Vlad and William, carried by Tobias and Jorge, returned to the bus. As everyone settled, Tobias looked at our human driver and compelled him to start driving again. By the time we were moving, the last of the fog drifted away with the wind.

I sat in Connor's lap as he held me against him, offering me as much warmth as he could. We both knew I wouldn't warm up until he could pull me out of the fear that still held me in a vice grip. But that wasn't something I looked forward to doing on a bus full of our friends.

Tobias moved toward us and his blue eyes flashed, "What do you need?"

He heard what I said, and knew that it was important.

"Get V-Vlad and William on the floor," I said.

When their seemingly lifeless bodies were in place, I looked at my best friend, sitting across from us at the back of the bus.

"I'll n-need your h-help with this."

Confusion flashed across her features, but she nodded and stood.

I turned to look at Connor and the corner of my mouth lifted into a small smile. With agonizing slowness, I pulled my arm away from his shoulders and tried to stand, but the combination of the deep ache from the cold, and a wave of dizziness that washed over me made me slump back into his arms.

He must have understood what I needed because he helped me to my feet and then moved me closer to the aisle in the middle of the bus.

"I need to t-touch them," I said, trying to keep myself from moaning from the pain of the cold.

My mate helped me down to the floor and I reached out, resting my hand on William's forehead. I nodded to my best friend to join me. "P-put your hand over mine. You need to be my anchor."

She nodded and her hand touched my frozen skin, burning it. I hissed, but didn't comment.

I closed my eyes and entered Angela's mind through _sight_. Through her, I searched for the ghoul's connection to the Voodoo queen.

Her forest of interconnected vines and roots was vast and limitless. But it was also breathtaking. Everything lit up with luminescence and it made my heart warm a fraction from its beauty.

As I found William, I saw what I was looking for. It was a crimson string interwoven with gold to give it strength. It hummed with the same energy I felt from the Voodoo practitioners.

Using my magic, I sliced that strand until it snapped like a bungee cord, severing William's connection to Renata. It sounded like a whip to my ears.

Then, with Angela's help, we knotted the end of the dim string that extended from William's essence that stood as a majestic, glowing maple tree, wrapped it around his trunk, and then I melted it until it was absorbed by the bark.

Not only did we break the connection, but we prevented Renata from ever reconnecting with the ghoul again. My best friend and I did it together. I opened my eyes with a small smile.

Angela was looking at me with her jaw hanging open. "You broke the connection, didn't you?"

I grinned back at her, nodding, despite the pain in my cheeks. "And prevented it from happening again."

When I finished repeating the gesture with Vlad, another wave of dizziness washed over me.

But it wasn't just dizziness I felt. It was fatigue. The weight of everything that happened proved to be too much and I was in no shape to go after Renata.

Connor realized what was happening and made the suggestion before I could voice it.

Everyone would need rest in order to defeat her. And we weren't in the best shape to do that after battling a bunch of undead men that meant to keep us from entering the city.

I wasn't sure why they were there – either they were sent by Renata, since she ruled the city, or they were just territorial. I was willing to bet it was the former. Otherwise, how would they know we were there, on that highway, at that exact moment? The more I thought about it, the more I thought I was right.

Renata crossed the line one too many times. She created a diversion so she could try to kill Angela. Or both of us.

We were going to get some rest. And then we were going to find her and tear her head off her shoulders.

Grim satisfaction washed over me as I sagged against Connor and the driver was compelled to take us to yet another hotel.

### Chapter 48

Everyone's nerves were shot. But I could tell by the look on my best friend's face that she was feeling as overwhelmed as I did.

Sure, she looked like a deer in headlights for about five minutes, but when that wore off she reminded me how badass I was. The thousand voices whispered to me and gave us a way to break Renata's connection to us. It wasn't possible to accomplish it without her help.

It was one thing to come up with a solution, but it was another to see it work. My friends didn't have any reason to doubt me, but over the last several days, my ability to use magic was limited.

Either I didn't know how to accomplish something, or I was too depleted to offer much help because of the pregnancy. I was happy I was able to follow those whispered instructions.

Everything was happening so fast and we were powerless to stop it. The last thing I ever thought possible was a baby. And yet, there I was, sagging against my fiancé in utter exhaustion – both physically and emotionally – and pregnant.

We didn't need any fancy tests to prove there was a tiny fetus growing within me. Everyone could hear the heartbeat. Though Connor and I couldn't, their continued reassurances were enough for us. That was our positive pregnancy test.

Protecting the child and seeing it grow up was my top priority, but it was still a dangerous world. A difficult time to be pregnant. Let alone have a child.

Before I turned twenty-one I never thought I would find the love of my life so soon. Though we weren't married by human standards yet, we _were_ bound together.

There was still a part of me that wondered what could force Connor to leave. After everything I endured while growing up, it was still hard to grasp. Constant reminders in the darkest corners of my mind said that he was too good to be true. And no matter hard I tried, I couldn't push them out.

But there we were, a few days before Christmas. Bound, engaged, and pregnant. It was time we added marriage to that list.

My eyes flew open at the sound of my best friend's panicked voice.

When did I close my eyes?

"Peter?" she cried, moving to her feet faster than my eyes could follow. "Has anyone seen Peter?"

The blood drained from my face as I realized I forgot to check on the ghost. Before Renata's attack on the highway, I was looking for the boy with my magic.

I never found him.

Magic fanned out and I searched the bus for the ghost.

I felt everyone, all the undead from Liam's nest that came with us on our journey, the two undead we rescued from the mansion, William and Vlad on the floor in front of me, even Bugs, Shadow, and our human driver near the front of the bus.

But I didn't feel Peter.

There were various comments from the people on the bus that they didn't see him. And then my best friend's wide brown eyes met mine.

"I c-can't sense him," I whispered as tears filled my eyes.

How could I be so stupid?

I should've found Peter when I came around again. I should have kept track of him.

Tobias knelt down a few rows up and then stood. As he straightened, Connor's spelled red ball came into view in his outstretched hand, glowing with a faint white light.

That was Peter's favorite toy. He loved to play with Shadow and Bugs with that ball.

Massive tears fell from my eyes. Peter was gone. And I didn't have a clue where he went.

Did he leave on his own? Or was he taken?

Either scenario wasn't favorable for him or us. But if he was taken, I could only guess who was responsible. I didn't know how, because Voodoo wasn't something I studied, let alone fully understood, but considering everything else Renata could do, stealing a ghost didn't seem impossible.

Nothing was impossible.

"When was the last time anyone saw him?" Tobias asked.

Various answers called out and they said the same thing. The last time anyone saw him was before we stepped off the bus to face the undead men blocking the highway.

Other than the human driver that looked more like a zombie than a human, Bugs and the two vampires we rescued were the only ones that stayed on the bus with him.

One of the rescued vampires was catatonic from shock, and the other wasn't much better, I doubted they saw anything.

My eyes locked with Bugs's green eyes. His ears were back and his tail thumped against the floor. "Did you s-see what happened to him?"

A growl escaped from him, and it was more powerful than I thought the gray feline was capable of as he shook his head in a slow movement but kept his eyes locked with mine.

The Sphinx was pissed. And I didn't blame him. In the commotion, he lost track of him too.

I wasn't sure I wanted to know what Bugs would look like angry while in his true form. I shivered again and Connor's arms tightened around me.

"Okay," my best friend said, the emotion was plain on her face as she struggled to hold herself together.

Salvatore reached out and grasped her shoulders. "He will be fine," the werewolf promised her, but I could hear the doubt in his voice.

If I thought my best friend's mate was angry before, it was nothing compared to what I could see from him in that moment.

His eyes glowed with yellow, and fur started to sprout on his face as his aura blazed with emotion.

He wanted to rip something apart. And I couldn't blame him.

"Okay," my best friend repeated, but I didn't think she answered him. I wasn't sure she heard him at all. "I need to go to the _Spirit Realm_ to ask if they can locate him."

I forced the guilt and sadness down. "Wait. Is t-that a good idea?"

Her eyes met mine and her lip trembled. Confusion flashed across her features.

"Are you sure you want to tell them you adopted Peter?" I clarified.

I didn't think that Angela's grandfather would have a problem with it, but I didn't know him very well. Neither did she. It was possible we could ask my grandmother, but I didn't know how much power she held as a ghost in the _Spirit Realm_.

Did my grandmother have power there? My magic didn't work at all. And she was just a witch with a few Earthen traits before she died. But, then I remembered she was able to pull Angela to the realm and warn her that someone was coming for me.

My best friend chewed on her lip as she thought about my words. "Emma already knows. My grandfather isn't powerful enough to take Peter from us if he doesn't like it. And the worst they can say is no. Besides, I doubt they'll stand against me."

I nodded. "Then I'm coming with you."

My best friend blinked. "What?"

More tears fell from my eyes and I sniffed. If I could muster the energy to reach out and take her hand, I would. "Do you really think that I'm going to let you deal with this by yourself?"

"I'm coming too," Salvatore said as he squeezed her shoulders and moved around to face her. He took her hand. "You're not doing this alone."

"If you two are going, I'm going too," Connor said.

Tears spilled from my best friend's eyes as she took in the three of us that vowed to follow her, to stand by her side. Her life wasn't easy, and I knew how much it meant to her that we were there for her.

"Alright, then. Get comfortable," Angela sighed and sat down with Salvatore at her side, still holding her hand. After a shake of his gray body, Bugs walked toward us, sashaying his hips as he moved. My best friend scooted a little closer to me and reached across Vlad's unconscious body to grasp my hand.

Salvatore crossed his legs in front of him and hunched forward so that when Bugs would pull us out of our bodies, the werewolf wouldn't slump to the floor.

Connor shifted around and leaned against the side of the seat, supporting me, and then he reached out, taking Salvatore's hand to complete our circle.

The gray feline hopped up on Vlad and brushed his head against Angela's arm in the next instant, and everything went black.

I opened my eyes to see we were standing a few yards away from the fountain in the _Spirit Realm_ 's town square. When we were first brought to that place, a huge, grotesque statue stood in the middle of that dried up fountain. And it was alive. I was glad it didn't reappear after Angela destroyed it.

Everything around us held that same eerie sepia glow, and it looked like the sun just set over the horizon, but I couldn't place where it was. It looked the same.

My gaze flickered to my mate and I smiled at him, relieved that I felt more awake and alert than I did on the bus. And then I realized I wasn't frozen either. But as I turned the other way, I flinched and forgot what I was thinking about.

Vlad was with us.

The vampire was holding my hand, looking around. "What happened?"

It was Salvatore that answered, "What's the last thing you remember?"

"We were about to fight those imbeciles on the highway."

"We'll fill you in later, right now we have something more important to do," Angela said and dropped her hand, freeing the vampire from her grasp.

Salvatore didn't release her as she turned around to see Bugs standing there.

The Sphinx was quite a sight. For a creature that lived for at least five thousand years, he didn't look old. I wondered if he was forever frozen in that state, always looking young and commanding, like the undead.

A loud grumble erupted from his chest as Angela reached out and scratched under his chin. It was unlike any other sound I ever heard. It was like the engine of a tank in its last throes of life.

I couldn't help myself. I grinned at him.

He smiled back at me, revealing sharp lion's teeth in his human mouth. But it didn't scare me. "For the record, I am not undead."

I blinked. The Sphinx read my mind. My grin widened, despite myself.

My best friend called out, "Ghost King? Emma?"

As if someone flipped a light switch, the two ghosts flickered into view next to Bugs, like they were standing there the entire time.

"What do you need, Angela Williams?" Emma asked. Her lips didn't move, and it was as if her voice came from outside, not within.

It was disturbing, to say the least.

Though I couldn't be sure how everyone else felt about it I squeezed Connor's hand and he squeezed back in reassurance.

Those ghosts wouldn't hurt us. They weren't under Renata's influence any longer, but those little details didn't sit right with me.

"I need help finding a ghost," my best friend said, pulling my attention away from my thoughts.

The ghost of her grandfather nodded, "Ah, Peter."

Angela sucked in a breath as ice slid down my spine. But it was Salvatore that spoke first. "You knew about him?"

"Of course I did."

I studied the king of ghosts, but I couldn't tell how he felt about the situation.

As if he noticed our unease, he raised his hands in the universal signal for surrender, "I do not mind that you adopted the boy. I am proud of you, Angela." The ghost smiled and reached out to take her hand. "Ghosts in this realm are not often children. But when they die like Peter did, sometimes they end up here. The boy deserved another chance to live."

"Do you know where he is?" Angela asked. Her voice cracked at the end and I could see by the rigid posture of her spine that she was struggling to hold her emotions in check. I wasn't sure she expected her grandfather's words.

My gaze flickered to Emma. She remained quiet as she watched my best friend with unwavering eyes.

I let go of Connor's hand and stepped around Vlad to speak to the ghosts. "We were fighting and lost track of him – I lost track of him," I corrected. "We need to find him and we were hoping you could do that since my magic doesn't work on ghosts."

That caught Emma's attention and she looked at me. "You can use your magic on ghosts?" she asked in that same eerie fashion without moving her mouth.

"I can sense them." I shrugged, "I could sense Peter, and the wraiths we encountered, but I can't do that here."

Ghost King nodded as he rubbed his chin. "That is very interesting."

Just as I was about to ask what he meant, he waved his hand in a gesture that reminded me of Liam when we veered off topic. Pangs of sadness and anxiety that we still needed to save the vampire washed over me, but I forced them down.

"No matter," Ghost King continued. "We have kept watch and we do not know how, but he is in New Orleans with Renata. I am sorry." He shook his head with a solemn expression.

A growl erupted from Bugs and I jumped about three feet in the air from the sudden terror that washed over me. Connor was there in the next instant with one hand on my shoulder with his thumb caressing the back of my neck while the other grasped my hand and squeezed.

Bugs wasn't angry with me. I knew that. But the sound was so loud and menacing, I couldn't help my reaction.

"I was the one that was with him," the Sphinx growled. "I was watching the fight and did not notice he was taken."

My best friend's shoulders shook. "Well, at least we know where to find him. We need to get back."

Though I was surprised at how well she was reigning in her emotions, I still wasn't expecting her eyes when she turned around to face us.

They were ice blue, and swimming with rage.

### Chapter 49

By the time we made it back to our bodies, the sun was set and the bus wasn't moving. But the emotions remained.

Everyone was distraught by what happened to Peter and, with the exception of the human driver that still looked more like a hypnotized zombie than a human, everyone was watching us and waiting for the news.

Pure rage seethed from my best friend and her mate as they straightened. Angela's eyes were still that pale blue and Salvatore's were yellow while his aura swirled with that same green and gray light.

At some point while we were out, William regained consciousness and was watching from a seat behind Salvatore. Vlad was still on the floor and Bugs was using the vampire's stomach as a stretching board as I glanced down.

I thought I heard tiny little pops from the cat before he jumped down and moved toward Shadow. The gray ball of fur rubbed against his legs. The werewolf whined as he looked down and rubbed the side of his face against the cat.

Angela let go of my hand and looked around with those eerie eyes. "Peter is with Renata. That's all we know."

My best friend wasn't hard to read. At least not for me. She was overwhelmed with fear and grief over the ghost, but she was channeling anger.

That was her defense mechanism, I learned over the years. She was more prone to hide her true feelings behind anger or humor. She was too emotional to crack jokes in that moment. That how shaken she was.

Though Connor and I didn't adopt Peter, we still cared about him. With my heightened emotions, if she felt anything like I did about the boy's disappearance, I wanted nothing more than to rescue him in that moment.

I needed the ghost of that little boy to be safe in his parent's arms. And I wasn't sure if I could rest before that happened.

The loss of the triplets, Puffle's three eldest children, was unbearable. I didn't want to know how I'd feel if Renata killed Peter just to hurt Angela.

I didn't want to find out.

Though I was still shivering from the cold that coursed through my system, anger and fear filled me with renewed interest as I realized that Angela and Salvatore would be devastated if Peter was killed. Permanently.

Their control was thin as it was, I was pretty sure that instead of sleeping, they might use the night to their advantage and run in their wolf forms.

Sometimes I ran to blow off steam. And I felt that itch to run, to clear my head, but I couldn't even sit up on my own, I was so drained.

In their own ways, Angela, Salvatore, and Peter deserved happiness as a family. They each went through hard lives before they found each other.

And if that was taken from them so soon after they found each other, it would ruin them. It would ruin me to see it.

I was already feeling the brunt of the emotions and Peter wasn't mine. I still loved him, like every other member of our dysfunctional family. But he was a child. Even if he was a ghost.

Connor's arms wrapped around me and held me together. His strength kept me from falling to pieces right then and there. It wasn't my place to do that. It was Angela's. And I was grateful for the strength he offered me.

Then William sat forward, pulling my gaze up from somewhere off in the distance beyond my best friend. "Tobias told me what happened. I am sorry for my actions. Both my words and hurting you."

I couldn't process the ghoul's words as he spoke them. I needed to repeat them in my head to make sure I understood him.

Though he didn't come out and say it, I was certain that his actions were meant to throw us off and create a diversion so that Angela and I would fight to the death.

The words incited my anger, but deep down, I realized it wasn't something William would have said under different circumstances. He never once questioned my abilities before.

Renata meant to set me on edge. And she succeeded. Instead of just using my magic to snap the necks of the undead men, ending the fight in a matter of seconds, I allowed the fight to happen, just to allow our group let out a little steam over everything that happened over the last several days.

If I was being honest with myself, after William's words, even I felt the need to do a little fighting.

I wasn't sure how William ended up under her control, but he was. Maybe it was when he was hurt by the wraiths in Jackson. But it didn't matter.

Everything that happened was a set up so she could use Vlad's connection to me and seize control of my body. And use William to remove variables like Connor from the equation.

For the first time since I started feeling the effects of being pregnant, I was glad that a wave of dizziness washed over me and broke Dracula's connection to me. I believed it was the only reason I didn't kill Angela.

