 
### Changes

### Annan Werewolf Series ~ Book 3

By Roxanne Fox

Published by Roxanne Fox at Smashwords

Copyright 2017 Roxanne Fox

Smashwords Edition, License Notes:

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you're reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.
Acknowledgements:

I would like to thank my friends, family, and readers for their support and inspiration. Some of you have been here through it all, some have fallen away, but all of you have been vital to this journey. Thank you.

~

This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, locations, and incidents are all fictitious, or have been used in a fictitious way. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead, locales, or events is purely coincidental.

Warning: This book contains adult content.

Table of Contents

Chapter 1 ~ Master Chloe?

Chapter 2 ~ Pissy Sean

Chapter 3 ~ Sean's Big Secret

Chapter 4 ~ One Hell of a Way to Go

Chapter 5 ~ God Damn, Korbin

Chapter 6 ~ Addio, Bella Lupa

Chapter 7 ~ I will Punch You in Your Face

Chapter 8 ~ Not Accepting No is Just as Bad

Chapter 9 ~ Just Another Lycoan

Chapter 10 ~ Angel in Red

Chapter 11 ~ It Seems There Have Been Some Changes

Chapter 12 ~ Holy Shit

Chapter 13 ~ This isn't Even Real

Chapter 14 ~ Gee Thanks, Sean

Chapter 15 ~ Just a Dream

Chapter 16 ~ Marcus

Chapter 17 ~ What?

Chapter 18 ~ The Unknown

Chapter 19 ~ A Day Early

Chapter 20 ~ The Chalice of the Morrigan

Chapter 21 ~ The Explanation

Chapter 22 ~ New Home

Chapter 23 ~ On The Other Side

Chapter 24 ~ Building the Power Base

Chapter 25 ~ Cutting Him Loose

Chapter 26 ~ Mother of Chimeras

Epilogue ~ New Beginning

Preview of Book 1 ~ Cases of the SIA

### Chapter 1

Master Chloe?

Chloe's eyes caught mine as I put on the last of my mascara. "It's been two days, Annan."

She had sounded just as desperate when she reminded me it had been a day since we'd been on Pack Lands, my family's home and the heart of the Snoqualmie Werewolf pack.

Putting my makeup away, I closed the drawer and looked down at the small blond vampire. Her lip quivered and her cornflower gaze looked as though it would spill over at any moment. Sighing, I pulled her in for a hug. She had been pestering me as I got ready and though it was early in the morning, no light entered our shared bathroom in Sean's home.

After we had gotten back, I was glad to see my Aunt Gale was happy to accommodate our visitor by blacking out all the windows in the other guest room. The room was perfect for Chloe since the Jack-and-Jill bathroom connected the one I had been staying in to it. Cesair was nice enough to let my family know about Chloe joining me, as well as her aversion to the sun—being a vampire under a hundred and all—and reassured them she was no harm to anyone on Pack Lands, without letting them know her huge secret.

Her secret was, the son she had abandoned over eighty years ago had lived with my family for most of his life and was the same man whose house we were now residing. He was a half vampire half werepanther with dual colored eyes—it took forever to get used to looking at his sunflower and sky-blue gaze—who was an empath, which made him a little moody due to my encounter with Chloe's maker.

Without getting into any details, meeting Antonio proved to me I was not Sean's chosen mate, as he had assumed since I was a teen. In other words, since I had been back he had been a jealous, moody son of bitch and making him more irritable was not high on my list.

Pulling out of the hug, I said, "Chloe, it's been more like a day and a half, considering it was almost midnight when we got here."

Shaking my head at her, I opened the second drawer and took out a band so I could pull my hair into a loose ponytail, which I looped again to make a haphazard knot of thick brunette waves at the back of my head. Brining my emerald eyes to hers, I smiled and put my hands on her small shoulders again.

"We changed the pack meet to tonight so you could come. I figured it would be the perfect time to tell him. Everyone will be in a good mood and Elizabeta said she would bring some Faerie wine."

Chloe's brows drew together as she dropped her head, her platinum hair falling over one eye. "It's just so hard. Every time I see him I..." Her southern bell voice hitched at the end and I could tell, without the empathetic power's she and her son shared, she was about to cry.

Brushing her hair behind her ear, I drew her face up and gave her a hug. It was hard to ignore the build of desire, which sprang up from pressing against Chloe's small form, so I was glad she wore a charm to block her from sensing such things in me. Letting Chloe cry, I smiled and was happy I could at least ignore the feelings I had for her and just be her friend—it was hard enough to deal with my attraction to her irritating son. If she knew of the need she kindled in me, she would not be able to control her own need, one involving sex and more sex. She craved it even more than blood when in the heat of passion.

Chloe pulled from the hug and wiped her eyes. "I know you are doing your best, Annan and I know he has been difficult with having to deal with abilities he never knew he had, but it's still hard for me to not tell him how much I care for him, and how I have always loved him."

_Yeah_ ... Sean hadn't found out he was an empath until I was at Antonio's home and far from Sean and his "love me" vibe he was accidently pumping into me—which wasn't as bad as the lust vibe Chloe gave off, _whoa-boy_ there. Once he learned he had the ability, he began working on controlling it. Of course, he also learned how to be a grumpy ass-face in the process. Letting him know the mother who gave him up—in his mind—was staying under his roof had the potential to make him explosive.

"I think once he gets over Antonio he won't be so bad."

Chloe let out a small laugh. "I'm not sure he will ever be over him, Annan." Her eyes met mine as her smile grew. "Not unless you have gotten over Antonio yourself, that is."

Turning away from her, I let out a short laugh and adjusted the towel hanging on the rod, even though they didn't need it. "Ha, well. Only time will tell."

There was a moment for me to wonder if she was going to comment on how my heart wanted to beat out of my chest just at the mere mention of the sexy vampire's name, but she didn't. Her empathic abilities didn't need to be on to know my pulse had kicked up a notch.

"I trust you'll know when the time is right, after all you have gotten to know Sean somewhat better than I have."

The laugh in her voice was evident and I was glad Chloe changed the subject the way a good friend would. Taking in a deep breath, I turned and smiled at her, pushing all thoughts of Antonio aside.

"I hate to leave you."

Chloe smiled. "It's okay, Annan. I'll watch something on my computer or have some down time."

Nodding to her, I gave her another small hug. My family was expecting me at their house. They wanted me to join them in preparing for the pack meeting that night. The twins were supposed to head out for provisions while I helped Korbin and Sean set up the building my family called The Lodge, which was still a mystery to me. The one day I had gotten to see Pack Lands, in its snow-coated glory, my family had left The Lodge out, saying I would see it the day of the pack meet. Too bad that night a crazy man kidnapped me.

Pulling out of the hug, I had to reconsider my _too bad_ thought. If Randall hadn't taken me, then I wouldn't have met Chloe ... or Antonio. Shaking off the thoughts of Antonio, and how he had saved me from that crazy man, I stepped away from Chloe and to my bedroom door.

Before I had gone into the restroom, I was sure to close my blinds—even though the clouds had been thick and the sky overcast—because I wanted to be sure there was no chance at burning Chloe alive. Though it had only been close to two days since we had left Antonio's shadow shrouded home, we had both been careful of her not getting in the sun. It was easy to admit being proud of how careful I had been. Part of me hoped Antonio would be proud too.

Pursing my brow, I tried not to think of Antonio, _again_ , and thought instead of what the day held as I opened my bedroom door.

The sun must have broken through the clouds as I had gotten ready. My blinds, which had _not_ been closed all the way, allowed the full morning light in, hitting everything in swaths of brightness.

"Shit!"

Dashing over my unkempt bed, I pulled the cord to close the shades all of the way. Only, I wasn't quite used to the added strength I had gained from multiple doses of vampire blood, and what I thought was a small tug ended up tearing the cord and ripping the blinds right from the wood it was screwed into, which doused my room in even more accursed light.

"Fuck, fuck, _fuck_!"

My bedroom door flew open and I looked over to see Sean, his hair wasn't styled but still looked sexy as hell, all bed-worn and messy as his eyes blazed around the room.

"What, what happened?"

Realizing why he was there, I held up the blinds by the mangled cord.

"God damn it, Annan." He calmed himself and ran a hand through the blond hair he had inherited from his mother.

Thinking of her, I looked back to the bathroom and saw I had left the door open. Jumping over the bed, again, I went to slam it shut when I saw Chloe's pale hand in a sliver of light.

"Oh, Chloe no."

To my horror, she stepped out, and into the sun, it seemed slower than she really needed to move. Putting a hand to my mouth, I stepped back and bumped into Sean, who didn't move. Instead, he put his hands to my shoulders as I watched Chloe lift her arms in the bright light of the day and look at them in amazement. Tears ran rivulets down her face and I couldn't help but cry myself and take a step away from Sean's light grasp to pick the smaller woman up in a hug.

"Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god." I couldn't seem to say anything else so I stopped talking altogether as I sat her back on her feet once more and swiped at my cheeks.

"I'll leave you two alone." Sean's voice pulled me out of my reverie of seeing Chloe in the sun for the first time and I turned back to the man, not wanting him to miss this momentous occasion, even if he didn't know who Chloe really was.

"Don't go Sean. This is exciting, you should be here too." There was a smile on my lips but there was no happiness on Sean's face as he looked from my eyes to Chloe behind me, then our hands, before coming back to my gaze.

"I really don't feel right, this is your moment with her, but Chloe is welcome to go with us to Mike and Gale's. I'm sure your family would be happy to have her."

Chloe's hand tensed in mine as Sean left the room and when I turned back to her—her face lit by the sun with her hair like a halo on one side—I saw tears running down her cheeks again, but this time I could tell they weren't from happiness.

"Oh, Chloe. Come on. This isn't a time to be sad."

Turning her back towards the bathroom, I began guiding the small vampire through it and to her room telling her we should get her dressed in something nice, maybe something Will—my cousin who I noticed checking her out when she was around—would like, and tried hard to take her mind off her jerk of a son.

Sure, I shouldn't have been mad at Sean since he didn't know he was being a dick, but you could have also told me I shouldn't have been mad at him back when he didn't know he was inadvertently making me fall in love with him. It wouldn't have made a difference, though; I was downright pissed when I found out that bit of information.

He was just lucky this time I was distracted by Chloe's newfound master status—getting to walk in the sun meant a vampire had gained their master abilities—otherwise I would have stewed and been just as pissed at him for being mean to Chloe.

You never know, I might even decide to not sleep with him again or something.

Thinking on how that scenario would go down while Chloe held up a snug angora sweater, I smiled at her and internally snickered at myself. Who was I kidding? Even if Sean was being an ass, I would totally screw him again ... and that alone was a whole other problem I needed to deal with.

### Chapter 2

### Pissy Sean

Chloe had put aside her worries about her son as she reveled in her newfound status. As we all exited the house, she made a comment on telling Antonio of the good news and Sean's mood soured even more. Trying not to be too irritated with him, I made up the fake excuse of not finding my lip-balm to delay the two of us and told him to go ahead, which he did without hesitation. After pissy-pants was out of hearing range the two of us had a good run the long way down to the main house in the cool winter morning. Chloe even began to laugh and squeal as we threw snowballs at each other and I managed to land a few.

My increased speed made it possible for me to track her, whereas before when we first met and tried to have fun like girls I was not able to. This time, I was happy to say we did not end up turning the moment into some lesbian harlequin romance scene. We just laughed and threw snowballs back and forth while we ran to my Aunt and Uncle's house.

Once at their place, I sat back and enjoyed a warm cup of hot cocoa glad we had found some balance in our friendship because, even though I was needlessly warming myself up with a steamy cup of chocolate deliciousness, Chloe was warming herself on what she found delicious: my silver-eyed cousin, Will. Watching them as they sat in the living room, I let out a silent snicker over dark haired Will making googly eyes at Chloe while she told him of all the things she was going to do since she was able go in the sun.

"Oh, and Hawaii. I've always wanted to visit Hawaii."

"It's alright. There are better tropical places, though."

Korbin's comment might as well gone unsaid with as much attention the werewolf and vampire paid the meat-wall of a man, but he had me raising a brow at him. "I take it you didn't like having to tag along all those times I visited Ash?"

He shot sapphire eyes at me and raised a ebony brow before shrugging. "It just would have been nice to go somewhere other than where your wanna-be boy-toy was stationed."

My foot shot out and hit him in the shin. Korbin had no right to call Ashley that. He was my lifelong friend, and like a brother, and though he was interested in my physically the feelings were not mutual and Ash had always been good about that fact. Which was something Korbin knew since he and Sean had spent their whole lives looking out for me ... secretly, of course.

"Owe! Damn it, Annan you could've fractured my shin. You need to watch it." Korbin had his leg up inspecting it. Sure enough, a bruise was beginning to form over the welt I had put on his leg.

My eyes went round. "Crap, I didn't mean to kick you that hard."

A hand touched my shoulder and I looked up to see my uncle, who was also our Alpha. He shared the same hair as the twins but his warm eyes, which took me in, were shades darker looking gray, though some would say gray-blue. "You need to be more careful, Annan, especially with your possible vampirism."

Nodding, I looked back to Korbin and mouthed an apology before drinking more cocoa. Everyone had thought I wasn't going to turn since Antonio's bond was severed but after I had some blood tests done, Cesair—my adopted fairy grandma...yeah, that is _not_ a joke—told me the vampirism was still struggling to take hold. As of now, I was back to maybe being a werewolf, a vampire, or something else altogether, when I turned twenty-three in less than a week. It seemed something more like _other_ was coming since the sun didn't bother me at all and I had yet to desire blood of any kind, but my strength and speed were far beyond Were expectation. Yippee for being even more unique.

Korbin got up and started limping to the kitchen and seeing him hobble due to my actions made me feel bad. As I watched my aunt, who shared Korbin's dark hair and deep blue eyes, start momming over him, I felt even worse, but before my internal waa-waa party got into full swing my cousin, Will came by to interrupt.

"Hey Annan, would you mind if Chloe went with me to Seattle to get stuff for the party?"

Looking over at Chloe, I saw her eyes shining like diamonds and I knew I couldn't say no. "Yeah that's fine," I said and joined them in the living room, sitting in one of the brown leather chairs, which matched the sofa they were sitting on. "But, no getting a hotel room or going to some sex club or something."

Will started laughing and promised no such thing would happen but Chloe just blushed and nodded.

"I'll be on my best behavior. You can trust me, I promise."

Will's laughter faded and it seemed Sean and or Korbin watched—I could feel someone's eyes on me—as I took Chloe's hands in mine and gave them a squeeze.

"You're a master now Chloe, that means a lot."

She smiled as I let her hands go and placed one on Will's knee. The two of them were well on their way to a relationship and I thought it funny at first that Chloe would be attracted to the nerdy Will instead of the beefy Korbin or masculine twin of Will, Geoff. Of course, that guy at the party was about the same build as Will... She leaned in and whispered something to him, which made him blush.

His eyes came to mine and I felt strange just sitting and watching them so I said, "Where's Geoff? I thought he was supposed to go with you?"

Will smiled and said, "He's been at The Lodge all morning working on the generator. When we went there to turn it on it just sputtered and died. I was going to see if you wanted to come with me and get out of setup duty" —his eyes went to Chloe— "but now that Chloe can go in the sun we can make a day of it."

Opening my mouth to say how I thought their idea was wonderful, I was interrupted before I could get a word out.

"Well, you two better not be spending a bunch of time lollygagging around. I know Chloe hasn't ever been to Seattle, and she is just now getting to walk in the sun after so long of not being able to do so, but we have a schedule to keep and I can't have you two messing things up just because you want to play tourist."

My aunt could send a stern warning even without making eye contact. Gale had been in full swing all morning and the only time I saw her take a break was to look at Korbin's leg. With how manic she was acting over the party it was probably just to be sure he could still help. She already had a bunch of necessary items not kept in the full kitchen at The Lodge piled up on the wraparound bar that separated the kitchen from the living room and dining room areas. As she spoke to Will, she was adding a dozen or so tablecloths to the pile, all of which Korbin, Sean, and I were to bring to the place.

"I know, Ma. We'll be back in plenty of time. I've got the list right here, and I know exactly where everything is. Plus, since that portal is up and running we won't have to drive."

Gale stopped in her search of something—for what I couldn't guess since it seemed to me the entire damn kitchen was piled up on the counter—and looked at her son.

"That's right." She smiled at Will. "How silly of me, I completely forgot we had that up."

She shook her head and set down the large crystal bowl she had in her hands as Will and Chloe stood. Seeing Korbin and mopey Sean—who had been hiding behind a newspaper the entire time—stand and start gathering things themselves, I figured that was my cue to do so as well.

"You two just be sure you are home by four. That should give us enough time to finish before people begin showing up."