But I couldn't respond. It no longer mattered what happened, or what William said. It was Renata.

After several long moments, Connor was the one that spoke, "Thank you. We know it wasn't your fault."

There was silence for a long time and I opened my eyes as everyone started unloading the bus.

I closed my eyes again. Did I fall asleep?

My eyes focused on the building outside the bus. The building looked old and held all the flair of a French Quarter hotel I thought possible.

From what I could tell, the windows were encased in wrought iron, and old lanterns hung from big brackets between each window on the bottom floor were lit by flame, not light bulbs.

I wasn't sure how comfortable I felt staying in a hotel room right in the middle of Renata's kingdom, but it was too late to worry about that as Connor shifted around and lifted me as he stood.

His strong arms were wrapped around my back and underneath my knees as he moved and I leaned my head against him, listening to the beat of his heart.

I struggled to keep my eyes open as I heard the sounds of people partying in the street and within the opened windows and doors to the bars that lined the street. Jazz music traveled to my ears and I wished in that moment we could have visited the old city under different circumstances.

It was so rich in history and culture that I wanted to explore it. Even its cemeteries. There were so many stories to tell, even after Hurricane Katrina, and I wanted to learn about it all.

As Connor carried me through the halls of the hotel and up the ornate steps to the third floor, I began to doze while I shivered, thinking that the interior was just as I imagined from outside its walls.

Just before sleep took me away, I heard the faint sounds of my best friend's sobs and my heart broke for her.

As the blackness enveloped me, I thought I felt cool tears slide down my face.

### Chapter 50

There was a dim awareness of what was going on around me, but I couldn't respond to it. I was too exhausted.

Connor kept his hold on me until the sounds of chatting started to fade in the distance. They didn't seem as fatigued as I was. Not even my mate.

Neither one of us slept much since we realized Liam and Jon were missing. I wasn't sure I understood how he was still on his feet, let alone carrying me with ease, like always.

I snuggled tighter against him and splayed my hand on his chest as I breathed in his scent. Even half asleep, I couldn't stop touching him, reassuring myself that he was still there. Still with me.

It wasn't something I needed to worry about. He never left my side. But knowing and believing were two different things. After what happened when I was a child, believing that he would remain by my side was hard to do. Even after he proved to me time and time again that he would stay.

And he bound with me, which no one would do unless it was real.

But yet, I still feared the day, I would wake up and find him gone. That was why, in moments like that, nearly unconscious from exhaustion, I reassured myself I was in his arms.

He noticed my unease as I shifted toward him because his arms tightened around me. Then he whispered, "We're almost there."

I didn't respond. Even if I tried, I didn't think it was possible. Exhaustion gripped me and refused to let me go. So I did the only thing I could.

Inhaling, I reveled in his scent once more. Wood smoke was always relaxing to me, even as a child when I spent time with my mother and grandmother by a crackling fire. It was one of the few times I felt safe and protected while I was little.

It didn't come as a surprise that Connor and his scent elicited that same feeling from me.

Wood smoke was a representation of his strength. The care he offered me without complaint or any shred of hesitation. Even in the beginning, he was that way.

While I was little, I was spelled to forget some of the best memories I had. With those memories, I lost that feeling of peace and safety. They weren't taken from me out of malice, but to protect me from knowing what I would become.

Earthen.

A small piece of those memories returned when he brought me to my grandmother's clearing. Though I didn't know him well, it didn't stop me from turning to him without hesitation when a wave of despair washed over me. He comforted me, waiting until I calmed down to find out what happened.

A door closed behind us and the flip of a lock sounded into the quiet space around us and I wondered if we reached our room. But I still couldn't open my eyes.

There wasn't anything I wanted more than to curl up in Connor's arms and sleep the night away.

He bent down and deposited me on something so soft it felt like a cloud wrapped in silk. Maybe that was what it was. A bed never felt so good before.

At first, I didn't want to let him go, but he whispered, "I'm just going to get us situated. I'm not going anywhere."

I sighed and released the handfuls of his shirt I didn't realize I was holding in a vice grip so tight my knuckles were probably white. My boots pulled away from my feet and then I felt nothing.

Except for the pull in my stomach.

He was still there. And if I knew him well enough, he was removing his boots and clothes. But I never heard the sound of a zipper or the thump of his heavy boots falling to the floor. Just as I was beginning to wonder what he was doing, I felt him move closer.

Something pressed into the mattress on the other side of me and the sheets were pulled out from beneath me. Then a knock sounded at the door.

"You've got to be kidding me," Connor muttered and the weight lifted from the bed.

A sigh escaped from him and he unlocked the door. Though the hinges didn't groan as the door swung open, I could still feel the air pressure change.

I wasn't sure who was at our door. But it knew it was a vampire or ghoul from the empty pocket of energy I sensed in my head.

"She's exhausted, Vlad. Can this wait?"

What does Dracula want?

"Tobias explained to me what happened in detail. I want to apologize, but I also want to share with you what I know about Earthen pregnancies since Liam is not here to do that for me."

That caught my attention.

Forcing my heavy eyes to open, I couldn't muster up the energy to sit up, but I managed to turn toward the two men and looked through bleary eyes up at them. "First of all, it wasn't your fault. I fixed it so you aren't connected to her anymore," I breathed.

I wasn't sure if I was awake, looking at the two men still standing by the doorway, or if I was dreaming.

The vampire's deep blue eyes met mine and flashed in the low light. He smiled. It was genuine and reminded me so much of his son.

It was rare to see Liam smile. But when he did, it could stop a heart from beating. Though I couldn't recall Dracula ever smiling in my presence before, I could, at last, see the family resemblance.

And just like his son, his smile was something to remember.

Though in that moment, I couldn't muster a smile in return. The corners of my lips lifted into a slight grin. It was the best I could do.

"And for that, I am eternally grateful," the vampire bowed.

An unladylike snort escaped me as I shivered again. I wasn't as cold as I was, but I was still freezing. "You're in the running for taking the crown on most attempts taken on my life, Vlad. You should be proud."

The vampire blinked, tipped his head back, and then erupted into guffaws.

Connor grinned at me and though he wasn't laughing, his shoulders shook from the suppressed mirth as his aura flamed with light blue.

"Ahhh," the vampire said as his chortling trailed off, reminding me of his son. "Touché, my dear."

Another reminder that made me forget why Vlad dropped by our room for an impromptu visit. A fresh pang of homesickness and longing for Liam washed over me.

And I began to wonder if we would ever see him again.

### Chapter 51

The smile faded from Dracula's mouth as he realized why I was upset. "Do not lament him, my dear. He is alive and we will find him."

I nodded as I took a deep breath, trying to keep the tears that burned my eyes from spilling over.

Vlad turned to face Connor again, "I can come back later if you like. It is not necessary for you to know about Earthen pregnancies yet."

I almost forgot about that. But before I could muster a response, since I was too busy trying not to cry, Connor said, "I think we'd both like to hear what you know."

"Yeah," I breathed, but I knew the two men standing across the room heard me. They even caught the sarcasm in my voice. I wasn't sure if Vlad understood because we met him only two days before, but Connor did.

As a writer, to be confounded with words was rare for me. It was embarrassing, to be honest.

With a small nod of understanding, Vlad moved deeper into the room while Connor closed the door and locked it behind him.

The vampire moved to a small desk that sat against the wall across from me and pulled out the ornate, hand carved chair I didn't notice before. It looked more expensive than half the furniture in my home combined.

Then I realized that the desk was the same style as the chair. It was beautiful. A dark, solid wood that gleamed. And it did nothing but accentuate its intricate details. It held all the flair of furniture I would expect to see in the historic French Quarter. And it looked at least a century old.

To save me from trying – and failing – to pull myself into a sitting position, Connor crossed the room to me and lifted me up so I could sit against him. His arms wrapped around me and held firm as we both waited for the vampire to begin.

"Though I did not know many Earthens before they were killed, even fewer I encountered bore children. Most of what I know, I learned from my mother. So take it as you please."

I didn't know exactly what he was talking about, but I could guess. For humans, though the stages and timelines were consistent for the most part, each pregnancy was different in terms of how the mothers experienced it.

Following that logic, it was possible that my situation could be different than Dracula's mother. But he wouldn't be telling us what he knew if it wasn't relevant.

"Go on," Connor said as his thumb caressed the back of my hand.

"My mother willed herself to be fertile, and my father knew what she was, despite his status with the Order of the Dragon. And yet, he did not care. He approved of her decision to bear a child and was happy she reared a son for him. But in the early stages, about the time as you were when you rescued me, her undead guards began to notice my existence."

The vampire laced his fingers in front of him and went on. "Her energy was lower, but not just her physical energy. Her power waned faster, which was not common for her."

That wasn't a surprise to me. Even I noticed that my unlimited power was, at last, reaching its limits. I blamed it on fatigue and injuries, but it made sense if it was due to the baby.

"She did not tell me much else about the early stages, but it was what came later that is much different than human pregnancies."

My lips twitched. Vlad and Liam were so alike, there could never be a question that they were father and son. Liam loved to beat around the bush and take his time getting to the point. His father was no different.

I waited, knowing he would reach it eventually.

"She was three months pregnant when I was born."

"Wait, what?" Connor blurted.

The vampire nodded his head. "That is correct."

"That doesn't make any sense, other children born from supernaturals aren't born that fast."

"That is also correct. The normal timeline of _others_ is around six months."

"So why is it so fast for Earthens?" I asked, feeling like I was just zapped with a car battery, or that I just drank several cups of coffee.

"You are Earthen, my dear. You are more powerful than anything else. Your metabolism is higher than that of any _others_. So when you reproduce, it is at a much faster rate."

My mind was reeling. How could it be possible? I knew my metabolism was high, but I never dreamed it was quite that high.

That was not something I expected to hear, even despite knowing that only two weeks after conception everyone with advanced hearing could hear the tiny heartbeat.

I ran the math in my head, based on what I knew of human pregnancies, and tried to fathom the baby's development and arrival. Something didn't add up.

"Wait a second. The timeline doesn't make sense to me. Why is it that everyone is just now hearing the heartbeat? The heart should have developed earlier based on what you're telling me."

The vampire nodded again and a small smile spread across his lips. "That is correct, my dear. But the heart was still too small to be detected. Our hearing, though advanced, is not without limitations, is it not?"

If what Vlad was saying was right, that meant it wouldn't be long before I would start feeling the baby move, and my belly would grow at an alarming rate.

That thought was both exhilarating and terrifying.

Three months was much too fast.

Connor and I stayed silent as we absorbed the information.

"To everyone but my father, the undead that guarded her, and the healer that assisted with her delivery, everyone thought I died when my mother went into labor," the vampire went on. "But, to their surprise, I was fully developed and one of the largest babies ever born in our city. It was believed at first by the humans that perhaps I was ill with some disease. But I never showed any signs that I was not healthy, and they considered it a miracle. In time, however, they forgot all about my early arrival."

Dracula's deep blue eyes flashed once more. "Now that you know, I want to tell you why I really stopped by your room tonight."

His words snapped me out of my reverie. He said he came to apologize and share what he knew about Earthen pregnancies. I wasn't expecting more.

"What else is there?" Connor asked before I could.

"My mother passed along a few traits that have proved useful to me over the years."

That wasn't a news flash. We knew he was different. Even by vampire standards.

Dracula stood up and smiled. "How would you like to hear your baby's heartbeat?"

### Chapter 52

The blood drained from my face and I forgot that I was cold. I forgot that I was so exhausted I couldn't even sit up on my own.

"Come again?" I said.

"You would like to hear the baby's heartbeat, would you not?" the vampire repeated each word in slow succession.

"You can do that?" Connor asked, but the tone in his voice caught my attention. I heard wonder.

Though I was leaning against his chest with his strong arms around me, I could see his aura blazed with white. White wasn't common in terms of auras. It meant hope, power, and for objects, light magic.

If Connor felt anything like I did in that moment, Vlad was probably blinded by the sheer magnitude of our auras. It was a good thing I couldn't see mine undulating around me. Ever since we found out, I wanted to hear the baby's heartbeat.

"Indeed I can," the vampire responded.

I was still speechless. I never thought that was possible, and I still wasn't sure how he could manage it. Even if he could, I didn't know how we could hear it with our ears.

"How?" Connor asked, but his voice cracked a little at the end.

"My blood connection to you," the vampire nodded toward me. "It allows me to link with your mind."

I already knew that much, but his abilities involved hypnotism. The more I thought about it, the more it seemed unlikely that Dracula could do that for us.

If it was possible to hear the heartbeat at all, _sight_ was my only option. I would have to use it on someone with impeccable hearing and hope I could immerse myself in their senses so deep that I would pick up on it through their ears.

But I doubted that would work. When I _saw_ Liam trapped in that warehouse, I heard what was going on around him better than my human ears could, but it wasn't enough to hear something like a heartbeat.

The same thing happened when I _saw_ through Salvatore the first time I met the werewolf. Though my senses were altered, as if I knew what I tasted and smelled, it wasn't enhanced enough to accomplish what Vlad was suggesting.

The hope that coursed through my veins like liquid adrenaline faded away and sadness replaced it. "I don't think that's possible, Vlad. You can't hypnotize me to make my ears work better."

Dracula shook his head. "You do not understand, my dear. That is not my only ability."

Anger washed over me. But it wasn't from my ignorance about the vampire that stood in front of us. It was because Dracula gave us hope. "Okay, I'll bite, what is it that you can do that I can't?"

"It is similar to _sight_ , but not the same. No one knows of this ability, and I have only used it once before."

"When?" I asked in accusation and squeezed Connor's hand to reign in my anger.

It wasn't fair to be angry with the vampire, and I knew it. Though Connor remained silent, I think he understood my frustration, but judging by the white that still swirled in his aura – despite the fact that it was lessening in intensity and beginning to shift into a sad, dark blue – I thought he still believed the vampire could do what he claimed.

Or he was holding on to hope, despite my doubts.

"During my time as a human we did not have any machinery to allow us to hear such minute things nor could we see our children in the womb. But when my love was pregnant with Liam and due to give birth any day, I connected with her."

I shook my head, remembering the history of the infamous vampire. "Unless all the lore I've read about you is false, you weren't a vampire yet, how could you use a blood connection with her?"

"Correct, my dear, I was not turned until Liam was six years old."

"So how is it possible?"

I still hated the way I was talking to him. It wasn't his fault my emotions were taken through the wringer and then hurled through a roller coaster without any restraints.

"My abilities were there while I was human, but they were not as potent. I was connected to my love _because_ of Liam. That allowed me to connect with her and amplify the sound of his heart beating so we could both hear it. You must understand my life has not been an easy one. That moment was one of the happiest of my life. I would like you to experience the same."

Just like that, my anger fell away. I knew of Dracula's history, and I knew his life was difficult. Even from an early age, he spent time in enemy captivity. If his words were genuine, then he just revealed how much he loved his son.

If I had to guess, I thought Liam was the best thing that happened to him. I didn't ask because I didn't think I needed to, with the way Vlad looked in that moment as he recalled the memory.

I still wasn't convinced that the vampire could do it, but from his expression of wonder, I couldn't deny myself the chance.

"Your blood connection gives you a stronger hold, doesn't it?" Connor asked.

Dracula's deep blue eyes flickered to him. "Indeed it does."

I took a deep breath and shivered again. "What do we need to do?"

He stood up and stepped closer. A long, pale hand reached out and I noticed a few tiny, raised white scars that crisscrossed his flesh. I didn't doubt that Vlad's life was difficult while he was human. I wasn't sure I could have survived it, if I went through the same.

I took his hand, which felt warm against my chilled skin and power zinged up my arm. Though the vampire wasn't a witch, he still possessed some power. I doubted I would have the luxury of meeting every last vampire that existed, but I believed the man standing in front of me was the most unique in history.

His deep blue eyes locked with mine and my mind went blank. I felt him, pressing against my mind. It resisted like a balloon, but then he broke through and my body flinched. But he didn't let go.

The seconds ticked by as my mind remained blank, clear of all thought. And then I heard something.

It was a faint fluttering that sounded like the wings of a tiny bird in flight.

The sound reminded me of Puffle's youngest children fluttering around us, before their wails filled the air when they realized their eldest siblings were dead.

Sadness washed over me at the memory and then I realized what I was hearing.

That was my baby.

Connor's baby.

Its tiny heart was beating within me. And I could hear it.

Too soon, the vampire released my hand and my mind rushed to life. Tears filled my eyes and spilled over in the same instant I forgot how to breathe.

I wasn't cold anymore, but that was the least of my worries. I just heard my baby's heart beating and it was the most beautiful sound I ever heard.

Connor's arms moved and before I realized what he was doing, he turned me to face him. His eyes searched mine, silently pleading for me to tell him if it worked.

A jagged breath pulled into my lungs and I tried to keep myself from sobbing. I couldn't talk. I didn't think I would be capable of that for some time.

The sheer emotions that wracked through my system, took that ability from me, just as it caused me to shudder. More tears spilled as I managed to nod and Connor pulled me into his arms in the next instant.

"You heard it. I can't believe it," he whispered and buried his face into the curve of my shoulder.

My mind was still whirling, and I didn't know how long we stayed like that until Connor pulled away.

To my surprise, Dracula still stood there, waiting for us. I didn't sense him because I was too overwhelmed to keep track of him.

The vampire's deep blue gaze flickered to my fiancé. "If you wish, I can repeat it with you, but we must first establish a blood connection."

"Whatever you need," Connor said without hesitation and held out his arm.

I would have laughed at the speed of his movement if I still wasn't so overwhelmed with my own emotions.

Vlad smiled, revealing twin, needle sharp fangs as he took Connor's hand and lowered his mouth to the wrist that was offered to him. Though Connor hissed as the vampire bit into his flesh, he didn't protest.