Will nodded and grabbed Chloe's hand. She gave me a light hug on her way out, and I loaded my arms up with serving utensils and dishes as I said goodbye. She looked so damn happy I couldn't help but smile at her as they left. At least with Will as a distraction she was worrying even less about Sean. Turning around to put the utensils on a stack of platters, I accidently bumped into the man in question and made him drop nearly every tablecloth he held in his arms, which was all of them.

"Shoot, I'm sorry," I said, and bent to pick them up.

"Don't worry about it." Sean's voice sounded more like mine, all snipish and bitchy, and it was all I had in me to not snap back at him.

All morning, _and_ since I had returned from being kidnapped and possibly made into a vampire, I was sure to watch my mouth around my aunt. Holding my tongue around her was one of the things I vowed to work on when I came back, but Sean's pissy attitude was making it a chore.

"Well, _excuse me_. I won't help you, then."

Grabbing the platters, now topped with utensils that clattered as I stomped to the nearby door, I kept my eyes off the man as he folded and stacked the tablecloths by himself.

"Annan."

My aunt's voice had me turning back to face the kitchen, but not to direct any anger at her. She didn't sound mad, or upset, as I expected.

"Thank you for minding your tongue. I can tell you have been trying since you've been home."

Not expecting recognition of any kind, I was taken aback and blinked a couple of times while I processed what she said. Smiling, told her, "Thank you Aunt Gale, at least some of you appreciate my return."

Leaving the house to deposit my armload of stuff in one of the boxes Korbin had in the back of his tuck, I didn't turn around to see if my words had the effect on Sean I was hoping for.

### Chapter 3

Sean's Big Surprise

Korbin, Sean, and I had Korbin's truck loaded down with all the crap deemed necessary for the pack meet that night. The whole meet seemed stupid to me, but security wards were tightened on the property and myself so no one felt as though there would be an issue. Of course, the small amount of complaining I did put in was what got Gale to agree to let Elizabeta bring faerie wine, so at least I got that out of the deal. However, I still didn't like having to set up for my own frickin' party. There was one thing for sure, they would be damned if they thought I'd do the same for my birthday. They could all kiss my firm, yet possibly hairy, ass.

That thought had me snickering to myself as I sat in the center of the back seat of Korbin's king-cab, but as a huge wooden structure came into view my thoughts were forgotten altogether. It was obvious why The Lodge why was named as such.

"So, what do you think?" Korbin had what sounded like pride in his voice as we made a slow decent to the building that had a thick, ice coated braid of the Green River clearly snaking behind it. The single fact he was not driving like a demon bent on killing us told me he wanted me to really take-in the place. There was no blaming the man though, my uncle had told me him and the boys helped build it with the father I had never met for the grandfather I had also never met. It wasn't hard to see why the old passed-on alpha would want it.

"It's impressive," I said, but that word alone didn't seem to do it justice.

Sean's short laugh indicated he thought my comment was lacking as well. Yeah, well, fuck him ... uh, never mind, strike that.

Korbin began talking over my thoughts of fucking or not fucking Sean and told me of how all big meetings, birthdays, weddings, or anything else that required the pack to gather in large numbers were held at The Lodge while we made our way to it. Trying not to brood over the broody blond werepanther, I took in the building; while Korbin found it necessary to, once again, remind me about the extra the security and whatnot due to Randall infiltrating the pack. He, _and_ my uncle, had already explained this numerous times but something Korbin was good at was beating things into the ground. Ignoring him, I watch the massive building instead.

The building was the same color as the other homes on the property and was nearly as large as the Salish Lodge hugging the Snoqualmie Falls. It wasn't as old, even though the main house was older, since Korbin helped build it and he was younger than Sean, who was just over eighty. Yeah, when I first learned Sean would always look like a guy in his late twenties, I was pretty shocked.

Shaking off the, yet again, creeping thoughts of Sean, I looked up at the side of the many windowed log building as we parked next to it and saw a puff of smoke come up over the roofline. Pointing it out to Korbin, I exited the vehicle and he opted to check on it since the smoke came from the direction of the generator room. As he dashed around the corner, he asked Sean and I to unload the supplies, and left the crap I didn't want to haul in for us to handle. Letting out a sigh, I grabbed a box and decided I should have gone to look at the freaking smoke myself. If I had, I probably wouldn't have been ignored by the only other person with me.

The box in my arms clattered with all the utensils, serving trays, and other metal junk Gale needed as I headed for the front door Sean had already entered. He had left me behind while I gawked at my cousin skirting his duties. Yep, the days of being treated like royalty by Sean were long over. Rolling my eyes at myself, I entered the building and had to close my mouth from catching flies.

If I thought the outside was impressive, the inside needed a better word. It was stunning. Even with no lights or heat, it was still pretty spectacular to look at. There was enough room, seating, tables with chairs, and the like for hundreds of people, with space to spare. Everything inside matched The Lodge as well, in that it was wood and rustic. The only modern furniture was the plush seats and couches scattered about which were covered in a soft fabric and styled to hold well throughout the years.

Running a hand along the back of a couch, I had to assume the comfort level was for the pregnant pack members Sean had mumbled something about as he set to gathering wood for lighting the large central hearth. Looking over at him, it was hard not to think about the other time I had seen him start a fire. It had only been a little more than a week, but it seemed a lifetime away with all that had happened. Either way, watching him coax and bring the fire to life caused me think about when he had done the same task before ... which was an event that led to us having sex for the first time.

Licking my lips, I tried to ignore the low burn in me that wanted to build over the recollection. However, no matter how hard I tried that fire in my body spread and traveled throughout it as I watched the flames light and spark by Sean's hand. Watching those hands work, arms flex as he threw another log onto the fire, had my tongue darting out across my lower lip, which parted with a sigh.

Sean turned around to face me and it was only then did I notice I had made my way over to him while I stared and became lustful at the sight of him starting a fire. Swallowing, I took a step back as he stood, not sure what the hell I was doing.

"What?"

That one word seemed to ask so much, but before I could even attempt to answer it with a just as bitchy sounding response—or try to rape him, like it had appeared I was going to do—Korbin came through the front door with Geoff and interrupted whatever the hell was going on.

"That damn thing's busted. Geoff can't do a thing." Korbin and his younger brother were at the sink washing their hands as Korbin informed us of the generator's status.

Neither Sean nor I looked at him as he continued to speak, though.

"I'm going to head out to the city to get a new one while Geoff gets this one unhooked. Yakima should have what I need in stock so I'll go there. I'm going to use the portal to save time, though. That way mom won't flip a lid. I can just pop out at the one on the rez and head over to the store, no problem."

Sean broke eye contact when Geoff walked over to us, leaving his brother to dry his large hands. "We'll at least get all the fireplaces lit, so the chill will be gone before people show up," Sean said to him.

"Good idea. I see you already got one started." Geoff was warming his hands on the fire and I took a step back from Sean while he was facing my cousin. He rubbed his hands together and stood. "I tried everything, but it's no good. It's just too old is all, time for replacing."

"Okay, well. I'm off." Korbin brought our attention back to him as he deposited his wet paper towel in the trash. "Sorry I have to leave you two with the setup. It's a damn shame." His smile as he waved bye from the door told me he wasn't sorry at all.

"I'm sorry too, I can't help either. I have to get that thing unhooked and out of here or Mom _will_ throw a fit. She won't want some junked-out generator uglying up the party." Geoff's smile looked a little more sincere than Korbin's as he waved a goodbye and headed out himself, so I was inclined to believe him a little more.

Once the door shut behind him, and Sean and I were left alone, the giant building felt cramped and uncomfortable. Sean looked over at me and it seemed as though he was going to say something and I worried it would be about whatever had happened. The incident was a mystery to me, and I didn't want to chance him talking about it, so took the upper hand.

"I'm guessing Korbin isn't bringing those boxes in before he leaves so I'll just get the rest of them while you light the other fireplaces." Stepping back, I thumbed behind me as I spoke.

He cast his eyes down and turned away from me, so I took my chance and hurried out of the building. Letting out a deep breath, I shook my head when I saw the truck gone and the boxes on the snow next to where it had been. Grabbing two of them, I sighed when I saw there was only one more to collect. Setting one back down, I figured I could at least prolong my time by bringing them in one at a time. Putting my back to the door, I pushed it open and entered the building, which felt increments warmer than it had before I retrieved the box.

"One would think with how hard you kicked Korbin you'd have the strength to carry more than just one box at a time," Sean said from the other side of the room.

He was working at lighting the second fireplace, one of five in the building, and instead of biting at his bait I turned on my heal to grab the last two boxes.

"Fucking ass. Fucking, fuck, ass. Why does he have to be so damn ... ass?" Okay, so my mumbled ranting didn't make much sense, it still made me feel better as I stacked the boxes and brought them in.

Grumbling some more—not enough to be heard though, since _Fuck-Ass_ was in earshot—I backed into The Lodge and turned to set the boxes on the counter in the kitchen area only to smack into Sean and drop the top one, which made a nice smashing sound.

"God damn it, Sean!"

"How the hell is that my fault?"

Setting the box in my hands on the counter, I glared at him as I bent down. "Well, if you weren't in my damn way I wouldn't have dropped the box."

Opening the box in question to see what broke, I groaned.

"Well, if you were more careful you wouldn't have dropped it."

Looking away from the broken crystal punch bowl inside the now infamous box, I glanced up at Sean and narrowed my eyes as I stood. "Yeah, well if you had just kept your damn mouth shut I wouldn't have felt compelled to carry two at a time."

Sean threw his hands in the air, reminding me of myself when I would have a good rant. "Keep my mouth shut? That's a good one coming from you!"

Balling my fists, I gritted my teeth. "Oh, you..." Turning away from him, I headed for the door not wanting to punch him in the face.

"Yeah, run away Annan, because that's what you're _so_ good at."

Stopping in my retreat, I turned in a slow and calculated way to face him again. "I'm trying to leave so I don't do something regrettable."

"That's funny, since doing regrettable things is something you seem to be so good at."

His words struck me like a slap to the face. There was no way for me to know if he was referring to regretting having the tracking spells removed from me which allowed me to be taken—those spells were back in place now, thank you very much—or if he thought I had regretted what him and I had done before I was kidnapped, or whatever. It didn't really matter, I was furious over his accusation.

"Fuck you, Sean." My hands flew out, hitting him square in the chest, which caused him to fly back a step and almost lose his footing.

He shook his head and laughed as he put a hand to his chest. "It's a good thing I'm half vampire, Annan. You won't hurt me as much as you did Korbin."

Not understanding why he was working so hard at getting me pissed, I stormed up to him. "What the _fuck_ is wrong with you? You get all jealous so now you have to be a dick all the time?" Letting out a disgusted laugh, I shook my head. "And here I thought it was accidental. Now I'm starting to see you are intentionally being an ass."

"What the hell are you talking about?" Sean narrowed his eyes at me.

Pushing his shoulder, I said, "Don't act like you don't know. How about ignoring me the whole first night, or being standoffish to Chloe, or trying to pick a fight with me right now. What's your deal?"

"You want to know what's my deal?" Sean stepped up to me and it was as though I could feel his rage rolling off him. "I put my heart and soul into you Annan, professed my love, fought to get you back, and when I finally get to you, you brush me off like I am a nuisance."

The rage I thought I felt off him—not in a magical way, just in the way you know someone is seething—was nothing compared to what I felt flare to life in me. "Don't fucking make this about you."

The second time my hands hit him it was so hard he landed on his ass. Even as he sat on the floor stunned and staring up at me, I advanced on him.

"I was kidnapped, raped, scared to death thinking I was going to be forced to be a vampire only to learn I made the mistake of not trusting Antonio in the first place, and then aided in freeing a psychopath on the world who could make Dahmer and Manson combined look like an okay person."

A hysterical laugh escaped me as Sean slowly got to his feet. "You're so damn worried about your jealousy you haven't even talked to me about the fact you almost _forced_ me to love you."

"You know I didn't do that on purpose." The fact he spoke through clenched teeth showed me how remorseful he _wasn't_ about the situation.

"A spade is a spade, the fact remains: you haven't even tried to talk about it. It doesn't matter if you tried to do it or not, now that you know what happened, you still act like we were destined to be together and I somehow fucked it up by almost being turned into a vampire."

"Well what you don't know is that I tried to reach you again. Over and over, but there was no spell or potion that could connect me to you." He put his hands on my shoulders and though I was still furious with him, he seemed somewhat calmer. "Cesair told me that, even with my empathic powers making my love stronger than normal, enough to influence you, it was possible our connection _was_ because of our bond and not my power."

My heart wanted to escape my chest, and not from the anger; I didn't like him voicing something I had worried about when I was able to see through Sean's eyes when I was magically knocked out. That fear rose all over again knowing that Ces had pretty much confirmed my fear. Of course, after the whole almost—or maybe not almost—becoming a vampire, that connection was lost. At least, that was what I had figured when I learned the Faerie wine didn't let me see through Sean's eyes. Which was made with much of the same stuff in the darts Randall used. If I had been in Sean's head, I would have known he was racing to a rescue that was unneeded.

As I stood in front of him, fear and anger rolled through me and Sean continued to talk. "Annan, the blood exchange with Antonio tore you from me. It stole my mate away. So you have to forgive me if I hurt from that, in spite of everything else."

Part of me wanted to be sad for Sean, it really did, but I felt too trapped—just as I did when he first mentioned the mate thing—and the other part of me was still mad at him for making the whole situation about him.

Pushing his arms away, I turned my back to him and said, "A lot more happened than just that, more that showed me I was never supposed to be your mate."

"Like screwing Antonio?"

My fist swung without thought as I faced him, hitting him square in the jaw and causing him to take a step back. He didn't do a damn thing about it though, he only brought his hand to his busted lip and licked the blood away.

"For your fucking information, Antonio didn't _once_ touch me."

Sean rubbed his jaw as it righted and I watched the cut on his lip and the small bruise that colored it fade. "Other than to sink his fangs in you."

Balling my fists, I fought not to hit him again. "What's done is done, but I never once had sex with him."

Letting out a disgusted laugh, I gave my head a shake and brought my emerald eyes to his dual colored ones. The yellow looked like scorched hay and the blue was a cerulean. Never had I seen them so darkened by his emotions. I'm sure mine had to look like flaming jade gems.

"I'll have you know, each and every time I was bitten I tried with all my might to screw him." His hard eyes flinched at that. "But, no matter what I did he wouldn't touch me. He said he didn't want me under any influence if we were to be together."

"Why would you try to fuck him when he bit you?" His pissed seemed to be revving up again.

Putting my hands to my hips, I said. "I don't fucking know. It was some stupid side affect of being bitten. Even when Chloe bit me to try and help me at Randall's I felt aroused, and you damn well know I didn't want to have sex then."

His eyes stayed on mine as though he was trying to pull some information from my head and I thanked the gods Chloe wasn't a mind reader like the deadly, and now free, Angelic. Otherwise, she would have passed that trait on to her son instead. If Sean could read my mind, he would be pissed to find out that there were other times when Chloe bit me which had led to sex.

"So, you're saying you are uncontrollably aroused by a vampire bite?"

Relaxing my stance, because it seemed Sean was finally starting to listen and not focus on being hurt, I crossed my arms in front of me and said, "Yeah. It was odd, and I'm glad Antonio didn't do anything. Of course, I can't say I'm not attracted to him without it, though." I was hoping that comment wasn't going to get him going again.

His brow drew together but he still seemed much calmer. "That means I am still the only man you have been with."

"Randall did rape me." My arms fell at my admission. When it happened I might have been unconscious, and luckily Antonio saved me from it happening a second time, but it still happened. Randall still raped me.

Sean took tentative steps towards me, stopping only inches away. His hand came to my chin, drawing my eyes away from his shoes and to his softened features.

"That should have never happened, Annan, and I wish I could wipe it from your memory forever."

Letting out a meager laugh, I turned away and his hand fell. "Kind of like I would like to wipe the memory of the first time I ever had sex away." My eyes found his again. "You're forgetting; I was with Tommy too."

Sean's smile was light. "You said he wasn't even worth mentioning. As I see it, I'm the only real man you have been with."

Since what he said wasn't technically a lie, I agreed with him.

"And, the fact a vampire's bite instills lust in you shows me even more you are my mate."

"Wait, what?" His comment didn't make a lick of sense and had me taking a step back in confusion.

Sean just smiled, seeming even more at ease, but his ease only made me more wary.

"There is something about me no one knows, Annan. It's a secret I have kept from everyone." His eyes fell. "It's what prompted me to leave my father's clan at the age of fifteen."

Weres didn't have their first change until their twenty-third birthday so the fact he willingly left his family so long before such a huge turning point in a his life meant whatever his secret was, it was a huge one.

"What could be so bad you had to leave? I mean, I know they were assholes and everything."

He shook his head. "Even so, being a werepanther, I would have stayed until my first change, and then found a new clan. With what I found out about myself, I didn't dare to look for another werepanther clan, and the only reason I joined your family's pack is because of the connection I felt to your mother."