After a few moments, Dracula pulled back and pierced the pad of his thumb over a fang. He pressed it against the two spots on my mate's wrist and the wounds disappeared.

"That's it?" Connor asked.

The vampire nodded.

Reaching out, Vlad took Connor's hand and they both froze as they stared at each other.

I watched the man I loved and saw his aura shift from white to purple as the vampire established the connection and then sadness washed over him with a deep, dark blue. The sound reminded him of the pixies too. But then the white flared back to life with a vengeance.

Fresh tears filled my eyes.

Connor heard our baby's heart beating.

Vlad was right. It was one of the happiest moments of my life.

And I knew it was the same for Connor.

### Chapter 53

Before Vlad released Connor's hand, my gaze flickered to the clock on the bedside table. If I was reading it right, it was only eight in the evening.

I was so overwhelmed by everything that happened over the last several days. First, there was Liam and Jon's absence, then realizing we were dealing with Renata yet again. Through all of her various and albeit creative attempts to either kill me, Angela, or both of us, so far she failed.

If it weren't for my pregnancy and dealing with some intense symptoms from it, the Voodoo Queen of New Orleans might have succeeded only a few hours earlier. That was a scary thought.

But what was worse, Peter was gone. After dealing with pain and loss from everything that happened since I turned twenty-one, another loss wasn't something I thought I could handle.

First, my grandmother sacrificed herself to ensure I would transition into an Earthen witch. More Kramer Scholars and MDM mercenaries than I cared to count were dead because of their goal to rid me of the Earth. I watched countless people die through dream- _sights_ – most of which were the demon's doing as he moved East from California to Illinois, devouring souls along the way, but there were a few others, courtesy of Connor's ex, before she was murdered, and my step-father, before I was forced to kill him.

It didn't stop there. Seven vampires were killed in the battle against the demon. Six of which I was able to resurrect as ghouls, but the beautiful blonde vampire that Jon loved was gone forever.

And then there were the triplets, killed in the same battle to save Connor's life. The first time I met them, I liked them. It was devastating when they were lost.

I didn't think I could handle losing Peter.

My best friend wouldn't fare any better.

But there we were, sitting in a hotel room within the famous French Quarter – right in the middle of Renata's kingdom – with Vlad.

He gave us the ability to hear our baby's heartbeat and gave us some valuable, yet shocking information about the baby's imminent arrival.

Though I was still worried about the ghost of the little boy, I was overwhelmed with joy by what Vlad just did for us.

That was our baby.

When Vlad released Connor's hand, he disappeared from the room without another word. Though I didn't know the notorious vampire too well, I was beginning to like him. Even more than before.

He knew the importance of that moment, how invaluable his gift was. And he didn't need a response.

After experiencing the same gift with his unborn son, he knew what we felt in that moment.

We could always thank him later.

Nothing else mattered but being there with Connor.

When his eyes opened, I noticed two things, though I wasn't surprised by either of them, and I sucked in a breath.

First, his eyes were watering with unshed tears as a smile spread across his face. And his eyes weren't that same, dark brown color.

They were white.

Tiny sparks arced across his fingertips and the small lights in the room brightened a little with the added electricity flowing from him.

" _I heard it_ ," he whispered with the thousand voices. " _I can't believe I heard it_."

His hands flashed out and held my face. Power leaked from him and I felt the bumps on the back of my head lessening in size before the magic fell away, and the smile faded from his lips.

Then, those white eyes darkened back to brown. "But I still can't heal you." He dropped his hands.

Before I realized I moved, I was on Connor's lap, straddling him and hugging him as tight as I could. My arms were locked in a death grip around his neck, but he didn't protest. His arms wrapped around my middle and held me against him. "I love you so much, Connor," I breathed as I blinked tears from my eyes. "And for the record, you might not have healed me completely, but it _did_ work. I felt it."

Connor inhaled and nodded into my shoulder. "It wasn't enough, but it was a start. I love you."

Though I wasn't sure how long we sat like that, holding each other together like it was the last thing we would ever do, but at some point, I started to doze off in his lap.

A small chuckle escaped him and he released me, helping me extricate my arms and legs from around him. He settled me back in the bed and by the time he laid down next to me, I was almost asleep.

I couldn't say anything, and I could barely move.

The intense cold that wracked through my body most of the evening was gone after I heard the tiny fluttering heartbeat within me, but the increased adrenaline wore off and left exhaustion behind with a vengeance.

There was just enough time for Connor to settle into the bed next to me and pull me into his arms so I could rest my head on his chest and listen to his heartbeat before sleep pulled me so deep, I wasn't aware of anything happening around me.

Darkness surrounded me one instant, and in the next, my eyes were open. The room was dark, but my eyes were still able to see the walls around me.

There was nothing but mortared concrete stones that looked like they were saturated with more water than they could hold. Water droplets trickled down their rough sides.

Tight iron shackles were around my wrists and ankles and I was pulled into a spread-eagle position against those unforgiving stones.

Though I wasn't in agony, I felt a deep ache in my arms from fresh, deep wounds were cut in them as I heard the steady sounds of dripping from either side of me.

It didn't take a genius to know where I was.

I was in the middle of another dream- _sight_. And Liam was the subject of my vision once more.

He breathed something so low I wondered for a moment if I heard him, but he repeated it and I caught it as if he shouted it. "Deeper," he said in that same old world accent as his father. That's when I knew what he wanted.

Pushing into his mind, I heard his thoughts, _Aisling?_

I'm here. Are you okay?

I am fine. Renata visited me an hour ago, and she had Peter with her. She pulled him into her body right in front of me. I am so sorry, my dear.

Even though I was in Liam's head in the middle of a dream- _sight_ , it didn't stop me from sucking in air at the news.

A wave of sadness washed over me as I realized Peter might be lost forever. Much like dark witches absorbed souls for more power, Renata's goals with the wraiths were similar. If the boy didn't possess her, it didn't bode well for him.

Renata's entire goal was to grow stronger. Strong enough to beat Angela, and me. To either take our power for her own. Or destroy us.

Was it possible that Peter was just another essence – in ghost form – that she could take to increase her power?

I wasn't sure I wanted to know and more sadness washed over me.

Do not fret, my dear. I believe the boy is fine because she did not gloat to me about destroying him. She is not the kind of person that would not share such accomplishments to someone in my position.

_However,_ Liam continued, _she sipped on my blood as she questioned me._

What did she ask you?

Her questions were different than the others, and based on that, I believe I know her plan. But you must be careful, my dear. It will be extremely dangerous to confront her here.

Even though it was unnecessary, I sighed. _I think all of us will probably fight over who gets to rip off her head, Liam. I don't think you need to worry about that._

Very well, my dear. This is what I know....

### Chapter 54

As I woke up, I shot out of bed like a cannon. Connor woke up a little slower, but he was on full alert as he saw I was pulling on my boots.

"What's wrong?" he asked, then paused. "Why does it feel like we're out of time?"

"Because we are. Get ready. We need to end this. Now. And I think I know exactly what we need to do," I said with a grin as I pulled my messy hair into a tight bun at the back of my head.

Connor was a blur of motion as he pulled on his boots, and less than a minute later, we were out the door.

"Which room is Angela and Salvatore's?" I asked him.

From somewhere behind us, down the hall, a door swung open. "What is it?" Salvatore said.

Connor and I spun around and we walked to their room.

The werewolf stepped aside to let us in, and I wasn't at all surprised to see that their room looked the same as ours. Right down to the door that led to the balcony that wrapped around the entire building.

Angela was sitting on the bed, still fully clothed as she stared at the floor and my heart sank.

The door closed behind us and I said, "Going for a run didn't help?" From what I understood of werewolves and Angela's new abilities, running as a wolf was supposed to help her feel better. Just like it did while she was human before all of her changes began.

It was Salvatore that answered. "Not especially."

I moved toward my best friend and knelt down on the floor in front of her. "I had another dream- _sight_ of Liam. Peter is with Renata."

My best friend's eyes shifted to ice blue as her gaze locked with mine. "What?" she growled.

I held out my hands in surrender. "Liam believes Peter is fine, but that's not why I'm here. Renata asked Liam some specific questions about the things you could do with your abilities on a bigger scale than ghosts and wraiths. He believes he knows what she's planning for us next. And if he's right, I have a plan."

A small, devilish grin spread across my best friend's face, but it wasn't a happy smile. There was bloodlust behind it.

It wasn't directed at me, but it still sent a shiver of fear down my spine.

"What's your plan?"

Fifteen minutes later, Angela, Salvatore, and Connor were looking at me with expressions I could only describe as the aftermath of unwrapping the best Christmas present they ever received.

Both the auras emitted from Salvatore and my mate swirled with orange as they recovered.

"We need to get to work," the werewolf said and then called out into the room. "Anyone awake that can hear this better get your asses in gear and wake everyone up. We're leaving in a half hour."

I cast my magic out and I could tell some of them heard the werewolf's deep baritone voice. Those empty, yet energized pockets of space that I knew as the undead were a blur of motion as they did as Salvatore asked and woke up the others.

With one quick glance at the clock, I realized it was nearly midnight. Connor and I only managed a nap, but it was enough to get us through the night and what was to come.

Standing up, I moved to stand next to Connor as Angela moved in a blur to the door. It swung open in the next instant and she called out, "Bugs, I need you in here. Now."

She left it open as she returned to the bed and sat against the massive tufted headboard. The gray ball of fur sashayed into the room a moment later and said, "Meh," in a half meow as he moved toward her.

Though the Sphinx couldn't speak in his feline form, it wasn't hard to figure out what he was saying with that sound. He wasn't aware of the plan, but whatever was going on, I thought he could feel the excited energy of the four of us in the room and the flurry of activity outside those walls.

The cat hopped onto the bed and curled up in Angela's lap, looking up at her with intelligent green eyes. She started speaking a moment later.

By the time she informed him of the plan, he was sitting up and staring at her with an expression I couldn't place. If I had to guess, I would say he was both impressed and amazed by her words.

"Do you think that's possible?" my best friend asked the Sphinx.

"Meh," he replied with a dip of his head that we all took as a nod. Then, he curled up in her lap, looking up at my best friend. She nodded and in the next instant, they both went limp.

They were going to the _Spirit Realm_.

If what they were about to do would work, then before the sun came up, we would save Jon and Liam, and Renata would be dead.

I just hoped no one else would suffer the same fate.

### Chapter 55

Salvatore stood next to Connor and we watched in silence as my best friend and her cat looked like they were sleeping on the bed. But we knew better.

They were in the _Spirit Realm_. With luck, by the time they returned, we would have the upper hand in the war against Renata. Hope flared within me and Connor draped his arm over my shoulder. If I was being honest with myself, I was still scared out of my mind if Liam's words were right.

That night was going to be one of the hardest of my life. Even considering the torture and fighting a demon with no other mission but to destroy the world and take me with it.

Though the world wasn't in danger – at least not yet – we were all going to be in a situation I never in my wildest dreams thought I would face in my life.

Connor's rule of _everything is possible_ never steered us wrong before. And Liam was one of the last to embrace it.

If what Liam told me was right, then we were going to need some open minds, more weapons than we could carry, and hope like hell we could get to Renata and stop her before we were all killed.

If we could get to her that night, before dawn, we might have a chance to stop her before she could attack us.

As was my nature, I wouldn't leave anyone behind to suffer. And Liam knew that I wouldn't kill unless it was essential for a better future.

In the weeks since I found myself in a world I never knew existed, I was forced to kill, but it was all a necessity. Meant to protect me and the ones I care about.

I knew that. He knew that.

Running headlong into something I knew would be a trap wasn't a good idea, but I could never leave Liam and Jon behind.

That still left one key part of the puzzle.

I looked up at Salvatore, standing a foot taller than me as he watched his mate's body, wondering what was happening in the _Spirit Realm_. She was capable of taking one or all of us with her, but time was short and we hoped that what she needed was possible.

But not only that. We needed something else. Something Angela couldn't do for us.

"Salvatore," I said and waited until he dragged his eyes away from his mate to look at me. His eyes were dotted with yellow.

It wasn't surprising or disturbing.

It was intimidating, but in a way that made me respect the werewolf even more. He was on guard. Ready to protect his mate and the Sphinx if needed.

"What do you need?" he asked.

My lips twitched at the memory of something Angela told me not long before Liam and Jon went missing. "Sniff out Vlad for us?"

Connor's aura shifted to light blue as the same color started to bleed into the green that seemed burned into Salvatore's aura.

The corners of his mouth lifted into a grin as he remembered. Before he bound with Angela, he didn't take her teasing comment well, but after, he started to take the teasing banter with ease. And just as I hoped, he didn't growl at me.

He was nothing like a bloodhound. And we all knew it. The reference was to his enhanced nose, which was more advanced than a bloodhound.

For effect, his nostrils flared and his grin widened.

"What do you need, my dear?" the vampire in question said and we turned to look at him, standing in the open doorway.

His long, thick brown hair fell past his shoulders in gentle waves. Dark blue eyes flashed as he took in the room and what was happening.

"I take it you have a plan, do you not?" Dracula asked as he stepped through the threshold.

My head lifted in the affirmative. "But this will only work if you are willing to help. You just have to hear me out, okay?"

Confusion flashed across his features, but I didn't say anything else. I was waiting for him to decide if he wanted to hear it.

"Tell me," he said after a long moment and shut the door behind him.

We needed to stall Renata if only for a few minutes, and for our plan to work, Vlad was the key.

I hated suggesting it, because of everything he experienced in his life, but the vampire stayed silent, listening. His eyes flashed again when I finished.

In that moment, I knew he didn't like it any more than I did. Despite the temptation to apologize, I stayed quiet.

Dracula needed some time to process everything. We were asking a lot of him and he needed to understand how his role would be the only way for us to succeed.

After a few long moments, his eyes lifted to mine again and he said, "I will do it."

I grinned devilishly back at him as more orange bled into the auras of the two men that waited. No one expected the vampire's words nor the determination behind them.

"Thank you," Connor said.

That moment was nothing compared to the gift Vlad gave to us hours before, but I was still relieved that the vampire agreed. I knew how difficult it was for him to even consider it, let alone do it.

There were a few parts of the plan that Connor wasn't happy with either, but he knew they were necessary. Even the parts about putting me in danger. Despite the overwhelming need to keep me safe, he was still allowing it.

All we could do was wait for Angela to return. With good news.

Less than five minutes later, my best friend let out a small groan and lifted her head in a slow motion. But the cat didn't stir. Salvatore moved to her and lifted her face so she could look at him.

"Are you okay?"

With a faint nod, she breathed, "Yeah. My neck is a little sore, though."

I eyed the sleeping gray ball of fur on my best friend's lap. "Why isn't he waking up?"

Salvatore released her and picked up Bugs, but the cat didn't move or make a sound as the werewolf cradled him in his arms.

"He's taking care of it because there's not enough time to wait," my best friend replied and stood, stretching her neck to ease the tension.

"Excellent," Dracula said with a grin so wide, his fangs were in full view. I wasn't sure if he understood the urgency of the situation, but he didn't seem to mind.

Connor dropped his arm from my shoulder, and I walked up to the vampire.

Blue eyes flashed and Vlad asked, "Are you sure, my dear?"

I nodded. "She won't buy it otherwise."

Then, I tilted my head to the side, revealing my neck to him.

Gasping as I felt the sharp sting of his teeth punching through my skin, grim satisfaction washed over me as I knew that before dawn came, it would be over.

Renata would be dead.

### Chapter 56

Vampire bites, contrary to popular belief, could be so gentle it wouldn't hurt at all. Though I wasn't into that sort of thing, I could see how it could offer intense pleasurable to some people.

To our knowledge, Renata was aware that I was healed from Vlad's initial attack – the one where the gris-gris forced his actions. She also knew enough about me and the personality traits of Earthens. That meant, since Voodoo was used against him to attack me, we wouldn't have held him responsible for his actions.

We would let him in the group. And we would all work together to save our two friends.

That would allow her to continue to use him, to spy on us. Our theory about William was probably correct. The wraith that cut the ghoul in Jackson probably took his blood back to the queen so she could control him too. It was the only explanation that made sense.

With Vlad working as part of the team, the only way our diversion would work was if the centuries-old vampire turned on us.

But not just everyone.

If he attacked me when Renata's control over him was severed, we wouldn't want him with our group any longer.

So when he bit me in that moment, it didn't hurt as much as I thought it would, but at the same time, it needed to look like he meant to kill me.

Just as his teeth penetrated my skin, he wrenched his head back. It tore some of my flesh and I cried out a little despite my best attempts to stay silent.

The vampire didn't hit any vital arteries, so I wouldn't bleed to death, but the next part was just as important.

Connor filled my blurred vision in the next instant. I wasn't having difficulty seeing because Dracula drank too much blood. He never took a pull. I couldn't see because it hurt. A lot. And traitorous tears stung my eyes.

Blinking them away, I reached up and took my mate's face in my hands, locking my eyes with his. Despite the pain, my lips lifted into a slow, devilish grin as I unleashed my magic.

In the blink of an eye, I remembered everything about the man I loved. And I let it fill me. And then I thought about our baby's heartbeat.

I wasn't going to use magic. I didn't need to. My powers were limitless, with the notable exception of healing myself. That was where Connor's part came into play. Despite the fact that he didn't like that particular part of the plan, he stayed quiet.

God, but I loved him so much.

Unleashing in moments like that wasn't difficult for me, but it wasn't always that way. Growing up and all the way up until I met Connor, I was careful with my emotions. I kept them in check and tried my best not to let them show.

Not only did my aura give my emotions away – whether or not I showed any physical signs of what I was feeling – but being Earthen heightened my emotions by about a million. It was impossible to hide or lessen the intensity of them, despite all my years of practice.

Though a backup plan was in place if Connor didn't succeed in his task, I still believed he could do it. But that wasn't why I unleashed my magic.