Trying to fight the urge to run, and not knowing why Sean was giving me that fight or flight feeling—heavy on the flight—I tried to stand my ground as he took a step towards me to close the distance I had put between us.

"What could you have learned at fifteen that was so bad, Sean?" My eyes stayed on his, waiting for some sign, for some hint as to why I felt I should take off and head for the hills.

"When I was fifteen I found out that my vampire side ran deep, deeper than most dhampirs."

Nodding my head, I didn't dare tell him I already knew how deep that side of him was. When I found out that Chloe was his mom I had also discovered she was newly pregnant with Sean when she was turned. From what I was told, Chloe should have miscarried when the turn took hold or Sean should have been stillborn, not a perfect, pale, dual-eyed baby.

"Annan, no one knows that I am really more vampire than Were."

My eyes went round; I was really hoping he wasn't saying what I thought he was saying. Letting out a laugh I didn't think sounded too nervous I said, "What's that supposed to mean? I've seen you change, and you eat ... well, almost as much as Korbin and the rest of us."

His smile was knowing, as though I was being foolish for not listening to the truth. "I can go days without food, Annan, and when I change I can hunt as a cat so it satisfies my other hunger."

My heart wanted to escape my chest, and I wanted to run away right along with it. Sure, I was still attracted to Sean, but where he seemed to be going with the conversation, and him tying it to the mate BS, made me realize why my body told me to get the hell out of there. Too bad that realization hadn't come sooner.

"Annan, your attraction to vampires makes sense. You _are_ my mate." His canines extended showing he was indeed, more vampire than Were.

All I could do was whisper, "Oh shit," and hope I was faster than Sean, who was apparently some kind of vampire-werepanther hybrid, and ignore the instant desire the sight of his fangs sparked in me.

### Chapter 4

One Hell of a Way to Go

Backing away from Sean, I lifted my hands and said, "Now wait, Sean, you don't want to do this."

His fanged smile pulled at me and I cursed my overactive libido. It seemed the closer my birthday came the hornier I became and seeing Sean advance on me with desire in his eyes and the threat of hunger in his smile coaxed out my lust as easily as he had coaxed the fire to life which was closing in behind me.

Side stepping the large hearth, I was happy Sean hadn't completely lost it because he wasn't chasing me. "I can tell by your building desire you want me."

My eyes went round. "Your charm should—"

"My charm works fine," he said as my ass hit a couch and I stopped. His hand touched my face and I closed my eyes and swallowed. "I've been practicing on controlling my power. Once Ces told me of it I asked Serenity and she helped instruct me on how to feel where it comes from."

His thumb grazed my bottom lip as he continued to speak. "As soon as you came back home I focused on how to work beyond the charm if I wanted, so I could know how you were truly feeling about me."

Shaking my head, I said, "Even Chloe doesn't have that kind of control yet."

His other hand grasped my shoulder and I wondered if it would bruise. "It's not about control, Annan you're my mate. Look at me damn it!"

My eyes flew open and as I thought, my fear came true. His nearness and his intensity flared up my lust and made my skin ache for more where he touched me.

His eyes closed to slits before opening again. "Annan, I can feel _that_ because, though Antonio severed our bond, we are _still_ connected." His lips grazed my jaw and I began to tremble. "You are the only one I can sense this way, it's a struggle for me to feel anyone else. Maybe if we exchanged blood the way you and the vampire had, our bond would be returned."

His words iced over some of the lust in me and I shoved him away. "No. You will not do that to me. If you love me at all you will never force yourself on me like that."

His eyes were pained but mine kept flashing to the fangs he was still showing, and I _still_ didn't like how I was reacting to them.

"I would never make you do anything, Annan." He advanced on me as he spoke. "But, I can still feel your reaction to me" —Sean was just inches away once more— "as well as to others."

Licking my lips I said, "What do you mean?"

"Chloe."

My eyes darted back and forth, I wasn't sure if he could sense the lust or the fondness I felt for her, maybe I could play off the one by clueing him in on part of the reason why the other was there. It seemed the time had chosen itself to tell Sean who Chloe really was. Too bad I couldn't form a word to tell him as my heart tried to climb up and out my throat.

"Annan, even now. Just mentioning her, you have shifted to fear. Why is that? What are you hiding?"

As he spoke, all I could focus on was his mouth. Blinking I said, "Can you put those away?"

His hand grabbed mine and my heart nearly tore through my shirt. "Why? Are you afraid I will use them on you?" His lips grazed my wrist and I swallowed as he left a small kiss there and put away his big surprise.

"Thank you." Drawing my hand from his, I also drew in a breath and took a step to the side, away from him. "Sean, I really think we should tell Cesair about this."

"Why are you changing the subject?"

Turning from him, I took another step away. "Jesus, Sean. I don't even know how to start with that."

His hand grabbed my wrist again, stopping my retreat and brining my eyes to his. "Just tell me. What is Chloe to you?"

Swallowing, I put my other hand on his and drew him to the doors as I spoke. "Come on. We can come back and set up in a bit, but this is going to be a hard conversation and I would like to get some cool air while we have it."

He nodded and followed me out as I gathered my thoughts, not sure how to tell Sean what Chloe was to him, _not_ me.

~

Letting my ears fill with the quiet sounds of the winter coated forest, I also let my lungs fill with its cool air. The icy banks of the Green River burbled, adding to the feeling of serenity. Too bad Sean and his newfound impatient nature had to break it.

"So, are we going to have this hard conversation or not. Are you going to tell me why Chloe is so important to you? Why you get all worked up around her, especially when I'm near?"

It seemed he didn't sense any hot and bothered feelings from me around her, which was good, but it still made this whole thing hard to deal with. The fact I was sixty-plus years younger than Sean, and even more so for Chloe, and I had to mediate these two emotional basket cases was a laugh riot in itself. How the hell did I get myself in this situation?

Pursing my brow, I figured I walked in silence long enough, but I kept my eyes on the ice coated water as I crossed my arms over my chest and watched the air fog in front of me while I spoke. "Sean, you're a pretty smart guy. I want you to make this easy on me and think for a moment." Stopping, I turned and looked at him. "The question you really want to ask is: Why should Chloe be important to _you_?"

That had him stopping a moment. His face puzzled as he thought, but it didn't take long for him to get that "ah-ha" look instead, which promptly turned to anger.

"You have to be kidding me!"

Grabbing his hand, I halted him from taking off. "Damn, now who's the one running away? Sean, come on. Don't be like that."

He pulled out of my grasp, but faced me instead of taking off. "Why? Why would you bring the woman who abandoned me here and have her live under my roof like it's no big deal?"

Okay, that did sound bad, but he didn't have the whole story. "She didn't abandon you." He began walking away, leaving me talking to his back and striding after him. "When Antonio turned her, he didn't even know she was pregnant, but he had to force her to give you up."

He stopped at that to face me. Rage was present on his pale visage.

"She had to be put under lock and key so she didn't run away just to get you."

Sean stormed back to me. "I guess that is one more reason to hate Antonio. He not only stole my mate but also my mother."

Well, shit. I never looked at it that way, but I didn't have a chance to say a thing as Sean kept talking.

"It seems I owe Antonio a lot for all that he has taken from me."

Trying to think of a way to not get Sean killed in his vengeance against a thousand plus year old master vampire, I grasped his hands and pled to him with my eyes. "Sean, don't be crazy." I gave his hands a squeeze. "If you wouldn't have had the childhood you did you would have never met Raven and came here. _And_ , if you are so sure I'm your mate than it was fate for Antonio to do what he did. The way you should look at this situation, is that your mate returned your mother to you. Don't focus on the bad."

My words seemed to soften him some but there was still a tremor in his hands, I was guessing from anger. "It's almost cruel of you to call yourself my mate when you fight it so ruthlessly."

Oh, I guess his tremor wasn't for anger. Looking up, I saw tears spill out of his sunflower and cornflower gaze.

"Oh Sean, jeez. Don't cry. Man, you being blocked from your powers has made you an emotional wreck."

He let out a disgusted laugh and swiped at his face. "Well it seems you almost becoming a vampire has toned your emotions down."

Glancing at him, I smiled. "Maybe you just got all of my crazy when our bond was broken."

His blond brows drew together. "So you admit there was a bond?"

Slapping him in the shoulder, I shook my head, wound my arm through his and started us walking again. "I was in your head, Sean. I can't deny we were connected." Our eyes met. "I also can't deny that connection must have been lost when ... you know."

He drew his arm out of mine and put it around my shoulders. "Yeah, I do know. What about the rest? Why aren't you even willing to try and re-forge that bond?"

Drawing in a breath, I let it out and hoped he wouldn't get mad with the truth. "It's because I'm not sure I want to be tied to someone like that."

Sean stopped and faced me. "What about the tie you would have had with Antonio. He would have been your maker, and from what he had said when you two parted, your lover as well."

My cheeks warmed at the truth and I wanted to look away from his accusing eyes, but I didn't. "That is all true, and I was pained when the tie to him was severed, but I was also relieved."

Bringing my hand to his face, I smiled as he pressed his cheek to it. "Sean. I don't want to be tied to anyone right now." My other hand cupped his face and he opened his eyes. "But who's to say; someday I might change my mind." Letting my hands fall I took a step back. "However, I may not choose you. Hell, for all I know I might not even choose Antonio."

His brow drew together in a question once more. "You would deny everything we feel for one another? And, don't try to sidestep the question because you know I feel your reaction to me, especially when I showed you my true nature." He let his fangs show again and I took another step back and into the shade of a tall snow covered fir.

"Sean, doing that really isn't fair."

"Why not? Why isn't it fair to show you exactly how well matched we are, how we are destined to be together." He approached me as he spoke and this demanding side of him, the chaotic state he was in, only made him more attractive to me, which of course made me want to hit myself.

He grasped my hands and brought them between us, kissing my knuckles as his heated eyes stayed on mine. "Why shouldn't I show you every way you desire me, Annan?"

He released my hands at our sides as he stepped into me and trailed his fingers back up my body to knot in my hair while his lips found my ear. "Why shouldn't we share in a hunger that brings you so much pleasure?"

"Because, it's not fair." My voice was strained, revealing the turmoil raging in my body.

"How is it not fair?" His lips pressed against my neck in the lightest of kisses, but they might as well been at my core for the effect it had on me.

"It's not fair for you to show me because you know how my body reacts and acting on it is taking advantage of that."

His lips pulled away from my neck and through hooded eyes, I saw him smile down at me. "It's not taking advantage of your reaction if I give you what you want," he said and pressed his lips to mine.

My body came alive, showing me the sensations coursing through me seconds ago were mere precursors to the main event. Breathing Sean in, drinking down his taste, his smell, I drowned in his mix of moss and forest I knew to be him. He broke from the kiss with a laugh and brought his lips back to my ear, teasing my lobe as he spoke.

"You can't tell me you don't enjoy that. You can't say you don't want this to go further."

One hand trailed down my body as his lips trailed back down to my neck and fear be damned, he was right. I enjoyed every bit of it and I sure as hell wanted it to go further. Hadn't I thought earlier in the day I would screw him again? Also, him being more vampire opened up the possibility of it being even better than before. There was no way _I_ would take his blood, just to be safe, but to have Sean as a vampire, in that moment, was too good to resist.

With a hushed voice, I said, "I might fight being your mate but you're right, I can't deny the rest."

"That's good enough for now," he said to my neck before sinking his fangs in.

For as good as it felt, and by the moan Sean let out it was just as good for him, it was also frightening too. Because, as I clutched his arms and felt an orgasm rip through my body from his bite alone, all I could think was that it was better than I ever thought it could be. Our connection was as deep as he had said; I felt it as he drank my blood and fulfilled a hunger he kept hidden from everyone, except me.

His tongue played along where he bit me before his lips kissed their way back up my jaw. "God, Annan. I know you felt that." I refused to answer him as he kissed just under my ear, causing me to shudder. "I had planned to show you the true me the night Randall took you, to let you know you are not the only one who is completely unique."

His statement had some of my apprehension loosening. It was nice to hear he had thought of sharing his secret before he found out the effect it could have on me and it was also understandable why he hadn't told me his secret from the beginning—it _was_ a pretty huge one.

As far as the mate thing was concerned ... I still wasn't ready for that. Lucky for me, even though he could sense my emotions because of the give on that aspect of his charm, the part of his powers, which bled his feelings into me, had no give at all. Of course, without that influence I couldn't overlook all the signs he and I still had some kind of connection.

Sean continued to talk as I thought on what was happening. He told me how fate led us to this point and how it was almost better this way as he kissed along my neck and collarbone. But, I felt the time for talking was over. All I wanted to do was enjoy him like I had before, with the potential of it being so much better, and worry about the rest another time.

"Just, shut up Sean," I said and pressed my lips to his.

His moan was pretty much a growl as he crushed my body to his and we hit the snow covered forest floor. It was a good thing the frozen earth didn't chill us—my imperviousness to the cold had increased since I had been gone to the point of being better than any of the Weres—because it seemed we were going to screw right there on the snow coated bank of the Green River.

Sean's hands unhooked my bra and brought it along with my shirt over my head as I lifted up to help. When he saw my breasts, he crushed his mouth to them and began to suckle one, then the other. My moan turned into a deep guttural groan of pleasure as he turned one nipple in his fingers, but that pleasure became an instantaneous orgasm when his teeth sank into the other. It was the first time I had been bitten in such an intimate area and it had me bucking and cumming under him as he drank down my life essence.

He pulled away and kissed me with the taste of my own blood on his lips. Before I knew it, Sean's hands moved below us, working feverishly to unbutton both our pants. Helping him in his pursuit, we had our shoes and clothing off in no time, but once they were gone, I shoved him onto his back and took his hard flesh in my hands. He was still the only man I had given oral too and for some reason I wanted to taste him again.

Bringing those lips to his tip, I looked up and saw his eyes on mine, but they closed as I pulled his taut length in into my mouth. His lids fluttered as I moved up and down his thick member, loving the way the salty fluid tasted at his opening. Running my tongue along that hole and around the ridge, Sean groaned out my name and grabbed my shoulders. Rolling us over, he straddled me and brought his rigid shaft to my opening.

Arching up I said, "Yes, Sean. Please do it," and he entered me in a hard, swift motion.

As the head of him crushed something far inside me and he could go no further, he entered me in another way. His teeth at my neck, and dick working at my sex, were too much and I came under him, mumbling incoherent words as I drifted into oblivion.

My body pulsed and ached, and I couldn't seem to get enough of Sean and what he was doing to me. As I floated on in orgasmic bliss, he sat us up and held me to him as he continued to pound into me, driving my body mad.

"Oh, god. Annan, I love you. I love you."

His words were barely heard over the sounds of our flesh slapping together and my own fogged over mind. At some point Sean pulled out of me, put me on my knees, and entered me again. My face found the cool snow and it felt great, as though my body was on fire and needed the coldness so I wouldn't burn away.

Digging my fingers into that frozen wonder, I fisted handfuls of snow as he slammed into me at such a rapid rate I worried I might break in two, but I didn't dare say a thing since the pain only increased the pleasure. His hands dug into my ass and I groaned out in such a deep tone it didn't sound like my voice at all. It seemed my orgasm never ended, but was a long continuous streak of pleasure from the moment he entered me. When his body began to jerk behind me, he pulled me up and put his lips to my neck making me wonder if I could die from such an orgasm.

Once his teeth pierced my flesh again and his hands held me up by my breasts as he fucked me from behind, I decided even if I did die from it, it was one hell of a way to go.

### Chapter 5

God Damn, Korbin

Sean and I tried to make it quick ... really, we did, but once we were done having makeup sex, or whatever you want to call it, it was nearly an hour and a half later. The tension between us had cleared up, and he promised not to press the mate thing, just as he had when there was first an issue over it, but he was still pissed at Antonio ... and I guess for good reason.

"We need to talk to Ces about you being a vampire hybrid and not just a dhampir," I said from under his arm as we walked back to The Lodge. I was really hoping no one was there and we could get back and set up without anyone knowing we took a fight/sex break for well over an hour.

"Why? I haven't said anything yet and it hasn't been a problem."

There was no way to hold in the scoff that came out. "Right, the fact you are an über strong empath, have to satisfy a blood lust with animal kills, and have to hide a huge part of your entire being hasn't been a hindrance at all, now has it?"

His eyes met might, and were soft like they had been when I first met him. "Funny."

"I'm not joking," I said as we entered the building.

The fires Sean had lit went out while we were gone and he cursed as he dashed to the largest hearth to get it going again. Rolling my eyes at his obvious dismissal of the subject, I turned around to put away the stuff in the boxes when Korbin walked through the doors.

"Geoff's out getting the new generator hooked up. Man that was so much faster with that portal... What the hell!"

Giving him wide eyes I said, "What?"

"I was gone for almost two hours! What the hell were you two doing? I know it doesn't take that long to bring in three boxes ... and my mom is going to be pissed when she sees this." Korbin held up a couple pieces of the broken punch bowl and I winced.