We knew that if I unleashed first, it would help him to unleash his. Though a little over two weeks passed since Connor transitioned, he was still working on developing his skills. The good thing was, I didn't need much magic from him.

I stared into his eyes and slid my fingers into his silken hair at the back of his head with tiny sparks of electricity arcing between my fingers. But he didn't pull away. He never pulled away.

"Think about the heartbeat, Connor," I whispered, forcing the thousand voices to remain quiet.

The muscles in his jaw worked as he concentrated, his deep brown eyes flickering back and forth between mine, searching.

Seconds ticked by and when nothing happened, Vlad's hand flashed out and gripped his wrist. He flinched from the sudden motion, and I dropped my hands.

I knew what the vampire was doing. Once again, Dracula allowed him to hear that tiny heartbeat, giving him the incentive to unleash his magic.

His eyes slid closed and a faint smile spread across his lips. Vlad held on for a few more seconds and then released him.

When Connor opened his eyes, they were white. Power oozed from him and he reached up. His warm hands held my face, his thumbs caressing the sensitive flesh in front of my ears.

Though he was careful not to touch the fresh, jagged bite marks on my neck, the contact with his electrified hands still stung enough to elicit a hiss from my lips. It felt like the charged ends of a car battery touching my face, and it shot straight into the wounds.

Power pushed out of his fingers and into my flesh for a moment and then he released me, letting his power fall away as the white faded from his eyes.

Reaching up, I touched my neck and felt the bite marks. They weren't bleeding any longer, but they were still there. And they still hurt.

Then Angela moved into my vision. I never heard her move.

She was holding a wet hand towel and wiped at the blood that still covered my skin.

When she pulled back, Salvatore moved next to her with the unconscious feline still cradled in his arms and the four people standing in front of me assessed my wounds.

"I don't know about you," my best friend said to the three men, "but I think that looks pretty damn convincing to me." She grinned.

Though the others didn't comment, I could tell by the looks on their faces that my plan might work to defeat Renata.

I walked around them and stepped into the bathroom. Compared to the rest of the room, and the room Connor and I shared down the hall, it wasn't something I expected.

The rooms themselves were sort of industrial chic – if that was even a proper label. Oil-rubbed bronze light fixtures with dim lighting were on the modern bedside tables and though the bedding was crisp white, the gray tufted headboards against the exposed brick walls made quite an impression. New Orleans's old-world style oozed from the furniture in the rooms, right down to the single pane windows and the elaborate doors.

But the bathroom, on the other hand, was modern and no traces of exposed brick could be found. It was all high-end tiles, gleaming ivory sink and toilet. The only similarity was the oil-rubbed bronze fixtures.

I looked in the mirror and gasped.

Sure enough, I looked like the victim of a gruesome vampire attack. The wounds on my neck weren't bleeding, but they were as painful as they looked with the surrounding red, irritated skin.

It seemed real. Because it was.

And it appeared brutal, even if it wasn't.

I grinned at myself in the mirror.

Our plan might actually work.

### Chapter 57

Fifteen minutes later, we left Bugs behind in Angela and Salvatore's hotel room, with the door to the massive wrap around balcony ajar so he could join us when he returned. The rest of us were walking through the entrance to the Saint Louis Cemetery.

As with all of the cemeteries in New Orleans, there weren't graves in the ground because the city was technically below sea level and constructed over a swamp from the Bayou. Every dead body in the cemetery was entombed in crypts and mausoleums that stood above ground.

The cemeteries were one of the biggest tourist attractions in the city because it wasn't just row upon row of grass with tombstones. They were small, unique buildings.

Though it was in the middle of the night, on an almost moonless night a few days before Christmas, it was still breathtaking to me.

It was no wonder those cemeteries were called Cities of the Dead. Because that was exactly what they looked like.

I looked at each crypt as we walked through the maze of paths between the rows of those buildings that surrounded us, taking in the architecture, the way they were built, inscribed, and how they differed from one to the next.

At the same time, I cast my magic out, searching in the darkness for our enemies. If Liam was right, Renata was there preparing for her attack. Along with about fifteen other Voodoo practitioners.

A small wave of excitement washed over me as I felt two distinct pockets of electrified air with them. With luck he and Jon would be there.

But what I sensed next wasn't something I expected. And I knew they were there for me.

Dark witches.

Ice slid down my spine at the thought that _others_ , even dark witches, were teaming up with the Queen of Voodoo to try to take us down. Either those witches were for hire, or they didn't want me ruining their plans to gain more power.

I wasn't sure if they knew what I could do to them, but if we survived and those witches didn't escape, I would make sure to set things right.

The whispering started and I stopped mid-step, listening. Without a word everyone stopped with me and as those whispers stopped inside my mind, I grinned and found Puffle fluttering in the air next to Tobias.

Keeping my voice low, I said, "Puffle, there are dark witches here. About a dozen of them. Can you get close enough to dull their senses so they can't feel me using magic?"

The pixie grinned at me and waved his hand in a salute. "You got it, missy." And then he disappeared into the night.

We stood in silence as the moments ticked by, waiting for the tiny pixie to return. When he flew back into view he gave me a thumbs up and sat down on Salvatore's shoulder to catch his breath.

"What are you going to do?" Angela asked.

"You'll see," I grinned at her and then knelt down on the ground. Then I looked at Connor. "You need to help me with this one."

He knelt down next to me with a look of confusion but didn't ask.

"Put your hands on the ground and close your eyes. Visualize my magic as it moves and let yours follow, okay?"

He nodded in response and my hand covered his as I splayed my other out against the warm concrete pathway. I zeroed in on those dark essences and pushed my magic into the ground, feeling Connor doing the same.

Elation filled me, but I didn't stop.

Our magic snaked through the ground until it reached them, then it branched out so the magic was beneath each dark witch, Connor's magic entwined with mine like the two were caressing each other.

Then I erected an invisible shield, just as the thousand voices instructed in my head. Our power slipped up out of the ground and enveloped those dark witches so fast, they never even felt it.

I opened my eyes and sat back on my knees. My mate turned to me as he sat up and still looked confused. Maybe it was the massive grin on my face.

"We just neutralized a bunch of dark witches and they didn't feel a thing."

"What do you mean by neutralized?" Angela asked in a whisper so low, I almost missed it.

I moved to my feet, wiping my hands on the seat of my pants. "That means they can't use magic against us, but to them, it'll feel like it's working just fine. After this is finished, I can take their darkness and return it."

My best friend grinned at me. "You're so badass, Aisling."

Before we could do anything else, a voice called out into the night in a sing-song voice laced in a French Creole accent that grated on my nerves.

"Come out, come out, wherever you are."

It was Renata.

### Chapter 58

We made our way through the rest of the City of the Dead to the back end where the witches, Voodoo practitioners, two undead, and Renata were gathered.

Though Renata was the only one that we could see on the ground, the rest of the people fanned out, perched on top of crypts, watching us with hate-filled eyes. Though I could sense the two undead signatures, I looked for them, but they were hidden from view behind a small crypt, so I couldn't tell if they were our friends.

I didn't have time to try to find out. But even if they weren't, we would defeat the bitch, rescue them just like we did with the others in Jackson, and then go find our friends.

Renata laughed and clapped her hands like she told a joke as we rounded a corner and she came into view, but no one else laughed. Not even her people. "Welcome to my kingdom," she said with a false sincerity even I could hear in her voice.

"This is not your kingdom, Renata," I said. If Jon and Liam were behind that crypt and conscious, I wanted them to hear my voice and know we were there.

"Au contraire, Aisling. I have ruled in this city for over one hundred years. I plan to rule for much longer still."

It didn't bother me that she was trying to bait me. She needed to try a lot harder than that for her to incite a reaction from me.

When we were about twenty yards away, we stopped and I stared down the bitch that tried many times over to have us killed.

"You know something, Renata?" I said, knowing she didn't appreciate hearing her name.

Names were dangerous, if they were in the wrong hands. Even in the _Spirit Realm_.

Even the human understanding of witches was right in certain cases. Personal objects or photographs could be used against a person. But names could as well.

I waited for her to respond, knowing it would only anger her further. "What?" she gritted.

"You might be smart enough to throw new tricks at us. And you might be powerful enough to rule this city. But, honestly, Renata, you're just a scared woman that wants people to fear her because no one will love her."

She bristled and I knew I struck a nerve.

Good.

When she projected an image of herself in the _Spirit Realm_ and baited Liam for his lack of knowledge, I could tell the two knew each other, but Liam never told us about it. Given the way she looked at him, I thought she was spurned by him while she was young.

Judging by her reaction, I was right. At least about the lack of love in her life.

She wanted to be loved. And she wanted to be the most powerful person in the world.

Her face contorted with rage and she looked like she was about to hurl choice words at me, but then her eyes flickered to my neck. The expression of anger cleared and a sly smile spread across her lips. "Looks like someone went snacking."

"You would be correct. That's why we're here. I want to make a trade."

She laughed and if I didn't hate the bitch so much, it would sound quite lovely to my ears. Instead, I wanted to punch her in the face. "You?" she laughed. "You want to trade with me? What could you possibly have that I want?"

I stepped to the side, revealing Vlad, bound by iron shackles, bloodied, gagged, and on his knees. "I think this one belongs to you. Turns out, breaking his connection to you made him go a little feral. So you can have him back."

Vlad snarled through his gag and lunged at me, but Salvatore and Jorge held him in place.

Her eyes widened as she took in the vampire's appearance. "What do you want in exchange?"

I blinked. I expected her to play it like she could care less about the vampire. But in that moment, I knew how desperate she was.

Liam was right.

The blood that Renata drained from him and Jon were aged and gave her a boost in power, but not as much as Dracula's blood offered her.

I didn't know if Liam's guess was correct as to why the vampire's blood was more potent than two of his progeny combined, but I didn't have any reason to doubt him.

Based on her eagerness to trade, she wanted Vlad back in her possession.

Bad.

She looked like a kid in a candy store and I could practically see the drool running down her chin.

Vlad was only a little over thirty years older than our friends. When she baited Liam to come looking for his father and then reacted when we came after him, she thought the trade of two vampires for the one in our possession would have fared better in terms of a power boost.

I thought so too.

That did nothing but solidify my belief that Liam was right after all.

His father wasn't just older by a few decades. He was the direct descendant of an Earthen witch. His bloodline gave him more power, and in turn, made his blood more potent. That was why she needed Vlad.

Despite Liam and Jon being part of the same bloodline – and Liam's special, Earthen friendly blood – neither of them was half Earthen.

Renata wasn't as powerful without Vlad's blood to fuel her. And I was willing to bet that she would throw Jon and Liam back to us faster than we could negotiate, just to get Dracula back.

"You're just going to give him back?" Renata said after shaking her head to clear it.

"I want a trade."

She laughed again and I clenched my fist as my mouth watered at the idea of punching her crossed my mind again. But then all emotion cleared from her face as she assessed me again. "Let me guess, you want the two I took from you?"

I raised my head in the affirmative.

"Well now, that is an interesting thought, but you see, I have more than your two vampires in my possession. I also have a certain little ghost you seem to care about as well."

Angela and Salvatore growled. It was so loud and menacing that I jumped in response, but I didn't think Renata noticed because everyone else made a similar reaction. Most of it was hissing from the undead, but Connor hissed, " _Sonofabitch_ ," at the same time Shadow let out a growl of his own.

Dracula was the only one that didn't react.

The Voodoo Queen of New Orleans grinned at us. "So, do you want the vampires, or do you want the boy?"

"All of them," I said without hesitation.

"Sorry, that is not an option," she said with another smile.

I shrugged and pulled a large knife from the waistband of my pants behind me. "Alright then, I have a counter offer."

She giggled. The bitch actually giggled. My fist tightened around the handle of the large knife. "And what is that?"

"Give us the two vampires and the boy, or I'll cut off Dracula's head."

### Chapter 59

I wasn't sure what I expected from Renata. But what I saw, it was the furthest thing from it.

That cat-ate-the-canary grin on her face faded as I finished the threat to kill Vlad. Renata wasn't an idiot, she knew how Earthens operated, and she knew that I wouldn't kill Dracula.

Right?

God, but that woman was confusing on so many levels.

Her reaction to my words was enough. I was throwing her off, but that wasn't all. Once again, she betrayed to all of us how much she wanted Vlad back in her possession.

"My, my, Aisling. I am surprised at this. You mean to tell me that _you_ will kill the vampire. I think not." She waved her hand to keep me from speaking, but I already knew she wasn't finished.

Renata was the type of woman that liked to gloat her superiority. "You see, I have the advantage here. You are in my city, and I have three of your people. Are you really willing to risk their lives for the sake of _him_?" she finished, nodding toward Vlad.

"You see," I mocked, "that's where you're wrong, Renata. I've had it with all of these underhanded tricks you've used, and he's not any better. I have lived through more than you can imagine. What's one more death on my hands?"

Even I was surprised at how confident I sounded. If I wasn't me, I would start to worry. And just as I hoped, everyone around me was beginning to look nervous about my intentions. Vlad looked downright terrified, and that was difficult to do to a vampire as old as he was.

Renata knew I was the most powerful creature in existence, she knew I was in complete control of my friends and that I would make the final decisions. She didn't need Liam to tell her that. It was just part of being an Earthen.

But when she started to notice the way everyone was reacting to my words and my threats, she dropped her bravado and reassessed me.

"If I give them back, who is to say you will live up to your end of the bargain? Who is to say that you won't try to kill me?" the queen asked.

"Shove it up your ass, Renata. You've been trying to kill us–" I nodded toward my best friend "–ever since you figured out we existed because we threaten your superiority. You're never going to give up until you have our power, or we're dead. This trade has nothing to do with what happens after."

A sly grin crept across her lips again and I gripped the knife tighter. I wanted to slap that grin off her face so bad I could taste it.

I waited as the moments went by and when she still didn't respond, I moved with my full Earthen speed to the restrained vampire who hissed at me when I gripped his hair with my fist, wrenched his head back, and pressed the blade against his throat. "Last chance, Renata."

A small trickle of congealed blood, a little darker than blood found in a living body, oozed down the vampire's neck. I looked up at Renata one last time and then pulled the blade back to land the final blow that would remove Vlad's head.

"Stop!" she shouted into the night that surrounded us. The reverberations of her voice bounced around in the City of the Dead before fading away into nothingness.

Though she tried to laugh it off before, she was acting with uncertainty about my threats.

If there was any question about her intentions before, there wasn't any longer.

There was no reason to doubt Liam, and it seemed our plan was working.

I was never going to kill the vampire. And everyone in our group knew that. But they were playing their parts as well. Even Connor looked convincing as he looked at me with disbelief and a mixture of green and dark blue swirled around in his aura.

The auras of the two werewolves mirrored his, and everyone else – the rest of our friends that didn't cast auras – looked just as nervous.

But they weren't.

I lowered my arm to my side and grinned at Renata.

In that moment, she knew we set her up. We figured out what she wanted, though I didn't think she was aware that we knew why she wanted the vampire.

The Queen of Voodoo bristled at the realization that I forced her to reveal her desperation for Dracula, but I didn't care.

She wouldn't return the two vampires and the ghost that were in her possession. But that was fine by me. She wouldn't kill them because she wanted Vlad.

And we wouldn't kill Dracula because he was one of us.

One after another, everyone in our group dropped the façade and grinned up at Renata. Even Vlad.

It was all a setup and we pulled it off.

We were at a stalemate.

And we all knew it.

I only hoped that we stalled long enough.

### Chapter 60

Renata wasn't hard to figure out. She lived a long life, much longer than any human should. And though I meant to ask how that was possible, I was willing to bet I could figure it out.

Liam and Vlad both said she didn't age since she took over as Queen. She looked to be in her late forties, not over one hundred and fifty.

She was still beautiful, though. Her skin didn't have the same pallor as Angela's milk chocolate skin that seemed to illuminate from within, but it was still flawless, even with the age she appeared to be. Her long, reddish-brown hair fell in waves well past her shoulders and matched her skin tone. Her deep brown eyes looked almost black in the nearly moonless night.

Her dress didn't surprise me either. Just like the first time we saw her, she was wearing a material that was stereotypical for Voodoo practitioners in the French Quarter.

The fabric was colorful, yet thin enough to let air pass through it. It was long and flowing, and it did nothing but make her look more beautiful. Living in a place like New Orleans was hot, especially in the summer. That dress was not only practical, but it suited her.

I didn't know enough about vampire blood, Voodoo, or dark magic to know if it was possible to extend someone's life, but there she was, standing with all the air of authority she could muster in the City of the Dead where her predecessor was buried.

Though I wasn't looking for Marie Laveau's crypt, I could guess that Renata was standing next to it. I wasn't sure how sentimental she was over the woman that raised her and taught her Voodoo, but according to Vlad, the woman adopted much of the same practices.

I didn't know how unorthodox Renata and Marie's methods were in comparison to other Voodoo practitioners, but I was willing to guess not many captured and drained the blood of vampires to boost their powers. That was either a well-kept secret of the two mysterious women, or not many were capable of capturing vampires and keeping them for such long periods of time.

Or, perhaps, it was something different.

The only reason Vlad was in captivity for so long was because no one knew where to look for him.

I felt terrible about what happened to the vampire for all those years. His life was never easy for him, and it only worsened after his disappearance.

It wouldn't have surprised me if he dealt with more symptoms of PTSD than I did. But since we met him – when he wasn't under Renata's direct control either through his mind or gris-gris – the vampire showed no indications that he was worse for the wear.

To be honest, I admired that kind of strength.

I wished I had that kind of strength.

There we were, standing in front of the woman that kept him drained of blood for the better part of a century, pretending that we were going to turn him over to her, and he didn't waver. Didn't hesitate to play his part.

It did nothing but make me respect the vampire more.

Tobias released the shackles from around Vlad's wrists and the vampire moved to his feet and stepped to my side in a show of loyalty.