Sean's hand touched my side as he walked by me. "That was my fault. I was in the way and she dropped the box, which started a fight and we lost track of time."

Korbin suspicious eyes took us in and I wasn't sure if he was going to buy the truth that omitted more than it told when he said, "Well, I'll go get another one and replace it before she notices." He glanced back down at the boxes. "This time I expect to see some work done when I get back."

Trying not to be pissed he found another way to unload the job on us again—I mean, he was going out to buy a new bowl so Gale didn't have to lose her shit—I gave him a salute and said, "Aye, aye boss."

Sean laughed as he went to one of the other fireplaces to get it started. Picking up a box, I made my way around Korbin who was still eying us.

"Fight my ass," he said in a mumble and left the building.

Breathing out a sigh of relief, I laughed with Sean when he let one out and got to setting up what was needed for the party.

~

The generator was installed in no time and Gale was able to transfer most of the food to The Lodge to cook, with Mike bringing up the rest after it was done at the house. By the time the first pack members started showing up, earlier than expected—at least in my opinion, no one else was surprised by the early arrivals—the place smelled as though Christmas was upon us and every grandma for miles decided to cook for us. It was an amazing aroma and as it mixed with the crackle of the fires, and the warmth the many hearths gave off, the building felt like a holiday dream. Too bad for me it started to feel more like a nightmare.

"Damn it Sean, she's been waiting all this time. Why shouldn't we tell her you know who she is?"

"I'm still not ready to have that moment with her, the pain is still there."

Glancing over at Chloe by one of the many fireplaces, and well away from Sean and I plating up snacks to put on the tables, I couldn't help but let out a breath of irritation. Her and Will had been back for almost two hours and Sean's pleasant mood iced up like the river outside as soon as they entered the building. It seemed him blaming Antonio had gone the way of the dinosaurs. Guess it was time for a reminder ... though I wasn't happy with having to throw Antonio under the bus just to get Sean to stop being a whiney baby. Good thing the ancient vampire wasn't around.

"Sean, I told you she wanted nothing more than to be with you. Antonio wouldn't let her go." Setting the tray of meats down on the counter a little too hard, Gale eyed me before picking it up and taking it to one of the tables. She had noticed the change in Sean and me and seemed rather pleased we were on better terms than when I had returned. Trying to ignore my aunt's inquisitive eyes, I turned back to Sean as he began to speak.

"It's still hard, Annan. I'm not even sure what to say to her."

Dropping the box of crackers, I sighed and grabbed his arm.

"What are you doing?" He sounded almost panicked as I pulled him across the expanse and to Chloe who was laughing at something Will had said.

"I'm ripping the Band-Aid off."

"What?"

God, he sounded like I had when he and Korbin told me of my unique heritage. A mix of shock and trepidation in a single word, which I repeated on more than one occasion. In my opinion, he was being too dramatic.

"Okay, Chloe—"

"Damn it, Annan let go of my hand."

Rolling my eyes, I ignored his struggles, and the fact he even had to struggle, which meant I was stronger than he was, and spoke to Chloe.

"He knows and I'm not dealing with this emotional crap any more. The low down is he's upset but pissed at Antonio but doesn't know how to approach the idea you're his mom." Letting go of the still complaining Sean, who was drawing the attention of the others in the room, I smiled at Chloe's shocked face. "Chloe, your son; Sean your mother. Now both of you, get over it."

Stomping back to the kitchen area, I continued to ignore the mouth gaping stares, but then remembered no one else knew their little secret either... Oops.

The silence in the room was defining. Even Mike's conversation with Alric, whom I remembered Sean talking about when I was in his head, was halted to watch Sean and his mother. Trying not to appear too interested, I kept my eyes on the tray in front of me but they darted to the two empaths now and again as I finished up.

Sean's eyes scanned the room before resting on Chloe, who just sat as still as a statue staring at him.

"So..."

That one word was all she needed and Chloe was on her feet hugging her stunned son. As she held him, she spoke so fast it was almost hard to keep up with her. One sentence blurred into another. She told him how she wanted to keep him, to be his mother, of how she tried to see him, and repeated over and again how sorry she was. Needless to say, the tears were flowing and as I caught Sean's softened eyes, I watched them spill over as well. All I could do was smile and breathe a sigh of relief as he put his arms around her and said it would all be fine, telling her they were together now, and even calling her mom.

Shaking my head as I set another platter full of crackers and cheese down for Gale, I couldn't help but laugh a little to myself over the two empaths. It was no surprise they melted into kindness and understanding. Two peas in a pod and all.

"So, that was quite a surprise."

"Yeah, Sean's full of those," I said in a low voice and Gale raised an eyebrow.

"How long has he known?"

My eyes caught hers and I blinked, realizing my comment didn't mean the same to her. "Uh, I just told him today. When we were setting up."

She eyed me with speculation. "That must have been what took you two so long."

My cheeks warmed as I dropped my gaze. "Yeah, something like that."

Gale hovered a moment longer but didn't question our true reason for taking an extended break, and it didn't surprise me one bit that Korbin had ratted us out on having a break at all. At least Gale wasn't upset over me smashing the punch bowl.

"That's quite a surprising reunion. I bet finding Sean's mom under such odd circumstances was an even bigger surprise to you, though."

Mike interrupted me organizing the last tray so I didn't think as I said, "Yeah, meeting Chloe was _full_ of surprises."

"Maybe someday we will hear the entire story of your capture and rescue by Antonio and Chloe."

Biting my lip, I just nodded and didn't bring my eyes to his. There was no way I was going to dish every detail of meeting Chloe to my family, or to her son for that matter. Some things are just best left in the past. To my relief Mike said no more and wandered to his wife who was with Alric talking about the new reunion, if their smiles and gestures were any indication that is.

"Well..."

A heavy sigh left me as I slammed my hands down on the counter and looked up at Korbin's eyes. The twinkle I saw there churned my gut. It was almost as bad as when I first saw it and its promise of tease.

"What Korbin, what is it? Obviously you need to say something." Under my breath I added, "Otherwise you wouldn't be standing there with that stupid look on your face."

"This look isn't half as bad as the one Sean will give you when he finds out you and his mom were all..."

My eyes met his as he wiggled his brows and said, "Bow-chicka-wow-wow."

My emerald gaze went round and I grabbed his arm before glancing around to be sure no one was paying attention. Noticing we were fine, I drug him out the door. A breeze kicked up and tried to bite at my nose but other than seeing my breath chill in the air, I didn't notice it one bit.

"How did you find out?" I said through gritted teeth.

"If you stop trying to pull my arm from its socket I'll tell you."

Letting go, I watched as he started to rub his shoulder and rotate it. I hadn't even been holding him very hard ... at least I hadn't thought it was too hard.

"Damn, Annan, you really need to watch yourself."

"Yeah, yeah, I'm all beefy strong, now out with it. How did you find out?"

He started laughing as his arm dropped to his side after one last rotation. "My old partner, before Sean came on board, was a lesbian who had been changed into a Were by force."

Blinking at him, I waited for more but finally said, " _And_ ..." when it was obvious he wasn't going to say anything else.

"And, well, one time I tried to hit on her and she was stunned her lesbianism wasn't obvious. After that I was schooled in all things gay so as not to make the mistake again." His smile pulled at the corner. "I doubt anyone else would see it, but I did. The way Chloe looks at you. The way you are so protective of her, enough to bring her with you. How cold you've been to Sean."

Korbin let out a short laugh and I crossed my arms over my chest. "But, after Chloe went for my bro, and later when you and Sean had a _fight_ " —he air quoted _fight_ showing me how much he believed in that excuse— "I figured you had put an end to whatever it was going on between the you two before you got back. So, her obvious agitation when she came here with you made sense.

"Now though," he shrugged, "it's appears she was more upset about Sean being her son and him not knowing, and _that_ is also why you brought her with you. Which made me question my earlier assumption of you two having a gay tryst..." he tapped his chin and looked away as if in deep thought while he drew out the last word.

My eyes narrowed as I said, "So why did you ask me about Chloe like you were so damn sure?"

He laughed out loud. "To see if I was right or not. Boy is Sean going to go ape shit."

Punching him in the chest, I said, "You best keep your mouth shut, Korbin."

He wobbled on his feet and took a step back. "Fuck, Annan. Keep hitting me so hard and I'll tell everyone you had sex with Sean _and_ his mother. So is there a freaky threesome in your future now?"

"You mother..." my sentence trailed off as I reached back to hit him square in the jaw.

He raised his finger and gave me a, "no, no" signal with it. "Hit me and I will tell."

Putting my balled fist down, I stomped in a circle a few times before kicking at the snow piled by the lodge. "Mother fucking, fuck of mother fuckers!" I said with all the heat I had in me, which made Korbin laugh.

"Hey, calm down before you kick straight through that snow and into the wall. I'm not going to say shit, I just like messing with you. You should know that by now." Korbin tussled my hair like I was some kid and I swatted his hand away as I continued to take my frustration out on the snow around me while screaming out, "fucking fuck, fuck," and "mother fucker," over and again.

"Wow, Korbin. I know you have a talent for pissing people off but what did you do to Annan?"

The voice of the head mage at the SIA pulled me out of my pissed and brought a smile to my lips. "Oh thank god, Elizabeta's here."

She was dressed in clothes appropriate for the winter, as was her husband, Baldur. Though they were immortal, it was thanks to her magic so they both still felt the cold. The two had on snow boots, jeans, and thick coats. His was dark and quilted looking but she wore her plum peacoat and her ash-brown hair was tied back in its usual braid.

Her moss-toned eyes sparkled as she laughed when I wiggled my fingers out to her and said, "Where is it? Gimmie."

Making a contented sound when the bottle hit my hand, I ignored Korbin's laugh and pulled the cork out before tipping it back. My cousin made some remark about me being drunk in under twenty minutes as the sweet liquid filled my belly and pulled a groan of joy come from my throat.

"Whoa there, you shouldn't be drinking that stuff so fast. Elizabeta, does she know what she's doing?" Baldur asked me.

Re-corking the bottle, I laughed and said, "I certainly do know. This is the only thing that can keep him" —I pointed the bottle at Korbin, who just smiled— "and all that damn reuniting going on inside from driving me crazy."

Elizabeta raised an eyebrow and looked past my shoulder towards the doors. "Is Antonio already here?"

Korbin's laughter was the only thing I could hear, though I swear there was a high keening in my ears as though tinnitus was setting in. "You're joking right? Please tell me you're joking."

She only shook her head and began explaining how they had heard of Chloe's new status and Ces told Antonio, who had been at the SIA while trying to track Angelic, so he insisted on visiting during the party, sure he would be welcomed.

Korbin's laughter became more irritating as Elizabeta assured me his presence would be fine, seeming to think my silence was due to Angelic being on the loose since she kept saying I was safe with all the new wards on me. Doing my best to ignore both her unneeded explanations and Korbin's horrid laughter, I fought to reopen the bottle in my hands—the evil, evil bottle wanted to keep all of its wonderful liquid to itself and I needed it to smother the torrent that was promising to overwhelm me soon. Oh, god why did Antonio have to come?

"Here." Strong hands took the bottle and effortlessly pulled the cork out.

Smiling at Baldur's cool blue eyes, I thanked him and downed the enchanted liquid once more. As I swallowed, Korbin began to explain to Elizabeta—without giving away the secret of Chloe and I—that Sean and I made up and Sean knew about Chloe being his mom but blamed Antonio for their separation.

Her eyes widened in understanding as I pulled the bottle away again and Baldur's brow drew together while he rejoined his wife. They started discussing whether they should contact Antonio as I slumped in the snow. Looking down at the bottle I began to wonder if it was weaker or if I was in fact getting stronger because I had drank over half of it and I barely felt a thing.

Glancing at the Viking like man, with his dark hair, ice blue eyes, and warrior like attitude—of course that could be my bias because when I had first met him I learned from Elizabeta he was a legend in Viking lore, though, by her explanation she fudged the history so her man would be hers forever—I drew in a breath and watched them discuss the options. He leaned down and whispered something in her ear and her eyes widened for a moment before she laughed. She pulled away and lightly slapped his arm before giving him a kiss. Shaking my head, I drank more of the wine in my hands and began to feel even sorrier for myself.

They had been together for over a millennium and she had said he was the only man she would ever, and could ever want. Here I was, having issues with wanting two men but not wanting to commit to either, while also having to deal with having desires for someone I didn't want to be with at all, _and_ that all only happened within the span of a couple weeks. Thinking of Antonio, Sean, and inevitably, Chloe, I groaned and downed the rest of the bottle before standing.

"It's a good thing there is more where that came from, huh?" Elizabeta said nodding to the bottle in my hand.

"Yeah, I guess so. Hey, don't worry about calling Antonio. I'll deal with whatever fallout there may be. Sean can be pretty reasonable at times."

Korbin snickered and said, "I bet you're banking on how reasonable he can be."

Swatting at Korbin with my free hand he backed up and shook his finger at me again.

"Don't be an asshole, Korbin." Turning to Elizabeta, I gladly took the bottle in her hands and gave her the empty one.

"Thank you. I don't know if this stuff is working or not. I hardly feel a thing."

She laughed as we started walking inside the building. "Give it a moment. Some batches are different than others, and that is the only other bottle you are getting from me. So, make it last."

She departed to say her hellos to Mike and Gale as Korbin let out a small laugh. "She makes her own stuff Annie, so take it easy."

Looking down at the bottle, I noticed for the first time there was no label. "Honestly, I don't care. With all this bullshit I'm going to have to deal with I hope it knocks me on my ass and I wake up tomorrow ... or even better, a few days from now."

Korbin's smile grew as I fought with the bottle in my hands, perturbed it was the only other one Elizabeta was willing to give me. Looking up at him, I contemplated the fact his expression resembled the Grinch's when he discovered how to end Christmas in Whoville. Figuring his stupid smile was due to my struggle—why the hell was the first bottle so easy to open initially?—I pursed my lips, ready to comment on how funny it wasn't when I discovered what really caused such devious smile to grace his mug.

"Why are you so worked up you need faerie wine, Annan?" Sean said and Korbin started laughing once more as he walked away leaving me to my damnable bottle and all the shit I needed to deal with.

### Chapter 6

Addio, Bella Lupa

The cork in my fingers seemed harder than it should have been. Shouldn't something that looks squishy feel squishy? I mean, they do shove it into a smaller hole than it is intended ... or wait, it _is_ intended ... but that hole is so small. Putting my finger in said hole, I marveled at how my digit almost got stuck.

"Damn it. How can I talk to you when you are wavering between coherent and a toddler?"

"Don't call me a toddler, that's not nice."

Sean sat next to me and I had a notion there was more people in the building than there was when we first started talking. "Oh man, how long have we been doing this?"

"Really? Like ten minutes. How much did you drink?" He took the bottle and cork from me, and then reinserted it.

Frowning, I took back the re-corked bottled. "Hey that took me forever to get out!"

"Jesus, Annan. You have been sitting with it in your hands for half the time we have been talking. Now, why is Antonio coming again and how much wine did you drink before I found you?"

Oh, right. The Antonio problem. "Man, I drank one bottle, but I didn't feel anything." Frowning I looked at my hands and realized they looked different to me, somehow not normal. "I guess I'm feeling it now."

"No shit. Now, focus. Antonio?"

"Oh. Okay, so he heard about Chloe."

"You told me that right before you started wondering about your shoes and how they stay up."

"Yeah, how do they stay up?" Touching the leather I started to wonder, again I guess, at how they were soft yet managed to stay upright.

"Damn it, Annan this party is for you. How can you enjoy a party when you can't even hold a conversation?"

Sitting up, forgetting about the mystery of my boots, I shoved him ... a bit too hard considering he had to right himself. "Hey, I am enjoying my party just fine. And, I will have you know, I drank that damn bottle because I was afraid of having to deal with you being a big baby because I can't figure out who to be attracted to. You or Antonio or—" My hands slapped over my mouth as I ate my words.

"Or who? Who else are you attracted to?"

In one sentence, Sean forgot his questions of Antonio and my drunken state, but they were soon replaced with a more important new one. My fogged brain couldn't hide the heat of his anger. It was almost palatable. Trying to think clearly and come up with a quick not-quite-a-lie that didn't let out the truth I said through my fingers in a whisper, "I've been attracted to women lately."

Sean relaxed visibly and I dropped my hand. "Damn it Annan. I thought you were going to tell me you were in love with someone else."

Even in my drunken state, I clued into what he said. The word love was too much of a wake up slap. "You admit I love both you and Antonio?" How he could admit it was beyond me since I couldn't even admit it myself. Shit! My drunk brain just let me say it aloud.

Biting my lip, I waited for an answer.

Sean's two-toned eyes met mine and a somewhat sad smile pulled at his lips. "Of course I have to admit that. I can't say I like it, or that I want to share you. Though, I may have to."

My eyes widened, but he put up a hand. "I've been thinking about this. We aren't completely Were, Annan. Maybe like my dual nature you have one too that makes it so you have an attraction to those other than your mate." His eyes became almost apologetic. "Sometimes, unique qualities arise in unique people, even if they are not needed or even wanted."

He showed me a quick flash of fangs, unseen to anyone else but me, but it was enough to spark something inside me making my body shudder. He trailed a hand down my jaw and I leaned toward him, but his eyes left mine and he pulled away.

"Not around our loved ones." He chuckled and I shook my head, clearing some of the lustful want away.

"But how does unique qualities work into me getting hot for chicks?"

People near us glanced our way and he smiled at them before taking my hand and walking me to the back area where the bathrooms and laundry were. Once there, the din of people quieted and I had a notion that I was unaware, once again, the room had become even fuller. Elizabeta's wine was a strange brew to be sure.

"I don't really know. It could spring from the natural bond some women have, or from dire circumstances. What girl got you horny?"

Uh-oh. There was an honest effort on my part to keep my eyes on him but as soon as he asked, I glanced right to Chloe.

"My mom!" He started laughing. "Annan, no matter how you try to fight it, you are my mate. The bond we share might have leached to her. How did you find out?"

"I told you I had was aroused when she bit me, it just didn't go away." My drunk brain was trying hard to make sense of what he was saying.

"Your attraction to Chloe, possibly even Antonio, could be because they carry the same blood as me. The fact I received a large amount of Antonio's blood while in the womb means his blood is a part of me, just like my mother."

Not knowing what to say, instead I walked past him and grabbed my bottle of wine only to fumble with the cork. Sean came up next to me with a sideways smile and a contemplative look on his face. He seemed happy but if I was going to get close to happy, I needed that damn wine but the accursed cork refused to come free.

Without warning, he took the bottle and pulled out the cork before handing it back to me with a slight smile on his lips. "Nothing to say?"

Putting the bottle to my mouth, I just looked at him and drank. Once I had a good, deep swallow, I said, "I don't like it but—"

A couple of pack members walked up to us and he greeted them before they could get to me. Watching his whole face light up as they talked to him but looked towards me in a nervous way every so often, I contemplated what he said. It was hard to focus with the wine mushing my brain up but I knew I should be mad at him. He laughed and said something to the couple about talking soon as he guided them away from what they really wanted to see, me, and I decided my anger wasn't as important as a happy Sean. A happy Sean did everything he could to keep _me_ happy which included keeping me from having to deal with people I didn't want to talk to.

He came back to me, a smile touching his lips. "So you don't like it, but..."

"But for now, I'm not caring," I said and smiled.

He put an arm around me and gave me a kiss on the top of my head before leading me to the party. "Sounds good to me."

~

Antonio had been at the party a whole ... it was a lot of minutes, and Sean had been nothing but nice. Of course, I bet the fact he had stayed far away from the vampire while he shuffled me from pack member to pack member helped with his civility. It wasn't so bad when I got to have gushing hugs with Scott and Ray—I never knew two men could cry so much—but after having a nice visit with them there seemed to be a trend to the pack members Sean was introducing me to.

The one I was standing in front of at that moment was pregnant and talking about how she wasn't sure how many children to have because she was ready for the change and was wondering about how Tanya had changed from a human to a wolf and back without losing a baby—why did I ever share that story? She had me realizing what trait the pack members I had been talking with shared. Babies? Married people? Nice try, Sean.

"Oh, um... I'm sorry I forgot your name."

"Stacy." Her smile was wide, almost too much so for her face, and her teeth too white. Everything about her was "too." Hair too straight, nose too pointed, boobs too small ... okay that last part may be a biased opinion, but they were tiny, and she was pregnant! Maybe that was my drunken brain but ... whatever, on with it.

"Okay, Stacy. I'm sorry. It's hard for me to talk about that stuff. She was a nice girl in a..." Bring on the sniffles. "She was in a real bad situation and didn't make it, like I did."

Oh, for the joy of intoxication, I would have never pulled off that Oscar worthy performance without it. Don't get me wrong, I _was_ saddened by Tanya being killed by Randall but the whole situation was something I tried hard not to think about, and I had only mentioned her because the woman's swollen belly reminded me of my fellow captive and my inebriated mouth spoke before my fogged brain could tell it to do otherwise.

Her face fell and as Sean gave my arm a gentle squeeze, I was glad my performance held an edge of truth, yet I was sad at the same time, which had me wanting to forget the whole thing again. Sean's show of concern did clue me in on one bonus thanks to the display, and that was it had earned me the out I was looking for all night.

As Stacy apologized and walked away with her husband, I hugged the half-full bottle of wine to me and wiped a stray tear away. "I need a minute, okay. So many people, it's starting to get to me."

Sean gave me a weak smile and nodded. He left a gentle kiss on my lips and let me shuffle away and out a side door. With all the new wards and protective spells, everyone felt safe letting me have my space ... at least that is how it had appeared to me, so no one was apt to follow me outside. Whatever the reason my family had for giving me a bit of breathing room, I was glad I could have a drunk moment of staring at nothing while I collected my inebriated thoughts.

The crisp air felt great, not cold at all, only refreshing, and I breathed it in as I slid along a snow bank against the building and I sat in the chill pile, not caring if I soaked through. Closing my eyes, I brought more of the night air into me before letting it out slowly. It made me want to walk along the river, listen to the nocturnal sounds of the forest and just absorb it all. A sound in the night did catch my attention but it did nothing to enhance my revere.

"I guess my family _doesn't_ want to give me space," I said to myself in a mumble.

"The blood bond did not work so there is no need to consider me family, and if space is what you prefer, I shall leave."

Antonio's voice had me scrambling to my feet and patting snow off my backside. "No, no. You don't have to leave."

My god, why was my heart trying to slam out of my chest? He was going to know my pulse was increasing as he turned to face me, as he took a step closer. He had to know the effect he had on me even if he didn't hold any traditional powers a master vampire would, such as mind reading or sensing one's emotions. Though he couldn't do anything like that, he could still hear my heart beat, and know what it meant as it gained speed with each step he took toward me.

Liking my lips, I tried to calm my body as he neared me and gave myself a silent curse for thinking the faerie wine would be any good at helping me where he was concerned. The sensation of it in my blood seemed to come alive and sway me even more while in his presence.

"I wasn't sure I would have a chance to say hello to you this evening. Your kitty cat has been so protective of you."

My mush brain could have sworn it sensed an edge of jealousy in his words, but that was most likely me wishing it was there. Trying for a seductive smile, I said, "He's not here now. It's just you and me."

A dark brow lifted over a pale, Mediterranean-green eye and my tongue darted out over my bottom lip as he stepped even closer, only an arm's length away. The pounding of my heart sounded too loud in my ears as his slender hand reached out to me, sliding along my own hand, the one clutching the bottle to my chest.

"It seems you've had enough of this," he said and removed the wine out of my grasp with a gentle ease.

What he had done pushed down my arousal and I furrowed my brow. "Hey, that's the only one I get tonight."

Antonio's perfect lips pulled into a sideways smile. "Are you saying this is all you have had for the entire evening?"

Relaxing my stance, I pushed my bottom lip out in a pout. Even in my boozed up state I knew he had me. "No, it's my second. But, it's still mine."

He only chuckled and shoved the bottle in the snowdrift beside us. "It seems _you_ need more assistance than Chloe while away from me."

My irritation over the man tried to peak but was squashed as soon as his hands brushed my arms. Breathing deep, I took in the scent that was pure Antonio. "Did your kitty take advantage of you while I wasn't around? His claim on you is obvious to anyone at the party."

His fingers were light on my shoulders but he might as well have been touching more sensitive parts of my body for how it made me feel. Biting my lip, I drew in a breath and said, "He didn't take advantage, but he does know how to ignite ... something in me."

An emotion crossed Antonio's face but my mind couldn't focus on anything but his hands on me.

"So he did take advantage of you."

Pursing my brow, I shook my head and felt it sway before I responded. "No he didn't. He's been very reasonable; he even said something about sharing."

Antonio's touch gained more pressure. His hand felt as though it held a possessiveness as it moved around my shoulder and neck to touch bare skin under my hair while he pulled me to him. "Sharing is not an idea I am particularly fond of, Annan," he said to my neck and I shuddered.

His lips moved to my ear and it was all I had in me to stay on my feet. "I could easily have you now." His hand played along my neck and collarbone, sending shivers through me. "You would never resist, even if I asked you to leave this party with me and make love in the dark of the night, deep within the forest."

Every fiber of my being wanted him to do exactly what he said, to make every word come true. I would have gone further than just the woods in that moment if he had asked me. My lips parted but he kept speaking interrupting any words that may have come.

"Fortunate for you, I am not like your kitty."

He pulled away and I wanted to protest how fortunate I wasn't, but instead I stayed quiet as I tried to relearn how to breathe. My fogged brain wasn't sure if I should be furious or thankful but it never had a chance to make a decision. All thought was drained from my head once more as his soft hand caressed along my jaw to my chin just before he drew me to him in a slow and methodic way.

"For now," he said to my lips. "I will remind you what a patient man is like."

His kiss was soft, warm, and promising. It was nothing like Sean's, which were needy and impassioned as though he would consume me through his lips so that I could always be with him. Antonio's kiss held a warmth, which spoke of permanence in a way Sean's words could never compare. Antonio showed me in a simple kiss, through my hazy thoughts, that a heat could build slowly with time, and would keep you warmer, longer than one lit in a single spark that burns hot and fast. But, just as I was wanting more, just as I began to give in to that tempting promise with a part of lips and a flash of tongue, Antonio ended the kiss and embraced me, putting his chin atop my head.

"My love will be forever, Annan, and I don't like to share." He paused and I could feel him kiss my head as he drew in a breath. He looked down at me a heartbeat before pushing some stray hair off my face. "However, I can wait. You are young, so very young, and you have lifetime's worth of desires to fulfill."

His eyes seemed to search mine a moment. "I'll be around, Annan, I'll be watching to see when you are ready, and I will wait."

He stepped away from me and retrieved my bottle of wine from the snow. Antonio uncorked it and took a drink, giving me a small smile before handing the bottle to me. "It's much better chilled," he said.

Something in me wanted to weep, as though this was somehow him saying his final goodbye, though I knew it wasn't. Looking down at the bottle, I mumbled a "thanks" and took a drink. He was right, it was better. It seemed there was something more I should say, or maybe ask, but I just didn't know so I said, "How long?"

His brow rose seconds before the corner of his mouth did. "That really depends on you. I've lived many years, and I can say, I've never met a woman like you. You've stirred something in me, Annan. You will be worth the wait."

He set another kiss on my cheek and turned to head off in the direction of the portal. "Addio, Bella Lupa," he said over his shoulder with a wave.

Sighing, I tipped my bottle back right as the clatter of the side door opened and let out the noises of the party, which sounded as though it was in full swing.

"Annan?" Of course, it was Sean.

"Yeah, yeah," I said and finished off the bottle.

"You're not getting cold, are you?"

Blinking at him, I knew the last bit of wine was going to push me over the edge but after my encounter with Antonio, I didn't care. Luckily, Sean hadn't come out sooner. Shoving out all thoughts of Antonio—I didn't need empathy boy catching on or me slipping and saying something while drunk—I said, "You and I screwed in the snow and I didn't get cold," and headed for the door.

Sean only laughed and followed me back into the building, which was noticeably warmer, but not in the way Antonio's kiss had been.

### Chapter 7

I will Punch You in Your Face

Morning decided to assault my eyeballs before my lids wanted to open and I had to bemoan the windows even though I missed them during my short stay at Antonio's. Dragging a pillow over my head, I tried not to groan over my own movements or the sun. Why, oh why, did I think faerie wine was a good idea? Lesson learned. If you don't take a soothing bath administered by a sexy vampire after drinking two bottles of the stuff, you are sure to have a monster size hangover the next day. All that bitching my friends had done in high school made so much sense now. The question really was, how could they feel that way and keep going at it each weekend?

Trying not to move too much, or think about my poor choices, or Antonio, I laid as still as possible wondering if I had the energy to make it to the tub when the bed shifted and I tensed up, sending a shooting pain straight to my right eye.

"Ah, what the hell?" I said to no one at all, though I could guess who was in my bed with me.

"Mmm, morning. You okay?"

Sean moved the pillow off my face and I groaned when the light hit my lids again. "Too bright," I said in a grumble and replaced the missing pillow with my arm.

He chuckled and kissed my lips before the bed shifted again and I heard him moving about the room.

"There, is that better?" He said and I moved my arm away to reveal a dim room. Sean's dim room.

Groaning once more, I rolled over and pulled the blanket over my face as he got back in bed with care. "I can't make it any darker than that, the blinds are fully closed." He kissed my ear as soon as he exposed it by moving aside the duvet and I tried not to groan again.

Though I was not interested in any way of doing anything sexual with Sean, his advances still sent a tingle through me, which was irritating. What the hell was wrong with me? Even feeling worse than I ever had in my life—well, except for when I woke after being beaten by Randall—my body still craved his touch. He seemed to sense my building desire because the man made a noise low in his throat as he moved his hand down my side, sending more pulses of need through me.

"Damn it!" I said as I shoved him off and sat up.

"What's the matter?" His hands were on my shoulders, massaging them and assaulting me with unwanted feelings all over again.

Pushing his hands off, I said. "I need a shower, I feel like shit." Standing up, the room spun and I put my hand to my head as though it could steady my whole body.

"I'll take one with you," Sean said as he stood.

"No." The one word stopped his advance around the bed and the concern on his face turned to confusion. Rubbing my temples, I added, "I just want a nice hot bath, by myself. Okay?"

Not waiting for an answer, I headed for his bedroom door.

"I'll just sit with you. Wash your shoulders or something to help you relax."

My hand hadn't even turned the knob. "Christ, Sean. Can't you just accept _no_?" My question brought back what Antonio had said the night before. Shaking my head, I said under my breath, "Antonio was right."

"Right about what?" His voice was like ice, all the usual caring and concern was gone.

Looking at him, I set my eyes to a scowl. "He seems to think you use my desire as a way to take advantage of me."

His own features hardened at what I had to say. "He would think that, but you can't take advantage of the person who is your chosen ma—"

"Don't even." I cut him off and his mouth snapped shut, turning into a grimace. Shaking my head I said, "I still need to fully recover from last night's events, Sean, and I'm not happy about some of what we talked about." Letting out a disgusted laugh, I added, "And, I don't even remember a good portion of the evening. When I woke up this morning, I had no idea I was in your bed with you. So give me some fucking space, alright?"

"But I don't—"

"Space. I'm taking it," I said and shut his door before he could say anymore.

~

Taking a warm bath did help with my woozy, hung-over feeling but it did nothing for my sour mood towards Sean. The hot soothing water cleared my mind enough to help me remember more details from the night before and the party. Nothing was too eventful. Everyone was thrilled I was home, and safe, and that my change was coming. That last part I was still not sure about.

Ces showed up and said I should come by her office at the SIA to discuss my future plans after my change, or whatever, happens. She wouldn't go into further detail, though, saying she wanted to talk with me when I was, "more of my right mind." Her words, obviously. The whole event was fairly mundane. The only hard part to deal with was drinking too much.

Of course, what Antonio had said put other events into perspective. After the party, I had wanted to go to my own room, alone, to sleep off my drunk. Sean, on the other hand was very persistent in what he wanted, and his surety of how much I wanted it. Eventually, I gave in to his advances and we ended up in his room and each other's arms. Just thinking of how he kept reminding me we were mates and it was natural to want each other got my blood boiling and I scowled as I slapped at the water.

Stupid ass, Sean.

It seemed the more he tried to convince me we were meant to be together the more I was convinced otherwise. Shouldn't someone who loves you—to the point where he knows you are the one and only for him—listen to "no" when you say it? Shouldn't he accept that and be happy? Either Sean's needs were more important to him than anything else, or his undying obsession over me was clouding up his mind and the entire situation.

There was a huge part of me starting to believe that last scenario more than anything else.

A knock at the door pulled me from my thoughts. "What?" I said with more bite than I intended, after all it could have been Chloe.

"I was just checking to see how you were doing." Of course, it wasn't Chloe.

"Fuck off, Sean. I'm fine."

He opened the door as though I hadn't just cussed at him ... or maybe that was the reason why.

"Are you sure you're okay? You seem really tense this morning."

Standing up, I ignored his eyes on me and the heat they sent through my body. It was time I took control of the bullshit between the two of us and stopped giving in just because it seemed like the fun thing to do. I mean, come on, how much mind-blowing sex can one person have? "I'm heading out for the day, to try and relieve some of this tension."

His eyes moved up from my soaked body and to my face as I began to towel off. "I can come with you. Where are you going?"