"Renata," he said in that same old world accent as his son. "I believe you have my children, and another loved one in your possession. I will take pleasure in ripping the skin from your bones."

Twin needle sharp fangs gleamed against the tiny amount of light as he grinned. It didn't escape my notice that it was the same threat Angela used against her. The same thought that crossed my mind before as well.

Dracula was brutal, and I was willing to bet if he reached Renata first, she would beg him for death long before he would grant it. I was sure Angela would do the same.

Grim satisfaction washed over me at the thought. The woman hurt us too much in her quest for power. And that power went to her head. She wanted more of it. As if being the most powerful Voodoo practitioner alive wasn't enough. She wanted to be the most powerful Shamaness and Earthen witch, all combined into one package that would allow her to rule more than just the old city.

God, but is such a thing even possible?

The thought of one person – especially a sociopath like Renata – with that much power was downright terrifying. If she succeeded in her task, she would be impossible to stop, even if everyone – _others_ , Shamans, Voodoo practitioners, and every last member of the Malleus Dei Maleficarum – from across the world went after her.

My step-father was a sociopath, too. Yet when it came down to our final moments, he was so anxious to reach his ultimate goals of power that he started to lose sight of what was going on around him.

Renata might have betrayed her need for Dracula, but she still kept her cool.

Come to think of it, she never lost sight of herself at all.

Though she kept eyeing Vlad like dinner, the vampire didn't back down from his promise. And that made me respect the man even more.

We were lucky to have him on our side. And we were lucky he wasn't broken after all that happened to him.

The two stared each other down and in her distraction, Renata didn't notice my best friend reach out and touch my skin from behind the vampire.

That was when I saw it, but I forced myself to keep my eyes on Renata. The last thing we needed was to give ourselves away.

Just as quickly as it appeared, my best friend's hand fell away and she started looking around in the darkness as something else caught her attention.

I sent out magic, searching through the City of the Dead as all of the people in our group started looking around.

Connor froze, listening, wondering what our friends were hearing.

That was when I felt them. I knew in that moment why our friends were searching in the darkness.

Whatever was moving toward us, they were moving with an erratic slowness that left the blood draining from my face and fresh ice sliding down my spine.

A slow smile spread across Renata's lips as Puffle took flight and shot straight up in the air. I didn't know where he went, but we didn't have time to find out.

Renata set a trap for us.

We were deep within one of New Orleans's Cities of the Dead, and if I was right, what was coming for us wasn't anything we ever saw before.

My grip tightened on the knife I still held in my hand as I struggled to keep myself from panicking as I realized what I was sensing. My stomach dropped to the ground.

Faint shuffling noises hit my ears and I turned to Connor. An intense gray engulfed his aura as his deep brown eyes locked with mine.

His arm flashed over his shoulder and pulled the sword from behind his back.

He figured it out too.

I was right.

My ears started ringing as everyone started reacting to the oncoming threat. But Dracula moved in a blur toward Renata.

She flew up into the air just before Vlad reached her, and then landed on top of Marie Laveau's crypt a moment later, smiling down at us.

That was when I realized why everyone in her group was perched on top of the small buildings.

They were staying away from the melee.

And we were in their arena.

Adrenaline coursed through my body as fear gripped me.

Sure enough, just as my magic indicated, there were at least a hundred of them coming our way. Terror started to wash over me, chilling me.

Connor grabbed my arm to force me to look at him. "Listen to me," he hissed, "you can handle this."

Just breathe, Aisling.

I sucked in a breath and stared into my mate's eyes. Then I nodded.

He dropped into a defensive position, poised with the sword in front of him, watching for them to come into view.

They were everywhere.

Surrounding us.

Holding on to my knife like my life depended on it, I heard the sounds of Renata's laughter fill the air as the first one ambled around a corner.

The sounds of additional shuffling hit my ears as more of those things entered the space that surrounded us.

And then we started fighting a horde of zombies.

### Chapter 61

The group broke up into small sections to divide our attention between the zombies making their way toward us. They were grotesque, to say the least.

It looked like they opened their coffins inside their crypts and decided to take a stroll through the night.

Most of them were decayed into nothing more than bone, but they weren't clean, white bones. They were dark, with bits of their rotting meat still clinging to them.

Magic leaked out of me and illuminated the immediate area around us. I knew our friends didn't need it, but though our eyesight was perfect, maybe even a little better than the average human, Connor and I couldn't face the oncoming threat without some light.

The zombies looked worse than I imagined. A few of them had strips of old cloth hanging from their limbs along with other things I refused to analyze further. Some were a little more intact, but still very dead.

Their skin was rotting and oozing in places and their pallor made me ill just to look at them. But it was the smell that was the worst.

The last thing we needed that night was for me to react to their scent in the same way the pregnancy was forcing me to react to the smell of food. I couldn't defend myself if I was busy regurgitating the contents of my stomach.

The freshly dead that ambled into view were either missing their eyes or they were shriveled and tipping dangerously toward their cheeks as they moved. If I thought the wraiths from the _Spirit Realm_ – or even the ghosts, forever frozen in their form as they were when they died – were awful, it was nothing compared to what I was seeing in that moment.

Those zombies weren't sentient.

Connor's sword flashed out in an arc of silver against my artificial light from above and sliced one of the boney zombies in half at the waist.

But it didn't stop moving.

Two pieces of the same zombie were moving toward us, while on the ground.

The lower half pushed itself toward us with its legs while the top pulled itself by its arms.

Terror washed over me as I realized that killing zombies – at least the zombies we were fighting – weren't possible. They would keep coming, in however many pieces, until we were dead.

Or whatever controlled them stopped.

My free hand flashed out and pushed the two halves of the zombie backward into the corner of a crypt, shattering its desiccated body. When it landed on the ground, the pieces that were still intact started to move toward us once more.

Holy shit, but we are in trouble.

It was in moments like that that I regretted not doing more research on Voodoo and how their spells worked, if they were even called spells. I knew Zoe researched it before she darkened. But Connor didn't, and Angela only began to scratch the surface of it.

While my mind reeled over the different possibilities of how Renata could raise zombies – and how to stop them, Connor sliced while I stabbed and then pushed the next zombie backward into another crypt. But either my magic didn't push it hard enough, or it was more solid than the first as it bounced off, landing face first and then ambled to its feet.

"Are you guys seeing what we're seeing?" I called out as I used my full Earthen speed to kick a zombie square in the chest. It fell backward but didn't react to the blow.

Seconds ticked by and no one answered my question. Fresh fear washed over me and a burst of magic exploded from me and moved outward like a massive shockwave, pushing back anything that was a threat to us.

Even Renata and her group of Voodoo practitioners and dark witches flew backward from the blast.

I spun around, trying to take in as much as I could in the limited amount of time we had because the zombies weren't slowing down.

Angela and Salvatore were off to our left, heaving air in and out of their lungs. They were partially shifted – Salvatore with his elongated wolf's mouth, black fur on his face, and yellow eyes, and Angela with her pale blue eyes. I couldn't be sure, but I thought I saw a tiny peppering of white fur erupting across her cheeks.

They were pissed, and rightfully so. But they looked unharmed. A streak of white flashed across my vision and I locked my gaze on Shadow, taking out the leg of another zombie as he went by, tossing the severed limb into a crypt as he went.

His fur was dirty and his aura swirled with a combination of purple and green – which mirrored Salvatore's – and didn't surprise me at all.

The vampires and ghouls stood at the ready, waiting for the zombies to reach them again. A few of their arms were gouged by teeth or bony hands that gripped them. Dark, congealed blood welled up and dripped onto the cracked pavement beneath them.

Standing next to Vlad, who was injury free, I caught sight of Tobias. His arm hung by his side at an unnatural angle and I knew it was broken. The vampire's blue eyes flashed and his gaze met mine.

"We see it. Just don't let them get a grip on you," he gritted as the bone snapped itself back into place and the gashes in his flesh started to pull back together.

That wasn't something I planned to do anyway, but seeing the damage the zombies were causing to my friends was a bit of a shock to me. But then I realized why Vlad wasn't taking any damage.

Renata didn't want him killed in the fight.

And, judging by some of the open crypts that I could see from my vantage point, the zombies were human,. What didn't make sense was how they could be so strong to break bones.

A yelp cried out into the night and I snapped my head to the side, searching for the source of the sound. I knew that voice like I knew Connor's or Angela's.

It was Shadow.

But I couldn't see him.

My magic fanned out, searching all the signatures until I found him. His view was blocked by a crypt to our right. He was behind it. Using my full Earthen speed, I flashed forward to see what was happening and magic leaked from me as I saw him.

A zombie held the werewolf's right front leg in his grip and it was pulling at the limb so hard I was amazed it was still attached. Anger washed over me like a flash burn and I forgot I needed to be afraid. That zombie was trying to kill Connor's best friend.

The bones in the zombie's hand shattered and released Shadow. The werewolf hopped toward Connor, standing behind me, as faint whines escaped him.

" _You do not hurt my friends_ ," I gritted with the thousand voices as I felt my magic unleash and then the zombie exploded into nothing more than dust.

Maniacal laughter called out over the sounds of fighting. I knew that voice as well. And I could hear her moving back to her position on top of the crypt I flung her from only moments before.

I turned toward her with my shoulders hunched and breathed fire as sparks erupted from my fingertips.

Though I wasn't actually breathing fire, it sure as hell felt like I was.

Her laughter faded away as she took in my appearance. I couldn't be sure, but I thought I saw fear in her eyes.

I knew how I looked in that moment. My hair wasn't in the greatest shape, pulled back in the bun at the back of my head and falling out in places.

But it was everything else about me.

I glared up at the Queen of Voodoo. Not only was my vision blanketed with red from the intensity of my anger, but my eyes were red.

Though I didn't like the feeling of unleashing through anger, in that moment, I couldn't bring myself to care.

Lightning flashed overhead as more magic leaked from me and accelerated the regeneration of Shadow's shattered leg. He whined in protest for a moment but then quieted.

I knew he was alright.

And then I let the storm above build some more.

### Chapter 62

I wasn't certain about the initial flash of fear on Renata's face, but in that moment, I knew she was afraid of me.

Good.

That bitch needed to be afraid.

She was a sociopath that wanted to be the most powerful creature in existence. It sounded like someone I knew once, but I killed him because of it. " _I'm coming for you, Renata_ ," I growled as another bolt of lightning flashed overhead, lighting up the night.

I grinned up at her as her face contorted into terror at what I was doing. " _This is what happens when you push me too far, bitch_ ," I called out. It wasn't necessary, but I found it quite satisfying to see her look at me in wide-eyed fear.

Either she didn't do her homework and learn about the things Earthen witches could do – especially me – or perhaps she didn't believe it. Either way, it didn't matter. She was seeing a taste of what I was capable of.

And I reveled in it.

I wanted her scared. I wanted her to know she messed with the wrong people.

Angela must have noticed what I was doing because she made her way to my side and grabbed my wrist.

Two things happened at once.

The storm exploded with intensity and started to swirl above our heads as Angela's abilities combined with mine. Bolts of lightning arced across the sky and even a few flashed down in front of Renata, right into the roof of the crypt she stood upon.

She took an involuntary step back and almost fell off.

But it was the contact with Angela's skin that let me see what was going on around us.

Ghosts were everywhere. Surrounding us.

"It's time," my best friend called out.

Those ghosts took action, moving into the zombies, possessing them. Then they either hurled those things away from us, or they changed targets.

But we were still outnumbered.

Ghost King and Emma appeared on either side of Renata on top of the crypt as she mumbled something under her breath.

A wave of nausea washed over me. It was so intense that I fell to my knees, dry heaving over the pavement and my connection to Angela was lost.

Connor stepped up behind me and shielded me as I felt magic erupt from him. I didn't have to look up at him to know he just unleashed his magic to protect me. I wasn't sure if he would continue where I left off with the storm, but I heard Renata gasp as she realized Connor was more than just a light witch.

"Well, isn't that interesting," she said. Though I could still hear the fear in her voice, she was calming down. With me on the ground, she didn't seem to be as worried about Connor.

I wasn't sure why.

She didn't know he was Earthen until that moment. And she already knew what I could do with my power. So why would she think he was less of a threat?

But then I heard nothing. It was a silence so deafening, my ears started ringing. I dry heaved again and spit onto the pavement as I struggled to figure out what was happening.

Though I could see out of the corner of my eye that the fighting didn't stop, I couldn't figure out anything else.

I couldn't breathe while I heaved. And my stomach wouldn't stop, even though there was nothing there to expel. With just enough ability to manage it, I cast out magic, searching the night for an answer as to why everything went silent.

Connor and Angela were closest to me, while Salvatore and Shadow worked to keep the remaining zombies away from us.

But I couldn't figure out where Renata was.

She was gone.

The wind picked up and tossed errant curls into my face as I remained hunched over on the ground.

Please, stop.

I begged. I begged to the moon. The earth. The thousand voices of Earthen witches that were within me. To my mother and grandmother. Hoping against hope that it would end the nausea and let me protect my friends.

But I was helpless.

I sucked in a jagged breath as I felt the wind increase in intensity and more lightning flashed across the sky. Either Angela was directing the storm as her power as a Shamaness allowed her to do, or Connor took over with magic. Either way, it didn't matter. I didn't know how much good it was doing because I couldn't find that familiar signature of the Voodoo Queen.

It was as if she disappeared. I didn't know how that was possible, but I couldn't find her anywhere.

I felt the ghosts around us helping in the fight against the zombies, but that was their purpose for leaving the relative safety of the _Spirit Realm_ to help us. They were meant to be a distraction and assist in throwing off Renata's group.

In that moment, I knew. Deep down, I felt it. Something was wrong. Very wrong.

And if I couldn't snap out of it, we were all going to die.

### Chapter 63

Every nerve in my body was trying, to no avail, to expel any contents that remained in my stomach. I heaved until there was nothing. Not even bile. But I was still hunched over the ground, with my head pounding from the lack of oxygen, and I knew something bad was about to happen.

I forced myself, with all I could manage, to turn my head and look around. My magic couldn't find Renata, and I couldn't hear anything.

My only hope was to find her with my eyes. And it was the hardest thing I ever did. But I did it.

Confusion didn't begin to cover what I felt in that moment. Both Connor and Angela seemed to be hypnotized by the storm. I wasn't sure why I started it, let alone why they were trying to maintain it with so much focus they didn't notice anything else around them.

But then ice slid down my spine as I realized everyone else was still. The zombies were also frozen in place like everyone was concentrating on something.

Without my connection to Angela, I couldn't see what the ghosts were doing, but I knew if the zombies started moving again, our friends would be dead before I could do anything to stop it.

I reached out with my hand, searching for my best friend as my eyes continued to search the City of the Dead for the Queen of Voodoo.

When I found her, I slipped my hand underneath her jeans and grabbed her ankle.

It was like someone switched on a lightbulb. More nausea washed over me, but I forced myself to stay where I was.

I wasn't sure what was more disturbing, the fact that everyone – including Angela, Connor, and the zombies – were in a daze, or that the ghosts were.

Whatever was happening, Renata was the reason for it.

Then I figured out why.

She meant to distract everyone long enough that she could either kill Angela and me or take our power. Since Connor revealed himself as an Earthen, I was willing to bet that Renata planned to take his power too.

I turned, looking behind my best friend and Connor, and that was when I saw her.

She was creeping up behind us while everyone was dazed.

But I wasn't.

The only reason I wasn't affected was because I was too busy dry heaving to do anything else.

It kept me from losing my mind. And in that moment, I was grateful for the pregnancy. More than ever before. Otherwise, there wouldn't be anyone left to save us.

I wasn't sure if I could stop her, given my situation, but I wouldn't go down without a fight.

Perhaps the most interesting thing about that situation was that Renata didn't seem to notice me at all. I didn't know why that was, but I didn't care.

I would take any advantage I could get.

Another wave of nausea, more powerful than the last, washed over me and I almost lost the battle against my body's natural reflex. I gripped Angela's ankle like it was a lifeline and saw that Ghost King and Emma were struggling to hold Renata. But they weren't succeeding in doing anything but slow her down.

Then a tiny bird fluttered into view over her head and glittery powder started to fall over the queen's head.

Puffle.

He was back and blanketing Renata in pixie dust.

But it didn't stop her either.

I caught sight of the tiny man, fluttering there in the air with a strained look on his face as he struggled to freeze her.

She was too close to Connor and Angela for comfort, and I knew I needed to act before it was too late.

Her hands lifted in the air and I knew my time was up.

I felt a strange power come off her in waves, but it wasn't like anything I felt before in my life. She was draining us.

Connor's aura blazed with gray, but he still didn't move.

And then I saw someone I didn't expect.

Flickering into view was my grandmother, standing off to the side of Renata. She reached out and shoved her hand into Renata's chest.

Then something happened.

Sound came rushing back to my ears and everyone started moving again. But Renata didn't stop. She was trying to pull everything from within Angela, Connor, and me.

God, but she's going to kill us.

As the overwhelming wave of nausea lessened by a fraction, I didn't hesitate. The last of my power unleashed as the all too familiar sensation of cold washed over me in a flash freeze.

With every bit of strength I could muster, magic rushed out of me in a shockwave, directed right at Renata.

And in one swift motion, the queen's head twisted on her shoulders three times before her skin ripped. Then her head fell off her shoulders and smacked against the pavement with a splat.

There was just enough time to see Connor, Angela, and what was left of Renata fall to the ground.

Then I collapsed and everything went black.

In the last moment before I died, I hoped that I was able to save my best friend and my mate before they were killed too.

### Chapter 64

For a while, there was nothing. I heard nothing. Felt nothing. Saw nothing. Everything was blank. For the first time in a long time, I felt at peace. But it wasn't the kind of peace I wanted to feel.

In Connor's arms, I felt safe, loved, protected and peaceful. He was always my strength. And he was my every weakness. Because I loved him so much.