Shutting my lids a moment, I tried hard to watch my tone of voice, but struggled since I spoke through gritted teeth. "No, I need some time alone. Remember?" Glaring, I added, "And, since you seem incapable of leaving me be, I will go elsewhere." I had no idea where I would go; I just knew Sean shouldn't be there. His presence and my growing irritation over him had a combined effect of turning my hot lustfulness towards the man into bitterness and anger.

His face turned to a mask of concern. "Annan, talk to me. Why are you so pissed?"

Shrugging off his hand as it touched my shoulder, I pushed past him and into my room. Maybe I should talk to Mike and Gale about securing my own house on Pack Lands.

While digging for underwear, I kept my eyes down as I answered him. "I don't know if you are ready for this talk and I think I need to clear my head before we have it."

"What did Antonio say to you last night?"

Slamming the dresser drawer shut, I narrowed my eyes at him. "You really have to assume it has to do with Antonio don't you?"

Giving me his own scowl, he said, "Well, that was when you started acting strange. You were even very insistent on sleeping alone."

"And you see how far that got me!"

"What are you talking about?"

Turning away from him, trying to get my instant rage to calm, I pulled on the underwear and a pair of dark skinny-jeans before searching for a bra.

Once I found it, I kept my eyes away from Sean as I clasped the snaps and spoke. "Every time, Sean, _every time_ I don't want to be sexual with you, you have to push until you get your way."

"You always appear eager to be with me. We love each other, Annan. It's the way it is with—"

Turning back to Sean with a shirt in my hand, I cut him off. "If you fucking say the word mates, or bonded for that matter, I swear to god I will punch you in your face."

His mouth set into a hard line while I pulled a lavender blouse over my head. My eyes met his again as he started to open his mouth. Something about the way he was looking at me, his whole vibe, had me convinced he wasn't going to listen to me, but was instead going to try to push his side once more, so I cut him off again.

Lifting my fist for emphasis, I said, "Face, Sean, face. Not light friendly slap in the arm. I will hit you as hard as I can in your nose." My words were very clear and precise.

Sean's mouth pursed together and he gave me a half smile. "Now you are just being ridiculous. You don't have to threaten me with violence, Annan." He touched my balled up hand and put it down.

Pulling out of his light grasp, I slipped on a pair of socks I snatched off the dresser. "I'm still heading out." There wasn't more I was going to say to him. He knew I was not happy, and it appeared he was going to listen to me and not going to try to push the conversation we needed to have.

It was becoming clear to me, Sean and I should _not_ be together. It was unhealthy.

As I contemplated my sense of surety, I pulled on my boots and wished Sean would just leave the room. As my irritation wore off his closeness made me feel a flutter low in my belly, but I ignored it. There was no need to go all crazy just because I felt horny, or whatever it is, all the sudden.

Mentally patting myself on the back for my new sense of self-control—years of being alone must have paid off—I finished tightening my laces. I wasn't sure if I could combat the new urges in me, but as I looked up at Sean, and felt the urge to screw him but ignored it, I was glad I was at least starting out on a good note.

His charm caught my sight and I remembered why that control was more than likely doable. Sean wasn't accidently pumping love feelings into me. Shaking my head, I stood up and grabbed a jacket set over the chair, not like I needed it but it was habit, and stepped to the side of Sean to leave.

He put his hand to my shoulder as I tried to exit. "Annan, we should talk."

Taking in a deep breath, I said, "Didn't I just tell you we would talk later, after I cool down?"

Stepping out of his touch, I left the room and headed towards Chloe's door.

"Where are you going?" Sean sounded confused as I reached for his mother's bedroom door handle.

"To see if Chloe wants to go. I said I needed to be away from you, not everyone."

"She stayed with Will last night."

My hand closed up and a cold chill went down my spine. In my state of inebriation, I forgot to make sure Chloe didn't sex my cousin to death. "Shit."

Turning around, I dashed passed Sean to the front door as I threw my coat on, but he was there in front of me, blocking my way, before I reached it.

"Get the hell out of my way; I need to go check on her."

He looked downright pissed as he stood with his back against the door. "Is that what is going on? All this time I thought the issue was Antonio but it was right under my roof all along." He chuckled and shook his head.

"Sean, I have no idea what you are talking about but you need to move before I pick you up and make you move."

"Right, threaten more violence. Why don't you just say it, Annan? Why don't you just tell me how you really feel about my mother? The reason you are rushing off to her now."

Drawing in another deep breath, to cool the pit of fire that was starting replace the sexed up feelings in me, I clenched my hands at my sides as I spoke to him. "You are so self-centered, so self-righteous in your pure focus on this joke of a relationship we have" —his eyes flinched at my words, but I kept talking— "that you think my concern for Chloe, or should I say Will, has to do with us. Well, you don't have to worry, let me ease your mind. I already fucked Chloe, twice, and decided it wasn't for me. So get the hell out of my way so I can do what I promised!"

The truth just poured out of me and I didn't care. It felt good to have it free, to not have the secret tucked away, though I knew I would feel bad about it later.

The wind and snow had decided to pay a visit and when I opened the door, I was greeted by a blast of both. As my foot crossed the threshold, Sean once again stopped me.

"You can't just drop a bombshell on me like that then walk out. And, how does that not prove my accusation, that she is what is getting in the way of you and me?"

Tromping away from his house through the snow—thank god there was a charm on the property that made it easier to walk through the stuff—I said, "It's not my fault you didn't listen to the rest of what I said beyond, 'I fucked Chloe.'"

"Annan, would you stop so we can talk. We are mates."

That was it.

I told him it would happen, and I didn't even think about it when I turned on my heel and punched him as hard as I could right in his face. It wasn't like yesterday when we were fighting and I hit him in the jaw. The power behind my blow sent him flying through the air a few feet to land on his ass in the snow. Crimson blossomed from his nose as he looked at me but the blood running down his chin to stain the pure white wasn't as alarming as the expression on his face. By the mask of shock he wore, I had to assume he really didn't think I would hit him like that.

Deciding his poor judgment was enough for him to chew on, I turned back around and ran, full out, to my cousin's house hoping Chloe's new master ability meant she didn't screw my cousin half to death, then feed on him until the job was finished.

### Chapter 8

Not Accepting No is Just as Bad

Will's house wasn't far from Sean's, all the houses on Pack Lands were pretty close together if you had super speed, so the run there wasn't bad. As I approached his place, it was dark and quiet and I wished I had some kind of special power like Chloe or Angelic so I could at least sense who was there.

Shaking my head at the ridiculous thought, I crept around the building to Will's bedroom window. The blinds were drawn so I couldn't see in, which was fine—really, I didn't want to see certain things—so I pressed my ear to the glass and covered the other one. Closing my eyes to concentrate, I tried to hear something, anything, from inside the room.

Holding my breath, I was starting to worry I was going to have to come up with some stupid excuse about why I was there to bother her ... well, I guess I could just say I was there to check and see if she wanted to go with me. Thankfully, though, there was a small laugh followed by a man mumbling something and I let out the breath I was holding in and stood up.

Taking in another deep lung full of air, I let it out and turned to head towards the main house. And, of course, Sean was standing right there, not even ten feet from me.

"What are you doing?" He sounded so much louder than I'm sure he was.

Rushing to him, I grabbed his arm and strode from my cousin's home. "What the fuck are you doing here? Hitting you wasn't clue enough?" It was hard to sound pissed in a whisper.

"Why are you whispering? Damn it, Annan that hurts. Let go."

Letting go of the baby, I stomped away from him. He was blocking the way to my aunt and uncle's house so I was headed in the wrong direction, but I didn't care if I had to walk all the way to Seattle to get away from him, I refused to face the man.

"Annan? Sean?" Chloe on the other hand, had me stopping.

Setting my jaw, I looked back in time to see her surprised expression over her son's face. She was wrapped in a soft white robe, which was clearly a man's but looked super sexy on her. Pushing out the thought, I watched as she fussed over her son for the first time in his life.

"What happened? Who did this to you?"

"Um, Chloe ... I guess, mom, it's okay. Annan and I were just having an argue—"

Chloe's eyes hit me and they were fiercer than I had ever seen them. "How could you do this to him? He adores you and you smash his face in?" Turning back to her son, she looked over his nose once more. "This will take days for a werepanther to heal."

My left eye twitched once and I turned around and ran again, not knowing where I was going, or what was over the next hill, all I knew was having Chloe side with Sean was pushing me over the edge and I really, _really_ did not want to hit her as well. The wind and my feet hitting the snow sucked up Sean's call to me, but either way my own thoughts of, "where the hell do I go now?" would have drowned him out.

~

Once I was sure I wasn't being followed, I pulled out my phone and texted Mike. He needed to know what was going on and that I would let him know if and when I found a place away from Sean, which would most likely be off Pack Lands. Judging by how the snow hit the ground, though, I knew I hadn't left the property yet. Slowing down, I stopped and listened, trying to hear any pursuers. You would think running away from everyone would be stupid after what I had been through, but with all the other safety added to me and the property, I wasn't too worried.

My phone buzzed and I looked down seeing a return text telling me to be careful and to keep my phone on. Well, duh. There was no way I was going to make it easier for some crazy person to grab me ... again.

Thinking on that idiot move, I was reminded of what Ces had said the night before and I knew exactly where I could hide in safety. My fingers were busy finding the number in my list of contacts as a smile spread across my lips and I began walking once more. There was no need to let anyone catch up _too_ much if I was being followed. Sean had proven, time and again, how capable he was doing exactly that.

Shaking out my muddled thoughts of Sean, I listened as the other end rang before Cesair's bell-like voice filled my ears. "Annan, Granddaughter, how good to hear from you. Is everything alright?"

"Yeah, it's not bad. Not great, but not bad."

"Well that is good but not great to hear, then. Was there something you needed, or is this a social call?"

Cesair had a strange way of talking which had me smiling in spite of the situation. "Social would be nice, but how about we talk in person."

"Oh that would be just wonderful! Would you like me to come and get you now, or did you have a time you wished to meet?"

Her enthusiasm was so genuine I could feel it to my core, even over the phone. "Now would be great."

"Alright, where are you at?"

Looking around, I wasn't sure how to answer. "Uh, somewhere on Pack Lands, other than that I'm not sure."

"That is good enough, one moment dear." The line went dead.

Pulling the phone away from my ear, I puzzled at the golden image of Ces as it disappeared from the screen but was startled not even a second later by the woman herself.

"See, easy enough."

"Jesus, Ces. You scared the shit out of me." Cesair had a special ability, which allowed her to be a portal, or so I was told, but I would never get used to her appearing out of thin air.

Cesair laughed her tinkling laughter, like chimes in the breeze, as she walked the few feet to me. Her golden eyes swirled as they always did and her just as golden hair was braided back and looked splendid over her matching, white, cotton-like shirt and skirt. There was an intricate design throughout the fabric of little splays of holes so tiny you, couldn't see her through them, though they were clearly holes. It was as though the smallest hands in existence crocheted the garments special just for her, and with the creatures she knew, that very well might have been the case. Either way, the fabric flowed around her like no fabric would on a human, but then again Cesair always looked that way to me.

"I thought you knew I was coming straight away. After all, enough of my magic is laced on this property I can access anyone on it in a snap." She snapped her fingers, and then smiled before pulling me in for a quick hug. "So where should we go for our visit?"

A sound pulled both our attention behind me and I knew Sean, and possibly Chloe, was fast approaching.

"Your office, now ... please. If that is okay, I mean."

She laughed and pulled me to her once again. When Sean first described going through a portal I thought he was exaggerating at the molestation by goo feeling, and I was right. It did feel like something moved along your skin but that was it and nothing was left behind after you passed through the thing. However, having Ces use herself as a portal was something else all together.

The world around us moved in a hazy blur. Vertigo took me and my head spun a moment. Just as I thought the odd sensation would never leave and I would fall over, even in Cesair's firm hold, my feet found solid earth again.

Once I regained my footing after the abrupt experience, I saw we were no longer standing in a snow-coated forest. Cesair stepped away from me and all around us was an office I had never entered. The room was made of natural woods with a rich green carpet, which reminded me of moss found deep in the forest. Cesair moved behind a thick mahogany desk, which sat in front of a window—or more likely, a TV of sorts playing some scene of a mountain far beyond a vast field dotted with flowers. As far as I knew, Virginia didn't hold peaks higher than the mountains in Washington, and the one in the image was far larger than any of ours.

As I tried to bring my mind to accept we had left my family's land nestled among the Cascades and were in her office at the SIA, she motioned me to sit. Taking the offered seat across from her, I also took in the massive view behind her and had to reconsider where we might be. The scene looked too real to be a television but it just didn't fit the view of Virginia if it were a window, as it appeared to be. Not only were the mountains messed up for the location, but also the whole scene was not of earth. The parting clouds revealed a multi-ringed planet, which hung in the sky.

"Is that like a giant TV humans don't have access to yet or a window of something I should be awe struck over?"

Cesair turned around in her rotating chair, which was similar to the one I was sitting in, however mine didn't spin. Both were made of the same wood as her desk and upholstered in green leather softer than one would think it should be.

When she turned back to me her brow was together in what I could assume was confusion. "It is a window, but being awe struck is your choice, dear."

My eyes could not have gone any rounder as I watched the hazy crimson and lavender sky holding the ringed planet high above dark snow coated mountains. How could I not be awe struck with what I was seeing?

"Where did you take me?" My voice sounded as amazed as I felt while I watched some pearlescent bird fly down from some place out of view with a tail at least three feet long trailing behind it that had what looked like glitter sparkling around the fluffed ends.

With mouth partially agape, I stood and made my way to the window to see if there was a forest or something it had come from just out of sight. Sure enough, a thick expanse of trees spanned far out of sight with a road winding through them only to disappear under the thick foliage.

Cesair laughed once more. "This is just my office. You were unable to see it during your last visit to the facility."

Pursing my lips, I turned back to her. "What facility?"

"SIA headquarters of course. After we had gathered you from Antonio, we brought you here to run those tests. Surely you remember?" She touched my arm from her seated position and looked up at me with concern in her eyes.

Nodding my head, I told her, "Yeah I remember all that. But, this view couldn't be at the SIA."

Cesair stood and patted my shoulder as I took in the now twilight visage. The planet was still visible, lit on one side the way our moon would look while waxing crescent on a clear night, and I swear I had never seen anything so beautiful.

Cesair took in the night view with me as she spoke. "My office is a doorway of such between Faerie and Earth. What you are seeing is the view outside my home." She looked down at me as she finished. "This office also resides in my manor on my home planet. Because the facility is underground, I would never have been afforded such a view. So this seemed the best option." She shrugged, and appeared to be almost human a moment, if a human could be as tall as her that is. "Besides, it's nice to be able to enter my office and be home."

Nodding again, I stepped away from the window and sat back in the chair. Glancing out the glass as she settled in her seat, part of me wanted to run away into that magical world forever and forget all the problems I had with Sean and my upcoming birthday. Of course, as far as I was told that would be a bad idea. Ces had said Faerie was not a nice place, one she never considered me growing up in.

"Are you alright, Annan?"

Looking up, I saw Ces wore a mask of concern and I nodded but didn't know where to start. Calling her got me away from Sean and now that I was no longer distracted by the impressive visage behind her, I didn't know what to say.

"Why don't you tell me what had you so upset, what prompted you to call me."

It was like she was reading my thoughts and though I didn't know if she had such a power, it wouldn't have surprised me if she did. Not bothering to ask, I started instead with why I called her. "I had to get away from Sean."

She appeared to wait for me to continue, but I didn't. "Is everything alright with the two of you? You seemed to have sorted out whatever was wrong when I was at the party last night. Have things changed since then?"

Letting out a disgusted noise, I crossed my legs and arms. "You could say that."

She raised a perfect eyebrow over a golden eye.

Taking in deep breath I unfolded myself and relaxed, but dropped my eyes to her desk. "Sean doesn't seem to know when to stop. He is still able to sense my desires, even when I'm not wanting to be intimate, and he is so sure we are mates he won't take 'no' for an answer. No matter how much I am not interested he pushes it until I give in because he feels that desire in me. Even though for me it is unwanted at times."

Letting out a deep sigh, I added, "The whole thing has me upset."

Bringing my eyes to hers, I saw something there I had never seen before, and it scared the shit out of me. She didn't speak a word to me, she only stood and walked to her phone on the bureau built into the wall and began dialing. "Hello, yes. Hello Michael, it is good to hear from you as well though I am quite unhappy to hear some recent information from my granddaughter; your niece."

She was quiet for only a second as I righted myself in the chair and listened.

"I believe it would be best for her to stay with me a short time." That perked up my interest even more. "Yes, I understand. She will be back for her birthday in case she does change."

She paused a moment as I thought on how short a time it was until my birthday, only four more days.

She started speaking again, before I could worry about the inevitable. "You all have done well to protect her, even with recent events, but it is not an outside threat I fear of now. My concern is that it seems Sean-Paul is unable to control his emotions for Annan even with the charms in place. He has also somehow found a way to still feel Annan's emotions beyond the charm."

She paused again and I tried to stay calm. Something inside of me said there was more to Sean and him breaking through that charm and it might have to do with his big secret.

"I understand he believes he is her mate, but she has never been sure of that and his powers would cloud any true feelings he may have, possibly even causing them to appear to be more than they really are. All of that aside, there is no way he should have been able to divert the charm's magic. This means his abilities are far beyond what we assumed and I believe it is causing even more of an issue between him and Annan."

As she continued, my pulse sped up. It really started to feel like she was tattling to my uncle.

"You see, Sean seems unable to leave Annan be, physically, when she does not want to have relations."

She was quite a long moment, only saying "mm-hmm" now and then and I wished I could hear the other end as clearly as I would if she were on phone not spelled.

"Those are my thoughts exactly. Annan has yet to have time to really recover from her ordeal, one that included a grave violation to her person, and it seems the place I thought would be best for her has not been so."

As Cesair spoke, my stomach sank; I hadn't really thought of it like that. For Sean to not accept, "no" the first time I said it, it was almost as though he too was raping me. Shaking my head a little, I wondered what he would think if I put it in that perspective. As Cesair began talking again, saying she would retrieve anything I needed and that they would work on improving Sean's charm to help with his own emotions, I knew until I had time to really think about what had happened, and was happening to me, I should stay well away from Sean ... and anyone else who got me going.

### Chapter 9

Just Another Lycoan

After Ces had gotten off the phone with Michael we had a long conversation about all the details, including my feelings for Antonio, everything that happened with Chloe, and Sean's dark secret. Ces had been listening with quiet intent the entire time, nodding when appropriate and commenting when needed, but after I finished she leaned back and seemed lost in thought a moment before taking on the conversation.

"I'm going to have to speak with Sean-Paul about his condition. Not for why you might think, though," she said and I relaxed some. She needed to know about Sean, since what he was might be important, but it still wasn't quite right I was the one to tell her.

She sat forward and her whole posture made me want to sit up too. It seemed whatever she was about to say was going to be important in some way.

"Sean-Paul is not one of a kind and I had wondered about him since he and I first met. However, there was no indication he was a lycoan so I never pushed the question. Although, him leaving his clan when he first discovered his dual nature would explain why there was no sign he was one."

"A lycoan?" My mind boggled over the idea Sean was just some other shade of supernatural normal even if he had no idea of it; which, of course, brought to mind the idea of how he could no longer use it as a reason for us being mates.

"Yes. Lycoan was the name of the first vampire-werewolf hybrid, which was vastly different from a dhampir. The original lycoan had appeared, for all purposes, to be a werewolf, but he had a lust for blood, which matched that of a vampire. It was eventually discovered that he did indeed possess a significant amount of vampire blood due to his conception and could take blood the way a vampire could, such as the case with Sean."

My mouth almost fell open but I managed to keep it shut. Sean was such an idiot. If he hadn't been so closed-off about his damn secret, he would have found out more about himself than he ever knew.

"Sean's empathy," she continued through my own weary thoughts, "more than likely kept his blood lust at bay. Usually, lycoan are very brutal."

"So he's not one of a kind like he thought," I said more to myself than Cesair, but she still replied.

"He _is_ still quite unique." That brought my attention back to her fully. "I had longed believed vampires killed off dhampir offspring who might later exhibit these qualities and would then perpetuate a belief among the supernatural community that the children simply died in childbirth. If that is what is happening with the vampires, than Antonio might have gone outside of the norm in saving Sean-Paul. It could very well have been if any other vampire had turned his mother he would have been killed at birth."

Her explanation sank in as she went on speaking about Antonio and discussing her theory on the subject but I only half listened. Sean hated Antonio but if it weren't for him, he would be dead. Sure, Antonio had turned Chloe while she was pregnant with Sean, but he hadn't done that on purpose. Chloe wished for the vampire life, it wasn't until she found out she was with child did she change her mind, and by then it was too late.

"It would seem there is much I am to do this day after all," Cesair said at last and stood, so I did as well, then followed her as she made her way to her door. "Why don't you go to the garage and use one the cars to go the mall. I know you enjoy shopping so Potomac Mills would be worth a visit while I secure a place for you to lodge. It may be just for the night if I am able to resolve Sean-Paul's issue, but you may stay as long as you like.

We were at the exit but I couldn't help but glance out at the evening vista of Faerie.

"Would I stay in your home on Faerie?" My eyes met hers again and she smiled.

"Someday, granddaughter, I will take you there but for now you are still far too weak to safely venture through Faerie. We have accommodations above ground on base for your situation. It might not be very thrilling, or have much for you to do, but it is secure."

All I could do was nod in agreement. Being from Sean and safe was what was important, not having a super vacation or anything. We made our way a short distance down the hall before entering a door, which opened for us as we approached it. It reminded me a lot of some sci-fi stuff, but I knew auto sliding doors weren't anything that special. It was just neat to see them done in such a way they nearly disappeared into a pocket in the wall.

The room we entered was one I _had_ visited before; Elizabeta and Serenity's office. Elizabeta was nowhere to be seen, but Serenity was there and hopped down off a stool right as we entered.

"Here are your cell phone and the cards the director wanted for you." Her monotone way of talking was even creepier with her deadpan face framed by a perfect black bob. The only color to her being her aquamarine eyes.

"Thank you, Serenity. Quick work as always."

Serenity merely nodded at Ces's compliment before sitting back on her stool and going about whatever it was she was working on. From the cursory glance I took before we left, it looked as though she was dissecting what humans would call a fairy, considering she had some tiny winged demi-human stuck to a board with its chest wide open.

Trying to push the image out of my mind—that was what I get for being curious—I looked down at the wooden cards in my hand as I deposited my cell back in my pocket and Ces began walking back down the hall, towards the garage.

"The thinner card should be placed in the ID compartment in this."

Cesair handed me a wallet with credit cards bearing my name and about a grand in cash.

"The card will appear as it needs to for whoever sees it, such as a pass to get back on base. The other card is one you can use in an emergency. If you ever need me, snap it in two and I will be there just as fast."

We turned a corner while I was examining the card and she continued to talk, telling me about the credit cards and my pins but I became distracted as some pale-skinned thing in a typical business suit, except it was the size of a three-year old, walked by. The creature paid us no mind as it glanced through a stack of paperwork seeming much too large for its child like hands and I did my best not to stare as we passed by.

Once I lost sight of it, I heard Ces mention something about the car bringing me wherever I needed and I could even use it for finding a good restaurant. Which, according to her, were abundant around the mall so the special navigation system would come in handy.

It had crossed my mind to ask about why I was using a car instead of a portal but when she mentioned food and started talking about the size of the mall and where I could shop, I forgot about any questions and figured she knew what was best for the circumstance.

We entered one last door and were in a basic parking garage done in the same plain white walls of the rest of the inside of the SIA, save for a few space such as Cesair's office. She opened a panel just inside the door, which seemed to appear in the smooth wall as her hand waved over it, and produced a set of keys before we continued further into the garage.

"The car will drive itself to where you need. Simply tell it where you wish to go and it will take you there," she said as she hit the button on a typical set of keys.

"Talk about smart car," I said. What looked like a regular black BMW's lights flashed, indicating it was the one we were looking for. The car was a luxury vehicle, no doubt, but seemed like any run of the mill kind of car, nothing that could drive itself.

"What you know as magic works quite well with most technology you have here on Earth," Ces said right before telling the car to start, which it did. "Altering the GPS to be integrated with the vehicle and have proximity alerts so that the car could drive itself, as well as incorporating a level of artificial intelligence for quick decision making, was an easy task," she said as she dropped the keys into my hands.

Taking them, I looked at the car as it idled, ready for me to get in. Bringing my eyes back to Ces' smiling face, I said, "So I'm just supposed to go shopping and not worry about a thing?"

"Exactly, my dear." She beamed at me and put a hand to my shoulder. "You still have all your wards on you and now you have that emergency card, and the upgrades Serenity put on your cell phone."

"Yeah, I forgot to ask what she did to it," I said as I got into the car.

Ces looked down at me. "She made it so you will have service no matter where you are and it will stay powered by your body's aura. This way there is no chance you can't get a hold of someone when you need to."

Lifting my eyebrows, I said, "I guess that is some tech humans can't have, huh?"

She let out a light laugh. "If an advancement such as that were brought to humans now, their precious stock market would crash."

With that, she shut the door and began walking back to the exit with a wave. My mind pondered her statement as the soothing voice welcomed me by name and asked where I wished to go. After telling it to head to Potomac Mills—the mall Ces mentioned—the car backed out of the parking stall and began driving to the exit, which was great since I had no clue how to get out of the garage, or the base.

Biting my lip, I watched as we ascended levels and wasn't sure if a car that drove itself was as impressive as a phone I never had to charge again, or the fact someone who was pretty much an elf by human standards had all the knowledge to make such things happen.

### Chapter 10

Angel in Red

Once I had spent quite a few hours steeped in some good ol' shopping therapy I felt like my old self again. Glancing at the bags near my feat, I drank down some of my Orange Julius and felt satisfied by the haul I had made. The loot with me was only a portion of what I had purchased; the rest was in the car filling the trunk and the back seat.

As I had crammed the last load in, and was sure to leave enough room for one more round, I pondered the idea of asking Ces if she could mod the trunk so it had an endless supply of space. The idea seemed impossible, but you never know with the shit she had going on at SIA headquarters.

Sucking down the rest of my Julius, I glanced around me for a can and spotted a flash of red hair, which sent my pulse pounding. Reaching into my new purse, I scrambled for the wallet Ces had given me but it was too late.

"Pick up the cup, the trash is right over there."

The luscious voice sent a chill down my spine, but I obeyed. Not because I chose to, but because my body did so of its own volition. Once the cup was in the trash, I grabbed the two bags left sitting on the ground and looked up to see Angelic smiling at me, holding the rest.

"Shall we go?"

Swallowing, I nodded and began walking with her, though there was no controlling any of what I did ... except the tear that rolled down my cheek.

"Oh god, Annan there is no need to be so dramatic. I just want to find a nice place to sit so that we may discuss our mutual friend, and my former master, Antonio."

Even though my feet moved due to her mental control, and I feared what she may do to me, I still had my wits about me as I gazed up at her. "Sure, you two really seemed like good buds last I saw you."

Angelic let out a delicate laugh. "Well, I will admit I was upset with him that he had no trust in me but I don't hate him. Sometimes friends have differences they need to sort out."

"Oh, so destroying his entire household was how you sorted it out?" My fear was diminishing as it became obvious there was a distinct difference from how she was last time I had seen her.

"I didn't destroy it. I merely set it free. Sure, Darian and Violet were upset but even they are finding the advantages to their new master level status. Chloe has found advantages as well." Pointing to her head as she smiled to my shocked face she added. "I keep up on what's going on."

She opened the large, glass door and I walked out in front of her. We started crossing the parking lot to the Cheesecake Factory just ahead of us and even though I had just eaten a pretzel and a large Julius, I was still hungry so of course, my stomach grumbled at the sight of the restaurant's name.

It was hard to ignore my gut, but I did as I mulled over what she had just said. Chloe had gained quite a bit in only a few days, including a new level of control as well as her master status.

As Angelic took up stride next to me, she started talking again. "See, you understand completely."

"But, how can I know I can trust you? You won't even let me control my own movements," I said in a hushed voice as we entered the restaurant. My stomach made another noise as the smell inside hit me and I rolled my eyes at myself.

Angelic laughed. "At least I chose a suitable location. And, as for the other part; I do know you have a way to bring someone here before I can react so this is my insurance until I can trust _you_."

Pursing my lips, I followed Angelic who responded in a near inaudible whisper just before the hostess appeared and greeted her before taking us to a table.

After the hostess left, Angelic's silver gaze met mine. "Annan, I want you to think on this: when I left Antonio's did I harm either you or him? Also, have I shown any desire to harm you now?"

Thinking on what she said, I knew she was right. Even though she had pulled me from Antonio's house when she orchestrated a lie to make it so Antonio lost control over his vampire children, she had not harmed anyone.

Her full red lips were in a broad smile as I set my purse on the table, by her command of course. "Can I trust you?" she said.

My hands were back in my lap as I took a breath in, hoping I wasn't making a mistake. Before I could speak, her hold was broken and my eyes went wide.

"Thank you for giving me this chance. It's only been a few days, but I am already tired of running and from what I have read in the minds I have been tracking around Antonio, I can see you are the best choice for contacting."

"Why?" I had to ask before she said more; I mean what the hell made me so special?

Angelic laughed. "Annan, you are Cesair's adopted granddaughter and you have a bond with Antonio." My cheeks warmed over that and she smiled. "And, you know what it is like to have choice taken from you."

Nodding, I couldn't help but agree. My choice had been taken from me on many levels and I remembered the pure loathing Angelic wore when she was forced to return to the house by Antonio's command. Being forced to do something, even if the other person thinks it is what's best for you, is not fun.

"Good, now you fully understand."

Nodding again, I waited before I said anything since the server had arrived to our table, as if on cue. Watching Angelic order a glass of wine, I had to surmise she had kept the server away until just the right moment. She shot me a wink and I had my answer. Shaking my head, I knew this was going to be one strange conversation for sure.

~

Angel and I had switched plates and no one seemed to notice me finish off the food she hadn't touched, though I assumed she helped the humans in their obliviousness. In the near forty-five minutes we had been there, I had learned a lot beyond why she did what she had at the house to gain her freedom and master status she so desired.

One large change I was on board with, only because the woman sitting in front of me talking was so far removed from the one I knew in Antonio's home, was that she wanted people to call her Angel instead of Angelic. She had said her prostitute mother gave the name to her, and from the way her mother treated her she thought it was a joke ... as I said, I learned a lot. She told me Angel was an easy change and not so asinine.

Her explanation of wanting a name change, as well as a fresh start had me easing into a relaxed conversation of all the things she wanted to do now that she was a master vampire. As she spoke, all I could think on was what I was going to tell Antonio or Cesair—or whoever it was she wanted me to talk to—about our meeting. Though I learned a lot I had yet to learn what she wanted me to say and to whom.

It was true that she wasn't as frightening to be around, but I still didn't understand a lot about what I could say on trusting her since all she had done was tell me stories of her childhood and her future plans, and not much else.

Angel let out an abrupt laugh, which had me almost choking on my last sip of milkshake. "Annan, I would think it would be obvious why you and everyone else should trust me."

Taking a drink of water to clear out the thick sweetness coating my mouth, I wiped it and said, "I guess it doesn't seem to be that obvious. Antonio is hell bent on finding you. He will be a hard sell."

She let out a sigh, and sat back in the booth. "It's true, I had thought after a day or two it would be obvious, but now what I am reading in his mind is his determination increasing. He won't give up even though the evidence supports he should."

The server came around after Angel finished talking so I couldn't respond as the average human gathered our dirty dishes. "Is there anything else I might get you?"

Before I could say anything, Angel beat me to it. "I would love if I could get that S'mores cheese cake, but I want the whole thing to-go, and one slice for now. Then we'll have the bill with that. Thanks."

Her smile beamed as the girl thanked her and shuffled off, but my mouth watered. That was the cheesecake I was eye humping when we walked in.

"Of course, it's all for you, Annan. Think of it as my gift for your help, because I know you will."

"And how are you so sure?"

"What was the one thing Antonio was so sure I would do if I had my full freedom?"

Thinking on what she asked, I remembered the Ripper incident and how Antonio thought she was too bloodthirsty to trust on her own. There was also her attitude when I met her.

Angel let out a small laugh as the server set down my slice of cheesecake, as well as a bag holding a box I had assume was the rest of the delicious monster and a bill. Angel thanked her and handed her two hundred dollar bills, well over the cost of the meal, and told her to keep the change.

She pushed the plate to me and said, "Eat."

I didn't argue, but had to wonder what her source of income was.

She sat back and, from the way her body shifted, crossed her legs under the table. "That should be obvious too," she said in response to my thoughts as I bit into the best cheesecake ever. She continued to talk as I ate. "That money was acquired from a human, and I didn't even have to kill him. In fact, Antonio and everyone else have yet to notice that I have not killed a single human or Supe since I have been on my own _and_ I have had to eat to survive as well."

Swallowing my bite I also swallowed that bit of information down. She was right. There was no trail of death wherever she went and she ran off Antonio's property with nothing but the clothes on her back. As I took a drink of water to wash down the thick desert and my own realization, she laughed.

"It seems you understand. You know my story now, Annan. What I did to those women during the Ripper incident was part anger over Rostom leaving me for a whore coupled with what my mom had done to me as a child. I had to run from her when I was a teen and became bitter about life and people.

"Antonio was right, I was blood thirsty and I did have a lot of hate but I haven't killed in a very long time and he has forgotten that. When Sebastian came to the party and I saw his purpose in his mind, I also saw my opportunity. I had thought if Antonio could see what his children could be as masters, what I could be. He would finally understand."