The peace that I felt after I died wasn't something I wanted. Ever. It was knowing, deep down, that I failed. If I was lucky, I saved my best friend and my mate.

But I wasn't able to save myself.

I knew how much my death would hurt them, and I knew everyone else that worked with us to restore what was lost with the supernatural world would feel my loss as well.

An unquantifiable amount of time passed. I wasn't sure if it was days or seconds. But for a while, I was nothing. Blissfully unaware of everything that was going on around me.

Just like there was nothing on the outside, I was nothing on the inside.

I couldn't think, couldn't feel. I was nothing. And when I started to become aware again, that thought scared the hell out of me.

There were times before when I wanted to be dead, begged for it, even. There was one instance where I believed I was dying, and when everything fell away, I was still me. I was grieving what I thought I lost, but I was never gone.

I knew that after.

But while everything was nothing – including me – I knew I was dead.

That broke my heart.

I defeated the Malleus Dei Maleficarum on more than one occasion, and for once, it seemed they were backing off. A demon was sent back to its prison and I prevented it from destroying the world. I was too late to save the town of Hoopeston, but at least the town was evacuated before it was destroyed.

One woman, hell-bent on being the most powerful in existence, was my downfall. That woman used Voodoo, which wasn't something any of us could use, nor was it supernatural in nature, which made my powers a little trickier when it came to stopping her.

Loneliness, fear, and war reigned after the Earthens died. My friends wanted to change that.

And I brought them hope.

I brought Connor hope.

If I managed to save him before he was killed, then he was the last hope that remained for our friends.

My loss would be devastating to them. But for Connor, it would be worse.

If he felt anything like I did – which he claimed he did, and I believed him – then he would be ruined by my loss.

It wasn't just me he would lose. He would lose his family. His flesh and blood. His child.

I was pregnant. Though we only found out the day before, he was still the happiest I ever saw him. Just the thought of having children with me made him happy.

And he would lose both of us.

If the situation were reversed, I knew I would never recover.

I clawed at the darkness, screamed at it. I prayed that I would wake up and I would find it was just some horrible nightmare or some new kind of flashback.

My heart was breaking into a million pieces in my chest at the thought that I was dead. That our baby was dead.

When I heard my grandmother speaking to me, I knew it was true.

First, it was the scent of apples that hit me in the dark. And then her soothing voice. "Oh, Aisling," she said in a light whisper. It was as if her voice carried on the wind and it made my heart hurt even more.

"Gramma," I whispered through my silent sobs. "I don't want to be dead."

"I know, honey. You were so brave, so selfless."

"I don't want to be dead," I said again, but with more vehemence.

"Open your eyes," she said as her voice moved past me in a breeze I couldn't feel.

Though I knew it was true – I was dead – I didn't want to accept it. If I acknowledged that it was real, it would be admitting defeat. I would never do that.

But then the scent of apples disappeared and something else took its place.

The scent I knew from anywhere.

One I loved.

It was intoxicating to me and even before I met him, that smell made me feel at ease with myself. Made me feel happy, sated, and safe.

Connor's wood smoke.

I didn't want to feel calm. I wanted to fight. Fight my way back to life. I couldn't leave him behind.

If I was dead, then by god, I would come back as a ghost and haunt him for the rest of his life if that's what it took.

But then everything started fading again, and I fought against it. Harder than I ever fought in my life.

"Open your eyes," Gramma's voice said so low it was almost a whisper on the non-existent wind.

Then everything faded away, and I knew I lost.

### Chapter 65

"Open your eyes!" The words were shouted at me, but they weren't my grandmother's voice.

That perfect tenor I knew so well slid over my body like a caress and I felt like a live wire, like his words alone were jolts from a car battery.

I tried to find him in the darkness but it was like he was surrounding me. I didn't know which way to go to reach him.

But then my eyes cracked open to see Connor's face. He was inches from me and his hands were on my face as his deep brown eyes focused on me.

Before I could focus on him, he moved. In a flash, I was in his arms, breathing in his scent and feeling the stubble on his jaw against my cheek. Though I knew how fast he could move, everything still felt slow to me.

"You're alright," he said, holding me tighter.

I couldn't move my arms to hug him back. I couldn't say anything. Only my eyes would function. But even then, time was slow.

My eyes dragged up to look over his shoulder and I saw Vlad pulling someone out from behind a crypt. The same one I remembered where the two undead were hidden from view.

Tears stung my eyes and hope welled in my chest when I recognized the vampire that stepped out from behind the corner.

His clothes were dirty, and his hands and feet were shackled with iron while a potato sack was over his head. But I would recognize that vampire anywhere.

It helped that the two men stood at the same height. I knew his posture, the way he moved his body. It was him.

Liam was there.

Dracula pulled the bag off his son's head, revealing a bloodied, swollen face and disheveled hair that was caked with dirt and dried blood. Even then, I still knew it was the same vampire.

His green eyes met mine as Vlad worked to remove the shackles around his ankles. For someone who spent centuries looking for his father, Liam didn't even seem to notice he was there.

Then I caught sight of Tobias carrying the massive bodybuilding vampire out from behind the crypt.

Though Jon was unconscious, he didn't look worse than Liam. And I knew that he would be alright.

Once Liam's wrists were free, he stood right behind Connor. But he was still holding me against him, oblivious to the vampire's presence.

I couldn't tilt my head back to look up at the vampire, and I didn't want to stare at his legs, so I let my eyes slide closed and I exhaled.

Liam was okay.

Jon was too.

Connor was alive and was holding me like there was no tomorrow.

But I couldn't see Angela.

God, but I hoped she was alright.

Connor stiffened and pulled back a little as Liam asked, "What is wrong with her?"

"She was gone for only a few seconds. She's alright. She's alright," he breathed.

Those words hit me hard.

I _was_ dead. Whatever happened, Connor was too overwhelmed with emotion to say much else. Was it possible that he saved my life, like I saved his once?

I remembered it like it was the day before. He saved me from his ex-girlfriend for the second time. Zoe baited us with that Australian accent that grated on me, and then she used all the magic she could muster, combined with the power of six other dark witches, to take both my power and my soul.

After Connor saved me by letting me siphon his _shield_ , that automatic defence against magic meant to harm, he was depleted of magic and defenseless. So when a wave of dark magic hit us only a few moments later, he died.

I saved him by pushing power into his body, restoring what was taken, and willed him back to life. In those moments after he came back, I was a wreck. I was surprised he was able to form a response to Liam at all.

But then all thoughts in my mind stopped and one question resonated.

What about the baby? Oh, god, the baby.

I sucked in a jagged breath, but no one seemed to notice.

"Connor," Liam said like he was speaking to a child on the brink of a tantrum. "Let me heal her."

I wanted to say no. He was hurt and needed to heal himself first.

But my mouth couldn't form the words. I couldn't even protest as Liam helped Connor lower me to the ground.

My eyes opened in time to see my mate's face. Tears filled his eyes but didn't spill over. "You're alright," he whispered. "You're alright." And then, reluctantly, he released his hold on me and moved to the side.

Liam moved forward and knelt next to me. The motion was stiff and it told me he was in a lot of pain. The vampire prided himself on being in control, on appearing as nothing but perfectly composed. But for him to move that way meant he was in more pain than I could imagine.

I wanted to tell him to stop, to feed first. Heal first. But I couldn't. I didn't want to take what little amount of blood still remained in his system. That wasn't fair. I was frozen in place and it pissed me off to no end.

Vivid green eyes locked with mine and his head tilted to the side, but I didn't understand the gesture.

His eyes flickered to somewhere behind me, but I couldn't see who it was. "Does she know?"

"Yes," Salvatore responded in his deep voice. He sounded low to the ground, but not overwhelmed with emotion. That was my first clue since I woke up that Angela was okay. If she wasn't, Salvatore wouldn't have been capable of responding to the vampire's question.

As much as I struggled to focus on the werewolf, I couldn't hear anything from Angela.

Was she unconscious?

The vampire looked satisfied at Salvatore's response. I didn't have a clue what the question meant, or how Salvatore knew the answer, but I couldn't worry about that.

"Do you want me to heal her?" Vlad asked from behind him.

"No. This is my gift to her." Though the words were directed at his father, his attention remained on me. The way Liam looked at me when he said those words made my heart melt.

The centuries-old vampire was never one to let his emotions show, nor was it common for him to admit he felt anything at all. Yet there he was, looking at me like he loved me, not in the same way as Connor, but it reminded me of my grandmother. That look of adoration was the same.

For the vampire to make that kind of declaration in front of his father was more significant than I could fathom in that moment. But I could guess.

Tears slipped from the corners of my eyes and slid down the sides of my face toward my ears. The vampire's lips lifted into a small smile and he said, low, "I will take those tears as a compliment because you will be angry with me."

That wasn't true. I was too weak to move and I couldn't speak at all. Though the healing might hurt, if I was injured, in the end, I would be better. I couldn't be angry with him for that.

Liam's lips pulled back, revealing twin, needle-sharp fangs and his wrist flashed to his mouth in the next instant. Then I accepted his blood.

### Chapter 66

His blood tasted like electrified pennies that dripped in slow succession at first, but then a little more started to trickle from the two puncture wounds. I swallowed and gripped his wrist as I pulled more into my mouth, but then forced myself to pull away.

I didn't need much. And he needed to heal, replenish what he lost while he was held captive. That meant he needed blood. Just like Vlad did when we first found him.

Considering Dracula fed off me first as a result of the gris-gris, and then needed another donation later, I was willing to bet Liam would need more than that to replenish him.

Though my tongue was licking my lips, trying to catch any last remaining bits of blood that might have missed my mouth, I didn't care. I sat up and hugged the vampire as tight as I could. "Thank you," I whispered.

His arms wrapped around me and hugged me back. I smiled into his shoulder. It didn't matter to me that he was covered in dirt and dried blood.

Liam was alive and safe.

That was all that mattered.

"Congratulations, my dear Aisling," he said, low.

I gripped the vampire's neck tighter and sobbed against him. The enormity of those words sent my emotions spiraling out of control. Not only was he acknowledging that I was pregnant, but those four words told me that the baby was fine.

Those were some of the most beautiful words that came from Liam's mouth. And I couldn't help my reaction.

There were so many questions I wanted to hurl at him after we found out I was pregnant, but in that moment, they could wait. Liam and Jon were safe.

"Is Renata...?" I let the question hang in the air.

It was Vlad that spoke. "I watched you use your magic to rip her head off her shoulders. It was quite a sight, my dear."

Before I could ask another question, Tobias spoke. "All those _things_ dropped when she died, Greenie."

I nodded as Liam extricated himself from my arms and Connor took his place once more. His strong arms enveloped me and held me against him while his head dipped to my shoulder. He inhaled my scent and I felt him smile against me. "You're alright. You're both alright."

"We're fine," I sniffed, trying to reign in my emotions.

From behind me, someone sucked in air and I heard something move, like a rock scraping over the pavement. "No! No, no. _Nonononono_!" my best friend cried and before I realized what I was doing, I was out of Connor's arms and on my knees right beside her.

She was struggling against Salvatore's hold. Unconscious up until that moment, her reaction was a direct result of seeing Renata's headless body not more than a yard from her.

And I knew then why she was so frantic as she struggled against her mate.

My best friend was strong as a spirit wolf because of her deep connection to the werewolf, but though he was struggling to hold her, he held her in place. It was interesting to see his massive frame fighting against hers. It made her look more delicate than she was.

And she was grieving because she believed Peter was dead the instant I removed Renata's head from her shoulders. Angela's screams broke my heart and tears slipped from my eyes as I realized I might have killed the ghost when I killed the queen.

But then through the screams, I heard whispering. But it wasn't the Earthens that spoke. It was my grandmother. And she didn't sound the same as she did while she spoke in my head.

In that moment, I knew it was the ghost. Not the sliver of her essence that was within me along with my mother and the rest of the Earthens.

I wasn't sure how it was possible that she was speaking to me without Angela acting as a conduit, but she was.

Blinking the last of the tears from my eyes, I moved forward until my knees were touching Salvatore's and I grabbed my best friend's face.

"Angela, listen to me!" I cried. "He's alive. Okay? Peter is alive."

At first, she tried to struggle against my hold on her, but as I said the boy's name, my words registered and she stilled. Her big brown eyes fixated on me as tears spilled down her cheeks.

"He's alive. But I need your help to pull him out of Renata's body. Okay?"

She sucked in a jagged breath and then nodded.

As Salvatore's big arms released my best friend, I moved to my feet and held out my hands to help her up. I knew she didn't need the assistance, but it felt like the right thing to do.

Without pulling on me, she rose to her feet with all the grace of a were-animal and I smirked at her. "That's a nice trick."

She didn't respond. She just held on to my hand and pulled me to Renata's body.

I stepped over the corpse and knelt next to the body while Angela dropped to her knees on the other side. We didn't break contact as we touched Renata's lifeless body. "Follow my lead okay?"

She nodded.

Then we closed our eyes.

Reaching down through her body, we found Peter and grabbed him, pulling him out like he was stuck inside a costume and not a dead body.

When he was free, Angela gasped and let me go, not hesitating to use her speed to her advantage and pulled the ghost into a fierce hug that left the boy grunting in protest.

Salvatore was there and hugged the boy next, but with a little less fervor. When the boy was free, he turned to Shadow, standing next to Connor.

I couldn't see Peter's distinctive Asian face, but I could hear the sadness in his voice. "I think I lost your ball," he said to the massive werewolf. The poor kid even hung his head in shame.

Light blue flashed into Shadow and Connor's auras as they both started chuckling.

The boy looked confused for a moment while they laughed. Before they stopped, it was Salvatore that rescued him. "We found the ball, kid. It's safe and waiting for you back at the hotel."

Though Peter's adoptive father wasn't laughing, his aura was swirling with light blue, pink, and orange. That incredible little boy worried more about a spelled red ball than the dead bodies around us.

I liked the kid even more. As Connor's chuckles faded away, I smiled up at him. But then I moved my feet and asked, "Is everyone else okay?" as I searched through the limited space for all of our friends.

One by one, I found everyone. Except for Puffle.

"Puffle?" I cried.

A bird flitted into view and hovered about a foot in front of me an instant later. "Right here, missy. I'm good." He grinned at me and lifted his arms out to the side to let me see him.

I couldn't help it. I snorted.

After everything we went through since we left Nashville to find Liam and Jon, I was shocked that we were in one of New Orleans's Cities of the Dead with a bunch of former zombies, a dead Voodoo Queen, and about a dozen dark witches and another dozen Voodoo practitioners still watching us from various places around us.

I almost forgot about them.

My magic unleashed from me an instant later and I focused on the dark witches. " _I return what you stole to the Earth. And if you take any again, I will return your souls next_."

As my fist lifted into the air, each witch pitched forward on their knees heaving black smoke from their eyes, ears, noses, and mouths as I ripped all the power they stole from their bodies.

I pulled the black smoke toward me as it snaked across the ground and then it lifted up into a swirling black orb of smoke that spun beneath my outstretched hand.

Dropping to my knees, I slammed my palm down on the pavement, feeling the sting as the impact ripped my skin, but I didn't let up. I forced the magic and the remnants of the essences the dark witches consumed into the ground, willing the energy to purify as it went.

Then I released the barrier Connor and I set around them before the fight began.

Before I let my power fade away, I gave them one final warning. " _Do not try to cross me again_."

Each one of the witches looked frightened, even a little surprised that I let them live, but left without saying a word and disappeared into the night.

Tobias spoke to the people that remained – the Voodoo practitioners. They agreed the fight was over and left in a hurry, not bothering with their fallen queen.

Just like that. It was over.

Liam and Jon were safe, and we rescued Vlad and two other vampires that were held captive by Renata in the process.

I turned and looked at the crypt where Renata's body was and saw the name inscribed on the bronze plaque to the side of the small building. Her blood was pooling against its doors and I found it fitting that she died where her mentor was put to rest.

If we left her body there, it would serve as a lesson that no one should try to cross Angela or me again. I hoped the testimony of the practitioners Tobias allowed to flee would serve the same purpose.

As we walked off into the night back to the hotel, I held on to that hope. Maybe we would be lucky and no one would come for us again.

But I knew we weren't that lucky.

### Chapter 67

On Christmas Eve, we pulled onto Orchard Road in the rented bus. Tobias compelled the driver to move through the barrier, despite every instinct he felt to turn the bus around and go back the way we came.

Snow dusted the ground and the dilapidated exterior of Liam's home looked the same as it always did. But I wasn't fooled by it. His home was opulent and untold amounts of money made it into the magnificent building and underground it was.

The glamour and repellent barrier were courtesy of my mother before her death. And it still worked perfectly, even after a decade.

Jon and Liam were replenished of their strength and healed after ordering room service several times. The deliverers left with a large tip and a lower iron count, but they were none the wiser for it.

That was why I liked Liam and his nest so much. They could be brutal and unforgiving, but they didn't kill with abandon.

Though I never noticed them much before, the two vampires we rescued in Jackson were still with us, and they were non-responsive to the point that I thought they were almost catatonic.

I didn't know what happened to them, and I didn't think I wanted to find out. But what caught my attention was how Tobias looked at one of them ever since we left the hotel.

She was beautiful, cleaned up with fresh clothes. Her brunette hair looked natural, highlighted with the faintest hint of red from the sun, while her big brown eyes stared out the window next to her.

Though Tobias kept his distance, he watched over her.

By the time we pulled up in front of Liam's home, I was convinced that there was something going on. I wasn't sure if it was anything like Salvatore and Angela, or Connor and I as mates, but Tobias looked like a different vampire while he watched her.

But given the way she and the other vampire were behaving, I didn't think they noticed we were there. Let alone those blue eyes fixated on her.

After we made it inside the house, William informed Liam that he compensated the driver and sent him away. I didn't ask about the amount. I didn't need to. Liam and his nest always did the right thing, and I didn't have any reason to doubt them.

Connor and I made it back to our suite after Liam promised a lavish Christmas Eve dinner later that day. And though the space still felt the same to us, oozing with sensuality from all the red and black in the room, mixed with the big bed, fire crackling in the hearth, and the way the light seemed to bounce off the shiny surfaces, it felt a little different.

It wasn't just the two of us anymore. I was pregnant and the baby would come long before we would be ready.

Though I couldn't explain why I felt the compulsion to turn around to face Connor as he dropped our duffel bag and closed the door behind him, but I did. And then I spoke without thinking. "Connor, I think we should get married."

The corners of his mouth lifted in a grin and he moved to me, pulling me into his arms. "Well, that's a good thing since we're bound already and you're wearing that ring."

I snorted. "That's not what I mean." I picked at phantom lint on his shirt and he caught my hand. "What I mean is, why wait? We should just do it."

"Are you sure? We don't have to rush it. We've already rushed so much."

"First of all," I protested, "I didn't know I would get pregnant."

Light blue swirled with the deep pink in his aura and he grinned. "That's not what I meant and you know it. I don't want you to feel rushed to do anything. If you want to, then we can do whatever you want." He wriggled his eyebrows and I laughed.

"Stop, I'm being serious."

"I know. Why don't we get through tonight first, and then we'll get married tomorrow?"

I blinked. "You want to get married on Christmas?"

"You said you wanted to do it, and unless you want to wait until after the holidays...," he let the words hang in the air.

I narrowed my eyes at him. "You're right. Tomorrow then."

Before I realized what he was doing, his eyes turned white and I was caged beneath his body on the bed as he kissed me, hard. His aura shifted to a red that was so bright it was like molten lava and alive as it swirled around him.

### Chapter 68

That night, when we entered the massive dining room that we only used once before on Thanksgiving, what I saw made my jaw hit the floor.

Every member of Liam's nest, including Vlad, Angela, Salvatore, Peter, Bugs, and Shadow, were there waiting for us. They burst into applause as we stepped into the room and my eyes filled with tears.

It didn't take a genius to know why they were applauding.

They heard what Connor and I said in our suite. They knew what we wanted to do.

Liam stepped forward, smiling. "My dear, I am so pleased you have finally decided to marry him. I must say, I was beginning to doubt you ever would."

Connor snorted, but I ignored it as I narrowed my eyes at the vampire.

God, but he's poking fun at me.

"Sure, laugh it up," I said as the vampire's lips twitched and I fought the smile that threatened. "See if you're invited."

His grin widened. "But of course I am invited. I will be the one to officiate."

Just like that, all the humor faded from me and before I realized I moved, I was hugging the centuries-old vampire and fighting the tears that burned my eyes.

Liam just saved me from the embarrassment of asking him to officiate the wedding. But that wasn't all. Once again, those words told me how much he was both honored to do it, and how happy he was for us.

That touched me on a deep level.

God, but we were so lucky to know him.

After I pulled away, wiping the fresh tears from my cheeks, he turned to Connor. "Congratulations," he said and shook my mate's hand.

Fifteen minutes later, we began eating and the food was delicious. Jon, Liam, and William took the credit for everything, and there was food all across the massive mahogany table.

Jon was still grieving the loss of his girlfriend in the battle against the demon. She was the only vampire I couldn't bring back as a ghoul, and he turned to anything he could as a distraction.

I showed him how to cook, and he seemed to enjoy doing it. Even after being taken, kept unconscious, and drained of his blood, he didn't seem any worse for the wear.

He even bumped Tobias on the side of his head as he said " _Whomp_ ," which sounded more like a boom coming from his barreled chest. We knew the gesture.

The body building vampire was a much bigger, much deadlier version of one of the three stooges. It was one of the reasons we liked him so much.

It was fitting he hit Tobias, because the vampire was still staring at the woman that held his attention on the bus. But she didn't do anything but stare at her plate and pick at the food. I didn't think it was because she didn't like it. It just seemed like her mind was elsewhere.

The fact that she was eating told me that one day, she would be alright again.

And though I still didn't understand Tobias's emotional outbursts about Liam, I was sure we would find out.

Vlad fit right in with Liam's nest and joked with the rest of the group as if he was a member the entire time. He didn't make any indications that he wanted to take over his son's nest, either. He seemed content with letting Liam remain in control, which made me respect the vampire even more.

For a centuries-old vampire that left his nest to Liam so long ago because he wasn't happy and didn't like what he was becoming, he seemed like a different person from everything I knew about him before his disappearance.

A few centuries of captivity would do that to a person.

Though I was never held captive like he was, I understood how certain abuses could reshape who you were into someone else over time. I was still fighting those demons of my childhood every day.

And yet, there was Dracula. The real, live, flesh and blood Vlad Tepes, sitting in Liam's dining room with us, laughing at something Jorge said in his southern drawl.

Liam stayed quiet for the most part, sitting at the head of the table. He laughed when the occasion called for it, but mostly he ate, and kept stealing glances at his father, sitting to his right.

It was as if he was afraid the vampire would disappear. Like he was either a mirage or that he would wake up from a daze and realize the man was never there.

The longer we sat there, and I looked at all of our friends – the people I trusted like family – the more I knew we would be alright.

### Chapter 69

The next morning was a flurry of activity.

While the humans remained at the nest, both for their safety and because they couldn't enter my grandmother's clearing in the woods, due to a protective barrier spell she cast to keep anything that wasn't _other_ out of it, the rest of us made our way into the woods.

Due to the nature of Angela and Bugs's connection to everything, they were able to enter. Without the body of the boy, Peter could enter in his ghostly form.

It was a little strange, to say the least, that so many people were gathering in the clearing.

The space was plenty big enough, but I only ever spent time there as a child with my mother and grandmother, and then later with Connor. I recalled using the spelled red ball to play catch with Shadow and smiled.

Even when the group that called themselves The Cleansers – the _others_ that were racists to the core, even on supernatural standards – tried to kill Angela and Salvatore almost two weeks before, there weren't as many people in the clearing as there were that Christmas day.

Part of me was surprised that so many people wanted to be there while Connor and I married. Despite the fact that it wasn't a supernatural ritual, like a binding, they still wanted to be a part of it.

That told me that they didn't just care about the fact that Connor and I were Earthen. They cared about us. They wanted to be there for us.

It wasn't something I was used to, and I felt a little overwhelmed with emotion because of it.

Everyone gathered around while Liam stood a few yards in front of us while Connor and I stood at the base of the arched bridge that crossed over a small creek – the same bridge that caused a brief memory of my mother and grandmother to return. Though we barely knew each other at the time, when that memory dissipated, I turned to him for comfort. As our first significant moment together, it was the perfect spot to marry.

While he wore one of the expensive suits that Liam insisted he wear for the occasion, I wore a silk dress that probably cost more than my house. It was a creamy ivory color and flowed over me, hugging me in all the right places. I couldn't have picked a better dress if I tried. Though I was still early enough in the pregnancy, I considered myself lucky that I didn't look like a balloon.

Liam leveled his green eyes on us as they flashed against the early afternoon light. "We are here to join Connor Jennings and Aisling Green in marriage. In this place, you have chosen to become one. Please face each other."

Connor turned toward me and the corners of his mouth lifted in a small smile while I studied his features. That moment couldn't have been more perfect to me.

"Connor, your vows," Liam prompted.

My mate reached down, took my hands in his and lifted them. "Aisling, you of all people know that finding the right words isn't easy. Everything about you has brought me to life. And I will love you through this lifetime and beyond until I no longer exist. No matter what happens, my heart is yours."

Moments passed as I struggled to keep myself from crying. Then Liam said, "Aisling, your vows."

I took a deep breath, reigning in my emotions as best I could, and began speaking in a trembling voice. "From the first moment I saw you, I knew you were different. It was then that I felt you were the one for me, but I didn't know it at the time. All of me – including my soul – is in your hands."

Despite my best efforts, I unleashed with sparks arcing into his hands.

He didn't let go, he just squeezed my hands and I watched as his eyes turned white in response.

"You are my life, Connor. For as long as I exist, you are my strength and my heart is yours," as I finished, my voice cracked.

"Connor, Aisling," Liam said, "You are now husband and wife."

Without waiting for Liam to say we could kiss, Connor's hands flashed to my face and he kissed me, hard.

I forgot our friends were in the clearing with us as he kissed me in the way that I loved. His arms flashed to my middle and pulled me against him as I wrapped mine around his neck, pushing my fingers into his silken hair.

Too soon, he pulled back and rested his forehead against mine. "I love you," he whispered.

Though I could still feel that he was unleashed, he didn't speak with a thousand voices. I smiled again and kissed him.

We held each other like that for several long moments until a voice reverberated across the clearing.

It belonged to someone that couldn't be there.

The voice of someone that was killed right in front of our eyes nearly a month before. A voice that I recognized as ice slid down my spine.

With that same beauty, the accent was unmistakable.

Australian and perfect.

But that wasn't all I heard. I heard another voice beneath it as if they were speaking as one.

A voice that sent the craggy fingers of a flashback crawling up my neck. A voice that haunted my nightmares, my memories, and my childhood.

That voice belonged to the man I killed.

That voice belonged to my step-father.

From seemingly all around us, Zoe and Martin spoke again, "Isn't this precious."

The End ...

... for now.
Aisling's Journal

Auras

Colors and Emotions

Gray = fear

Green = indecision, anger, envy, guilt, jealousy

Blue = humor (light), sadness (dark)

Black = evil, darkness, hatred

Orange = pride, amazement

Purple = contentment, strength, power, alpha

Red/Pink = desire, love

White = purity, power, hope
Others

**Earthen** – extremely emotional; uses magic by will, fueled by emotion; when unleashed, eyes change color – red for anger, white for passion/love; capabilities of pre-cognition, _sight_ , _shield_ ; vampiric speed; can heal others; potentially not limited by iron ore; can sense all living things, sometimes including ghosts; infused with the essences of all Earthens from before, represented as whispers, or a thousand voices

**Witches** – confined by moon magic; may require elements (fire, blood) to cast; chanting is typically required to cast, and German is a language used for casting; cannot wield magic by will alone; may have Earthen traits; moon magic cannot penetrate iron ore, or manipulate it in any way; iron ore dampens powers, sometimes completely

Elements:

Fire – catalyst

Blood – binds object to caster

Earth, Air, Water – obsolete; primarily used for agriculture

**Weres** – not bound by the moon; typically choose human or animal form and remain that way; vulnerable to iron ore; otherwise they heal quickly; cannot infect witches with their bite; vampire blood can heal wounds but it would cause intense pain in the process; they are capable of a partial change

**Pixies** – tiny people with wings; appear as birds under glamour; live in gardens; cultivate plant life; pixie dust as weapon, dust has magical properties, can affect targets differently for maximum effect

**Vampires** – two kinds: one turned and one born, changing at the end of puberty, both of which are done through will, not accidental; no aura emitted; eyes flash like a cat's eyes; have fangs; drink blood; killed via decapitation; not vulnerable to iron ore; also not vulnerable to the sun, but are known to prefer the night; blood can heal and reverse effects of magic, only Earthen spelled blood can heal an Earthen; werewolf bites are extremely painful, like a temporary poison; they can also eat food; if alive, all injuries can heal or regrow given enough time and nourishment

**Ghouls** – meat eaters; killed by destroying the heart; were vampires prior to turning; after a vampire's death, Earthen flesh and the sire's blood can create a ghoul; not vulnerable to iron ore; also not vulnerable to the sun, but are known to prefer the night; blood can heal and reverse effects of magic; werewolf bites are extremely painful, like a temporary poison; they can also eat food; if alive, all injuries can heal or regrow given enough time and nourishment

**Night Shades** – created, not born; live within dreams and can control the body of the dreamer; alters the experience from within the dreams; exist as long as the spell is set to last, or until the dreamer wakes

**All** _Others_ – not susceptible to disease; not fertile unless they _want_ to be; territorial over what they consider theirs (such as a mate)
Non-Human

**Shamans** – not considered _other_ ; deep metaphysical connection to the world, all realms, and all things; typically assisted to other realms via a guide, an animal, or, in rare cases, a Sphinx; most commonly travels to _Spirit Realm_ to commune with the dead; can possess clairvoyant tendencies; also possible to manipulate weather; in rare cases, can shift into a spirit animal

**Voodoo and Practitioners** – not considered _other_ ; traditionally used as a form of religion, but other capabilities grew over time; typically uses gris-gris, a type of talisman to operate like a spell; gris-gris transference – shifting from one target to the next; gris-gris is destroyed by fire; vampire blood can increase the effects of gris-gris or enhance the powers of the practitioner – the older the vampire, the more power achieved; most commonly associated with curses and necromancy
Neutrals

**Guardians of Information** – librarians; maintains the lore on all _others_ in vaults of Information. Each vault may carry different information and artifacts, and they are often incomplete. As new information arises, librarians will document and catalog them. They also keep track of current events in the supernatural world. By rule, if someone asks for information, they are required to share it.

**Shelterers** – managers of any entity that provides lodging; offers a safe place to stay with anonymity. By rule, no attacks are allowed to humans or _others_. But this is not always honored.

**Cleaners** – any cleaning service managers; primary function is to assist with clean up to prevent exposure to humans. By rule, they must clean or otherwise change a scene as requested (such as demolishing evidence), and must do so without question.

**Healers** – doctors and veterinarians; in addition to humans and animals, they're knowledgeable about _others'_ biology and metabolisms, and can assist in the event of an injury. Veterinarians will help were-animals that cannot or will not shift to their human state. By rule, they will help anyone – human or _other_ without question.

**All Neutrals** – only the top members of each establishment, such as a manager, doctor, or librarian acts as a Neutral. No assistants or lower level employees are aware of the supernatural world unless they have prior knowledge of it, or are a part of it. Payment is not required, but donations are appreciated if cost is incurred.

###
Thank You

This book has left me in awe of the journey I've taken with my characters. Hopefully, you feel the same. If so, please take a moment to leave a review. And read on for an excerpt of _Safe_ , the next installment of Aisling and Connor's adventure.

Always,

Sarah Doughty
About the Author

Sarah Doughty writes were her laptop will follow her, 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. Writing is her solace, her passion.

When she's not writing, she spends time with her family, or fueling her addiction as an urban fantasy and paranormal romance-reading junkie.

She lives in Indiana with her husband, son, two faithful dogs, and a psychotic cat. Visit her website at www.sarahdoughty.com.
Other Titles

Earthen Witch Universe

(Publication Order)

Earthen Witch

Just Breathe

Focus

Earthen Witch World

Home

Earthen Witch World Shorts

Dream Spell

Zoe

Poetry

The Silence Between Moonbeams
Connect with Me

Follow me on Instagram: <https://instagram.com/thesarahdoughty/>

Subscribe to my website: http://www.sarahdoughty.com

Find me on Goodreads: <https://www.goodreads.com/TheSarahDoughty>

Favorite me at Smashwords: <https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/thesarahdoughty>

Follow me on Twitter: <http://twitter.com/thesarahdoughty>
Acknowledgments

If not for the support of my friends, family, devoted fans, and book bloggers, this novel wouldn't be what it is today. Not just for their encouragement, but their uncanny ability at catching those pesky typos. I'm forever grateful to you. To my husband for his ability to be my rock and my son for loving me no matter what. I love you both. To my biggest fans, beta readers, and closest friends, for their unwavering guidance and support: May Timani, and Máh Lima. To F-K for loving and reading each of my books several times over and writing incredibly insightful essays about them. Special thanks to my lovely friend and sometimes German translator Sonny Spencer for being a great support. To my mother for being biased yet still loving my books anyway, and for being Mom. To the incredible Kristen McQuiggan of Drop Dead Designs for rescuing me and setting the groundwork for the perfect cover in a matter of minutes. 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 come, and more characters that deserve their own piece of happiness. I cannot wait to share it all with you.
Excerpt from Safe–Earthen Witch Novels Book Four

### Ending Of Prologue

We held each other like that for several long moments until a voice reverberated across the clearing.

It belonged to someone that couldn't be there.

The voice of someone that was killed right in front of our eyes nearly a month before. A voice that I recognized as ice slid down my spine.

With that same beauty, the accent was unmistakable.

Australian and perfect.

But that wasn't all I heard. I heard another voice beneath it as if they were speaking as one.

A voice that sent the craggy fingers of a flashback crawling up my neck. A voice that haunted my nightmares, my memories, and my childhood.

That voice belonged to the man I killed.

That voice belonged to my step-father.

From seemingly all around us, Zoe and Martin spoke again, "Isn't this precious."

### Chapter One

Ice slid down my spine as my gaze locked with Connor's. He recognized those voices too. His hands tightened around mine, but his eyes remained white.

The rest of our group didn't need any other incentive to be on guard. But there was one big problem.

It wasn't that both Zoe and Martin should have been dead and rotting in the ground – after all, Connor's mantra of _everything is possible_ was a good one to remember – but it was the fact that I didn't think anyone thought to bring weapons to the wedding.

The problem wasn't how they were alive. Nor was it how their collective voice traveled all around us as if they were everywhere and nowhere at once.

The only thing that mattered was that we didn't know what they were capable of, and we didn't know if we were equipped to deal with the situation.

Connor and I didn't need weapons since our magic was our greatest defense. But everyone else, unless they carried concealed weapons I didn't know about, didn't have any defense other than their teeth, hands, or claws. Our friends were plenty deadly on their own, but I wasn't sure what a ghost or a cat could do if we needed to fight.

Everyone's eyes traveled around the clearing, looking for the source of that haunting voice, but we found nothing.

That dual voice sounded again, laughing at us. It was a combination of beauty and terror that continued to crawl up my spine.

Leave it to my step-father to ruin a perfect moment.

Just like that, my mood – a combination of overwhelming joy and love for the man that still held my hands and fear over what was happening – shifted into something different.

Something deadly.

Red washed over my vision as clouds formed overhead and lightning flashed over our heads.

I made a seamless transition from being unleashed out of love to rage. A fleeting thought passed through me that it was the first time it happened, but then I forgot what I was thinking as something more important came to mind.

Before Zoe was murdered by Martin, I wanted to help her. Save her. Even though I didn't yet know how. It wasn't until minutes after her death that I learned how to restore a dark witch to light. But hearing her voice in tandem with his was enough to make me change that desire.

Whatever was happening, they were working together. Alive. And despite not being one to resort to murder, I felt an intense desire to rip their heads off their shoulders at the first opportunity. If the former Voodoo Queen of New Orleans was any indication, I knew how to remove heads.

Magic pulsed out of my body like a shockwave, pushing everyone but my mate backward a step, but not enough to throw them off balance. It was as if a stiff breeze erupted from me.

Under normal circumstances, only a tiny bit of magic was required to search for living things within my vicinity, but I never sensed anything aside from our friends in the clearing and some random small critters that scurried through the woods.

The further I searched, the more magic I needed. And as the clouds above us continued to build, I found nothing.

But then the dual voice laughed once more, inciting my anger to grow. My ears rang with the sounds of those voices and it drowned out everything else.

Connor's hands gripped my face, pulling my attention away. His arms were outstretched above him in the air. I was levitating. It didn't come as a surprise, since I tended to do that when I was unleashed. But for some reason, he wanted my attention on him.

My gaze flickered down and locked with his. They were brown again as an angry green and fearful gray undulated in his aura. Other than identical colors that surrounded the two werewolves, no one else in the clearing cast auras. But I was willing to bet that they felt the same. My husband's cool thumbs caressed my cheeks, pulling me out of my thoughts and coaxing me to focus on him.

When unleashed out of anger, my body heated up like I was boiling inside. It felt like I breathed fire as my vision was blanketed with red.

My analogy wasn't far off.

Anger like that, so intense it caused me to unleash, made me very dangerous. But not to my friends. They knew that.

As my gaze met my husband's, I couldn't figure out why he wanted to pull my attention away. Then I remembered.

He knew I didn't like to channel rage. Harnessing that kind of anger made me feel wrong. Like I was the worst version of myself.

If not for him and his attempts to refocus my attention, I didn't know how long I would have continued to burn with rage, not caring how I would feel after. His expression changed and it made me pause.

His mouth moved, but I couldn't tell what he said.

That ringing of laughter in my ears was so loud, I couldn't hear anything. But I needed to know what he said, so I willed my body to the base of the bridge and kept my gaze locked with his.

His eyes flickered back and forth between mine. He breathed in, letting me see the his shoulders lift by a fraction and then lower as he exhaled.

That was when I realized what he wanted.

He was trying to calm me down.

Just breathe, Aisling.

Despite wanting to stay unleashed to protect my friends, I knew I could react at a moment's notice if needed. So I breathed him in, letting my eyes close as his scent of wood smoke filled my lungs.

His thumbs caressed against my cheeks and I reveled in the sensation – that zing of power I felt whenever our skin made contact.

By the time I opened my eyes, the laughter stopped, my ears were no longer ringing, and I wasn't seeing red. But instead of looking away, Connor held my gaze. I looked back at him, forcing myself to stay calm in his eyes.

"Alright?" he breathed.

I nodded and he dropped his hands from my face and took my hand.

As he stepped off the bridge and moved toward our friends, pulling me with him, that dual, Australian accented voice called out into the otherwise silent afternoon in a bored tone. "Stay where you are or we will kill them all."

Connor froze and squeezed my hand. We didn't know if what they promised was true, but that wasn't a chance we would take.

Until we could figure out what was happening, we weren't going to take any chances.

"How have you been since we died, hmm?" the dual voices asked. "We've kept you busy, haven't we?" They laughed again, but instead of unleashing, I forced myself to breathe and squeezed my husband's hand.

"You remember that fun destroyer demon, right?" they laughed. "You're welcome, by the way."

My gaze flickered to Jon, the seven-foot-tall bodybuilding vampire as confusion flitted across his features. But I knew what they meant.

Jon's bald, tanned, yet pale flesh glistened against the stormy, early afternoon light. Those dark hazel eyes flashed and then pain flashed across his features for an instant before it cleared the muscles worked in his jaw from the anger that overwhelmed him. It took him a little longer, but he figured it out.

Zoe and Martin were the reason the demon was brought to our world. And they were the reason for his girlfriend's death. She was the only fallen vampire we weren't able to revive as a ghoul.

Then I caught sight of Puffle, the four-inch-tall pixie, sitting on Vlad's shoulder with his mouth hanging open and his wings twitching from the unbearable knowledge that his eldest children were killed in that same fight.

My heart broke all over again at the memory of his teenage triplets, eager to prove their worth. From the perfect synchronization of their tiny voices and how they'd giggle and clap their hands made me miss them so much more. Their sacrifice saved Connor's life.

All of that grief could have been avoided.

The entire time, we thought both Zoe and Martin were dead, but they weren't. How that was possible or how they were able to muster up the kind of power required to summon a demon were questions I couldn't yet answer. But they caused so much pain and suffering by bringing that demon to our world.

My emotions fought for dominance. Part of me wanted nothing more than to embrace that rage once more and unleash. But on the other hand, sadness overwhelmed me – that deep grief that never ended because of the lives that were lost.

Because of me.

If it wasn't for my powers, they would still be alive.

It was enough to make me want to crumble beneath all of that pressure.

"That's right," they went on. "We've been here the whole time, watching you fools running around like chickens." They laughed together in perfect harmony and it grated on my nerves.

As part of my nature, I wouldn't kill unless it was necessary. But in that moment, I knew, those two, whatever they were, they needed to die.

It _was_ necessary.

They did too much.

I didn't care how, but I wouldn't stop until they were dead.

Or I would die trying.

### Chapter Two

Despite all that magic I used in an effort to find the source of their voices, I couldn't find them. It was as if they were nothing more than the wind.

And that was a scary thought.

I could sense everything around us. First Angela, and that ethereal light that seemed to emanate from within her, connecting her to everything as a Shamaness, then the feline form of the Sphinx, with a similar glow, off to the side, hidden amongst the desiccated petals of the primroses.

His anger wafted off him in waves, and though I couldn't be sure, I thought I heard growls coming from the gray ball of fur.

But that wasn't all.

I felt Peter, the filmy seven-year-old ghost that Angela and Salvatore adopted. I wasn't supposed to sense ghosts or wraiths at all, but I could – as long as I wasn't in the _Spirit Realm_. We still didn't know why.

They were like empty pockets of space that shimmered around the edges. Like the last of a dying light bulb. Wraiths were like angry pockets of air. Nothing else about my magic worked on them.

But then I caught sight of the beautiful woman I watched my step-father murder and I forgot what I was thinking.

It was Zoe, looking just as beautiful as the day she died. Her long, straight, raven hair fell against her ashen skin that was so pale she could pass for a vampire. But her eyes were different.

Before, they were a pale green with an outer rim of black. The woman walking toward us looked more sinister than ever before. And that was saying something.

Her eyes were complete black. From her pupils all the way to the edges. They were deep, dark wells of nothingness that swallowed the light.

When Connor, Shadow, and I sought refuge in a cabin, my step-father sent dark witches to find me. Instead of dreaming that night, I experienced dream- _sight_ – one of the interesting abilities of an Earthen. In the dream I _saw_ through the eyes of the receptionist of the small company that rented us the cabin. Though she worked for the neutral Shelterer, she didn't know about our world.

The eyes of those dark witches were nothing more than black holes, devouring the light around them, instead of reflecting it. They killed her and the memory was branded in my mind.

I wasn't sure what scared me more – the fact that Zoe wasn't dead, or that her eyes were the same.

Even with those black eyes, she was still beautiful.

Thought she stood a few inches taller than my five and a half foot frame, her black leather stiletto heels put her almost at Connor's six-foot height. Her black pants were tight and hugged her hips and thighs like a second skin, highlighting her slim physique. The rest of her attire was unsurprising.

A black top that revealed more cleavage than was appropriate beneath a black leather jacket, left open to allow her to move if she needed to fight.

Her eyes locked with mine for a moment, and I felt a desire to keep staring, but I resisted and dropped my gaze. Somehow, I knew that if anyone looked into her eyes for too long, they would be lost.

Possibly forever.

I wasn't sure if anyone else would notice, so I whispered, "Don't look in her eyes," knowing everyone could hear me. With the exception of fast speed, the senses Connor and I experienced weren't much better than humans, but he was standing next to me.

Glancing around to make sure no one was caught in those eyes, I saw Peter's ghostly form standing near his adoptive parents, looking around with confusion. Angela whispered something, but I couldn't hear what she said. With a slight nod, he kept his gaze lowered.

If the situation was different, I would have laughed. It looked like everyone was staring at her cleavage.

For all I knew, that was the case.

But then my eyes flickered up to Connor and I froze.

His gaze was locked with hers and I turned toward him in a blinding speed as magic pulsed out of me like a gust of wind, but it still didn't break his connection.

Then, without hesitation, I unleashed my magic, but instead of anger, it was from love. Sparks erupted from my fingertips and I reached up to my mate's face, forcing him to turn toward me.

A white light erupted from his chest and to my senses, it felt like a rubber band snapped as his eyes flickered to mine. He blinked and shook as his power came rushing back into his body.

Zoe tried to siphon his magic, but his _shield_ activated and stopped it when I broke the trance she held over him. I let out the breath I didn't realize I was holding and forced myself to breathe as I turned back to the threat.

To my surprise, she didn't fly backward from the force of Connor's _shield_. She stood there with a sly grin.

More fear washed over me. I still didn't know where Martin was or how he played a role in what was happening.

That was when Zoe spoke again, and I realized my worst fears.

"Oh, I'm sorry," she sneered, "was that supposed to hurt me?"

The problem wasn't her question. It was her voice.

It wasn't Zoe and Martin speaking with perfect synchronization. Zoe's voice _was_ them. Both of them. Inhabiting the same body.

Despite Connor's rule of _everything is possible_ , what was happening in front of us was the last thing I ever thought possible.

Two people spoke from the same body, and if what I was seeing was correct, both were in complete control.

They must have seen the realization on my face because Zoe's hands reached up and cupped her breasts. "I have to say, it's quite convenient having these to play with." To my surprise, Zoe's voice was gone, even the Australian accent.

The words were Martin's.

Revulsion washed over me with a chaser of sadness. Before we thought she was killed, Zoe was an evil dark witch. But there she was, sharing her body with a sociopath that liked to prey on women and children.

I caught the faint look of disgust on her face, but then it cleared so fast, I wondered if I ever saw it.

That small exchange told me something very valuable.

Not only did they inhabit the same body, but their control wasn't equal. It was possible for one to take over both in voice and actions.

Those delicate hands fell away from her breasts and she turned her attention to Liam, still standing in front of us. His back was to us and his shoulders were forward, like he was ready to spring into action. Then I realized all of our friends were in a similar position.

They were waiting. And it wasn't hard to guess why.

We didn't know what to expect, and until we knew more or were forced to take action, we were going to wait.

Zoe's tongue clicked in mock disappointment at the vampire that stood in front of us. "Of all the people here, we thought you would figure it out. We already knew the Guardian was useless." A small smile crept into Zoe's face as her eyes shifted to my best friend. "Too bad we didn't kill you when we had the chance."

A snarl escaped from Salvatore in response to the threat, but Angela's hand flashed out and gripped his wrist, forcing him to stop.

Salvatore was a dominant alpha werewolf and someone threatening his mate – bound to him in both human and supernatural standards – wasn't something he would let go.

They _wanted_ us to react. I wasn't sure why.

But then the blood drained from my face as I realized there was another reason for their actions.

They were stalling.

The possibilities of what they planned were endless. Combining that with their previous confession, it meant the danger came from both of them. Equally.

They were _both_ responsible for the demon. Possibly more than that.

My power fanned out again, searching. I couldn't sense Zoe at all. It wasn't even a blip on my magical radar, but then I realized my power was no longer extending beyond the edge of the clearing like it was when I first searched the area around us.

That was when I knew something bad was about to happen.

### Chapter Three

I didn't know what they were waiting for. But I knew none of us would like it.

Everyone seemed to understand that we were at an impasse, but they weren't dropping their guard. Even Vlad, the newest member of Liam's nest, wasn't backing down.

Despite being held in captivity for over a century and his rescue a week before, I didn't know if he everything that happened since I turned twenty-one.

But the vampire wasn't stupid.

He could take the cues from everyone else and know that whatever was happening, it was serious.

Zoe's attention shifted to the vampire and her grin widened. "So, Dracula, how does it feel to have freedom again?"

"Very nice," the vampire responded without emotion. I thought I caught a hint of red in his eyes before my gaze flickered back to Zoe.

Neither Martin and Zoe were the type to keep secrets. They liked to gloat about their accomplishments. They revealed they summoned the demon, but they also admitted that, at least in part, knew about Renata, the deceased Voodoo Queen of New Orleans – the one that held Vlad in captivity for so long.

They were busy since we thought they were killed a month before.

God, but was it possible that everything was because of them?

I didn't know, and I didn't care.

They were stalling and I needed to figure out why.

I let go of Connor's hand and stepped toward Zoe, but what happened next surprised me to the point that I froze mid-step.

Magic leaked from her body and she levitated off the ground by about four feet. I felt the darkness of it – that deep sensation of wrong and evil pulsed from her.

Seeing her, hovering there like that was enough to set anyone on edge. But the most interesting thing about what was happening – the real reason why I stopped – was that I just realized didn't cast an aura.

Yet I felt the magic.

That left one of two possibilities.

The undead didn't cast an aura because they weren't exactly alive. It was possible that a vampire could also be a witch, but it was almost unheard of, and I never met one. Given the fact that Zoe's skin was already so pale, it was hard to determine if she and my step-father were alive – well, undead. Or she was a very powerful dark witch with the ability to hide her aura.

Either way, it didn't bode well for us.

But something was still missing. I could sense the undead as empty pockets of energy. Other than feeling the dark magic pouring off her, I still couldn't sense anything at all.

Magic pulsed from me and blasted into Zoe's body, knocking her backward and to the ground. Her body impacted the frozen surface with a thump as air whooshed from her lungs and the corners of my lips lifted in grim satisfaction.

Undead or alive, Zoe and Martin were using magic.

That meant I wasn't useless against them.

I could stop them.

The only problem was knowing how much magic they possessed. But if they were the cause for the demon, that meant they were more powerful than anything we ever faced before.

I only hoped that my abilities combined with Connor's would be strong enough against them.

Zoe moved to her feet and I watched in horror as her aura came into view. It looked like thousands of hazy black snakes slithering around her.

She wasn't a vampire.

It was possible to hide an aura, after all. I made a note to figure out how to do that once we finished dealing with them.

But that also meant that because they were using magic, our friends couldn't help fight against them. And everyone knew it.

From that pull in my stomach, I knew Connor moved up behind me. He must have realized the same thing and we both positioned ourselves to protect our family of trusted friends.

But then a thought flickered across my mind.

If Zoe and Martin knew about Vlad imprisonment for over a century – combined with the fact that we knew Zoe researched Voodoo before she darkened – then it was possible that she learned how to use it.

Connor reached up and his hands grasped my bare upper arms. I wasn't sure if the gesture was meant as reassurance, a reminder that I wasn't alone, or if it was something else.

But I took advantage of our contact and sent out more magic, searching the space around us for that distinct signature of Voodoo.

Like with ghosts, Voodoo was tricky to feel with my magic, but I could sense it if I concentrated hard enough. And though the edge of the clearing still felt blocked, I pushed against it.

That was when I felt it.

Voodoo pushed back.

Ice slid down my spine, but I refused to let the terror overwhelm me.

Without access to that kind of power, we weren't going to be very effective fighting against it, but I hoped trying a different tactic would come to our advantage.

It worked once before with my step-father, and I hoped it would again.

"So tell me something, Martin," I mused, surprised at how calm I sounded. I was anything but, and I was sure everyone knew it, but those deep wells of obsidian eyes flickered to me and I forced myself to look away.

"What, little whore?" he sneered without the harmony of Zoe's voice.

"How does it feel to use both Voodoo and magic? I bet that's quite a rush."

He laughed. Not just any kind of laugh. It was one of those manaical laughs. But then, just as soon as he started, the laugh cut off and the attention of those black eyes refocused on me.

"You always were a little slow, weren't you?" My step-father sneered. "We're not using Voodoo, you fool."

Just as I hoped, Martin's resurrection did nothing to improve his intelligence. He was still an idiot when it came to gloating about himself. And his statement told me two things. First, they weren't responsible for the Voodoo that surrounded us. Second, it meant someone else was.

I smiled at the two people that thought they were unstoppable, but it wasn't a genuine smile. It was a show of teeth.

One comforting fact came from the whole ordeal was that Zoe and Martin's abilities were limited to magic. Which meant we could stop them. Speaking loud enough that anyone beyond the edges of the clearing could hear me, I said, "You do know we killed Renata, right? We can kill anyone else you brought with you." I let my grin widen a little.

Just as I hoped, that statement let everyone know what I sensed. Even Connor, as his grip on my arms tightened by a fraction.

Not knowing how many Voodoo practitioners were out there was a problem. But the power was strong enough to block my magic, so I was willing to bet there was more than one.

I could push through that barrier if I wanted. But being pregnant meant my body and power would weaken faster.

The last thing I needed to do was waste magic. I already wasted enough as it was.

As the seconds ticked by, I realized everyone was waiting for me to make a decision. Connor's fingers twitched on my arms, reminding me that I could borrow his magic if I needed it. That meant I had two choices.

Combine our magic and destroy the two people inhabiting Zoe's body. Or wait to see if they would reveal their true purpose?

But before I could do anything, an immense wave of dark power washed over the clearing.

And then everything went black.

###