"Did you really consider the others, or me, in your plan?"

Her gaze was thoughtful as I finished my cheesecake and waited for a reply. "Yes and no. I knew the twins would be fine; they should have been masters ages ago. I had thought Chloe might be close enough. As for you, I didn't know you well enough to care but figured you at least would be back with your family." She shrugged and seemed so very normal.

"I honestly only worried about Chloe, but she has turned out for the better like I had hoped. What I had thought on, well before you landed in our home and gave me a way out, was how other master vampires behaved, how their power and control increased. You don't become a master if you are a lunatic. I've seen some children die before reaching master level because they couldn't handle vampirism. We were not like that."

Her eyes became serious, so I waited before saying anything. "You had to have realized Antonio makes decisions based on emotions, right? Each of us he felt something for and based his choice for turning us on how well he felt we would turn out as a vampire. I think this is also why he never freed me; he was too emotional over the idea of what I would do and his failure in not stopping me the first time."

There was no arguing with her, from what I knew of the vampire, he was methodical and thought from the heart even if he didn't want admit it. "Why did you never deal with this while under his roof if you know him so well? Why do things like lie to Chloe?"

She shrugged. "Being there with him having full control, it was hard to see things in perspective. All I could see my own life, my freedom. It made me angry and bitter, and I did rash things. You have to remember, time is different for us. You are still young but in a hundred years, two hundred years, things either change or fester. I was not given the option of change.

"Now I've had a short time of change and I know what I want and I know Antonio is still stuck on what I was. He needs to not waste another day on this trivial search and know what I can be. He needs to see the change."

She was right, everything she said was right. As the server gathered my empty cheesecake plate and thanked us again, I knew I had to do something. All signs pointed to trusting her, and I hadn't been wrong in the past about who to trust. When I overlooked my gut instinct before it had gotten me kidnapped so I would hate to overlook it here and cause an issue that didn't need to exist.

She nodded. "See. I knew you were the right person to choose."

She was suddenly silent then her eyes became serious again. "Antonio knows I am here and that you are as well. He is less than an hour away so it seems it is time for me to go."

My eyes went round.

"Now you completely understand. No matter what he does, I will always be a step ahead. He is my maker and my power existed before I was turned so all wards are useless; there is nothing he can do. There is nothing stopping me from slaughtering people if I so wished. I could have done so with you, but that is not what I want. All I want is my own life, to make my own choices. To be the master he helped me become."

Nodding to her, since what she said was logical and I would talk with Antonio about it, we stood and she handed me all of my things, including the purse that held my card for getting Ces to me instantly, which had sat within arm's reach the entire time.

"About Cesair," she said as we began to walk to the exit. "Can you let Antonio know I am interested in meeting with her, or let her know directly? This organization of hers is very interesting. I think I might enjoy some of their operations."

My mouth fell open as we exited and she laughed.

"Don't be so surprised. I have been peeking in the agents' heads, and let me tell you, they have to deal with some horrid creatures out there. Some of which need due punishment. If I had known about the SIA before I would have asked on it."

She smiled and shrugged before turning to leave, but as she did, she said one last thing over her shoulder. "Oh, and don't disappoint me, Annan. Much like my maker, my emotions run deep. Tootles!"

She waved and sauntered off around the corner, her black leather pants snug and matching her high heels and unneeded jacket. She always looked like a Hollywood starlet but that did not hide the pure threat she was. It was obvious in her words before she left, but I didn't think much on it. She would always be a threat, but as she said, she could have killed me if she had wanted but she hadn't.

### Chapter 11

### It Seems There Have Been Changes

My head was reeling after my meeting with Angelic ... uh, I mean Angel, but I didn't think twice about shoving the cheesecake in the car with the rest of my bags before returning to the mall to find Antonio. She had said he would be there so there was no better time than the present to give him the news about his freed vampire child. Sure, I did tell myself I had to stay away from everyone who got my motor going but I had no choice but to break that private promise. I mean, Angel did make it obvious it was necessary do. So, the sooner the better right?

Okay, who am I kidding? Even if I didn't have to talk to him about Angel having turned a new leaf, if I knew he was going to be around I would still have lingered to see him. At least with Antonio I could be sure he wouldn't try to screw me in the mall.

Hmm, don't know if that is a good thing or not.

As my eyes scanned the passersby and I caught sight of him all I could think was, "it was a bad thing, a very, very bad thing." Just the sight of him in the standard SIA black suit and tie about made my heart jump out of my chest.

Of course, when he saw me he was all business as he took quick strides towards my location while flanked by Sebastian and another SIA black suit clad man I didn't know. Sebastian gave me a wink but all I had eyes for was Antonio. The basic suit only brought his features into stronger relief and I tried not to drool all over myself.

All I could do was hope I didn't look like a slack-jawed idiot as he put his hands on my shoulders before speaking. "Annan, are you safe? There was a report Angelic was seen around this mall."

"She's actually going by Angel now."

"Did she harm you?" His fingers gripped my shoulders to almost the point of pain but he let go when I glanced down at them.

Crossing my arms, I met his pale-green gaze once more. "No, I was surprised but she was cool. It was okay."

Antonio pulled out his cell as I was talking and punched one button. He turned his body to the side as though dismissing me and that hurt, like a lot. Biting my lip I tried not to pout, but it was a true test of my will not to look like a beaten dog.

"Don't know what's up his arse, you look fine to me. In fact you look fit as a butcher's dog."

Rolling my eyes, I ignored Sebastian's weird pickup line as the other guy gave him a nudge, which just made the vamp laugh.

Not bothering with any of us, Antonio started talking. "Yes, she is here. I think Angelic compelled her though. Yes. Well, she says she saw her and—"

My blood went from the heat of desiring him to pissed-off in a millisecond. Snatching the phone from him, I glared at the gorgeous vampire. "Jesus fucking Christ, Antonio. I am standing right here!" His mouth fell open as I placed the phone to my ear. "Whoever this is, I am fine, Angel is fine. If Antonio wasn't such a hot headed asshole he would know that too but he doesn't bother to ask any questions."

Over the sounds of Sebastian laughing, a bell like voice answered my assault. "I do assume he asked if you had seen Angel, as you are now calling her."

My gut sank; I had just bitched out Ces.

Her musical laughter answered my peep of an apology before she asked me to hand the phone back to Antonio. He eyed me with speculation while taking it.

"Well, that was a brilliant way of handling it, don't you think?"

"Fuck off Sebastian." All I wanted to do was listen to what Antonio was saying but it seemed to be only a bunch of yeses and okays, either way the London rock vamp needed to "piss-off."

"It's not just Angel who can read minds love, though I'm nowhere near as skilled as her." He let out a small laugh. "I guess I will be _pissing-off_ , then. I'll see you around, Annan," he said as Antonio dismissed him and the other person.

Rolling my eyes, I waited as Antonio gave Sebastian a speculative look before approaching me. "Well, Annan. It seems you have something to tell me."

Biting my lower lip, I glanced at the shoppers around us and said, "Um, do you think we should go somewhere private?"

He raised an eyebrow. "Why would you like privacy, Annan?"

The way he said my name brought on that lustful heat but the way he questioned me irritated the hell out of me, and _that_ took front seat. In some ways, he could be as exasperating as Sean.

Crossing my arms, I said, "I don't know what you are getting at but my concern was more for prying ears and eyes since we seem to have drawn some attention."

As if to make my point clear, some random dude in a striped polo shirt one size too small for his round gut glanced our way before I shot daggers at him with my eyes and he looked away.

"As long as you don't raise your voice no one will hear a thing." He stepped closer to me and I had to check my pulse. "Humans want to see something interesting. Two people talking is not interesting. Now, did Angelic contact you?"

Right to business, just like Antonio. Taking in a deep breath, I relaxed my stance. "Yes, I did see her, we spoke over lunch."

One eyebrow rose and I didn't know if it was because I was whispering or if it was because he wanted to comment, but just in case it was the later, I kept talking before he could say anything.

"Don't worry; all she did was talk to me. She didn't even take this away." Pulling out my wallet, I showed him the card Cesair had given me. "Ces gave this to me for safety and Angel knew what it was but let me keep it. I think as a show of goodwill."

Putting my wallet back in my purse, I drew in a breath for the next part. "I think she has changed, Antonio."

"Now I am sure she implanted a suggestion in your mind."

Grabbing his arm, I gave it a squeeze. "Antonio, you have to listen to me. The way she talked, what she wants out of life, she is a master vampire now. She is _your_ child grown, Antonio."

His eyes held me and I released my hold, but didn't look away. Something about the way he looked at me told me he was listening, but what he said was still a surprise.

His eyes softened as his hand found my cheek. "It seems she is not the only one who has grown. You have a way with words. It seems Angelic ..." he let out a small chuckle. "I mean Angel, was right in speaking with you first."

His skin warmed against me as his hand traveled to the back of my neck and as he touched me while we stood in the middle of a busy mall, I could care less if anyone was looking.

"You seem to have a good heart and a diplomatic ability. I think you would do good to stay with Cesair, here, and learn what you can at the SIA."

His mention of the SIA and Ces pulled me from my Antonio lust and I remembered why I was with Ces in the first place. Swallowing hard, I took a step back from him and felt more pained, yet prouder, than I ever have in my life.

"About Ces and the SIA."

Antonio's hand fell away but his lips pulled into a smile. "It seems the closer you are to your day of birth, the more control you have. You truly have grown, Bella Lupa, and in such a short time."

Nodding once, I ignored the hammering in my chest and continued with what I was going to say. "Angel would like to meet with you and Ces to sort out some things. She made it sound as if she wanted to work with Ces at the SIA."

Antonio's smile pulled at the side of his full lips and something about him seemed to change. It was hard to tell, but he seemed more relaxed.

"This is good news. I am hopeful this is not an implant on Angel's part, and I am willing to trust in what you are saying. I am sure Angel will know how to contact either her or me for this meeting."

Nodding again, I stayed still as he stepped toward me once more. He brought me to him and embraced me. It was impossible, with yet another subtle advance from him, to not melt in his arms, even though I told myself to keep my distance from anyone who turned me on. As he held me, I held tight on my own need and tried to keep it at bay.

"I was serious when I suggested you stay here in Virginia."

His words were simple but seemed to hold so much more as he spoke them in his silken tone against my ear. He set a small kiss on my cheek before stepping away and I'm sure I would have stood there drooling like a moron if an all too recognizable voice hadn't pulled me from my stupor.

"Annan, is that you?" Ash was like family so I would recognize his call through a crowd any day of the week.

"It seems it is time for us to part. Adio, Annan."

Antonio walked away and into the crowd of mall goers before Ash called to me a second time and by then I had realized what that meant.

"Oh, shit."

~

"I can't believe you are in Virginia." Ash gave my arm a playful slap and laughed, but I didn't even notice it. Big tough Marine and all still couldn't out match the were-vamp-fairy thing I was.

"Yeah, well. It was a little unexpected, besides I didn't even know you were here." It was hard to say more. Trust me, I wanted to but he wasn't by himself and his friends didn't need all the details. "I didn't even call your pops ... but I think he might be on vacation now anyways." That last part I added because I wasn't sure if George was off at the new property or not. Thinking on him reminded me that I should really give him a call.

"Vacation or not, dad would want to know where you are."

Him and everyone else, I thought as he set soft eyes on me.

"Damn, Harris. I have to say it again: You have to be the unluckiest guy in the world to be on friendship duty with her."

That was about the fourth time someone made a comment regarding the fact I was attractive, in Ash's life, and he was permanently parked in friend zone. This time as the three guys with him laughed, I didn't even feign a smile. It was getting old.

Ash's eyes darted to me as he finished laughing with his buddies but I couldn't read anything in his sideways glance. His friends had shown up only a second after Ash saw me and as soon as they did one of them had to make a comment about them not believing in his stories and pictures but now they felt even worse knowing they were true.

At first, the distraction was great; I was so worried Ash had seen Antonio and would ask a bunch of questions, but the broness got annoying fast and I couldn't tell in Ash's glance if he was worried about my irritation or if it was something else. All I could do was hope his concern was normal Ash crap and not related to Antonio in any way.

As he told his friends he had enough woe-is-Harris jokes my hope he didn't notice Antonio became an all out internal prayer because it seemed he was saying goodbye to them in some dismissive way.

God, why couldn't Ash have stayed on base and not wandered to the mall with his gawking friends?

Yes, I did notice how the short rat faced one had to give another eye wiggle before turning and leaving.

"Heh, sorry about that," Ash said after he was done saying his goodbyes to the boys' club. "I promised them I could find my way back to my apartment on my own; they were showing me the mall now that I got settled in."

Nodding I took up stride with Ash as we began walking through the small crowd. "So, your typical crew huh?"

He laughed. "Well, as typical as it gets around here. Just a bunch of guys."

He was quiet a moment and somehow I knew it was coming.

"So ... speaking of guys."

My groan was audible.

"Come on, Annan. You show up out of nowhere and I see some dude I've never seen before practically humping you in the mall."

There was no way to hold in the laugh that came out. "Antonio would never hump me in the mall!" I choked on the laugh that belted out of me. It wasn't even sexy thinking of screwing Antonio in a public environment from the way Ash had described it. It was just too damn funny.

"His name's Antonio? Sounds exotic the way you say it."

Wow, there was no hiding the jealousy in his voice.

Straightening up, I said, "You sound as bad as Sean," before I remembered he didn't even know who Sean was. Oops.

"Who the hell is Sean?"

Groaning again, I started walking and he kept right up with me.

"Ash, there is a lot I need to tell you."

"It sounds like it. Last time I heard, you kicked some guy's ass while you were camping. I'm not sure why, but you did. Now you're making out with a guy named Antonio and comparing me to another named Sean. It seems like the days of you beating men's asses are over for you."

He sounded almost sad and it dawned on me how fucked up of a friend I was and how stressed out Ash must have been over my antics. Putting my hand on his shoulder, I stopped walking. His dark blond brows pursed in question before I pulled him in for a hug.

"I'm so sorry for all the crap I have put you through."

He let out a small laugh. "I guess a lot has happened in the almost month since we last talked."

We broke from our hug as I nodded.

"When was the last time you talked to dad? I called him a few days ago and he didn't say anything about you."

"It was..." Thinking on how long ago it had been from when George passed me off to Korbin and Sean, I recounted the days in my mind. From being at my family's home, to Antonio's, and the days when he was trying to turn me, to being at Randall's...

There was a tearing at my chest as my heart sank. How could I forget about Randall?

My eyes stung as I looked up at Ashley. He was one person who I would have wanted there to confide in but everything was so crazy, and he had not been there. He couldn't have been there. But, Ash _was_ there and it was as if all that emotion that had bottled up over the ordeal sprang forth with those comforting arms in front of me. He was one of only two people who truly felt like family and safety to me.

"Oh my god, Annie what's the matter? What happened?" He pulled me to him, not questioning more. He knew. He just knew something awful had happened. As I bawled, he shushed me in a soothing way and guided me through the mall and out a door, into the cool winter air.

### Chapter 12

### Holy Shit

Ash had gotten me to calm down but I still hadn't told him anything. Instead, I called Cesair and asked if Ashley's place was secure enough for me to be at—apparently, his rank allowed him to have an apartment off base. She assured me it would be. An average human apartment complex was too publicly visible for Supes to do anything at, but due to Ash's connection to me, she understood the concern and said wards would soon be set in place. In the meantime, my own protection and "get out of jail free" card, as I liked to think of it, should be enough. After talking to her, I decided to follow him to his place before explaining why I broke down.

"This isn't making much sense. Why did you need to get permission to go to my place from someone named Kess Air."

"Cesair, it's not two words."

He closed his eyes a moment looking even more like his dad. "Annan, you melt down in my arms almost as bad as you had when you lost your folks then call some mysterious person asking about security. Excuse me, but my years of training are telling me something is going on and I need info a-sap."

"Ash, let's just get out of the cold and I'll explain everything." Sure, I didn't have to get out of the cold like I suggested to him, but he didn't know that ... _yet_.

He pursed his lips before he said, "Just the way you are talking sounds suspicious."

Figuring the best I could do was give him a blank stare; I didn't say a word and waited.

"Whatever! Just get in and tell me where your rental is."

There didn't seem to be a need to explain the car wasn't rented—he would learn about that like everything else—so I just hopped into his small truck and buckled up.

It was a short drive to my car and my usual chipper friend seemed moody. Guess I had that effect on people as of late. Letting out a huff of air, I nodded as he told me to stay close while I followed so I wouldn't get lost. Getting in my car, I kept quiet and didn't bother to comment on the fact the car wouldn't lose him.

Once I instructed the car to follow Ash, I sat back and pretended to drive from the mall to his apartment. The trip took almost twenty minutes but by looking at the map on the GPS screen—which I didn't understand the need for—I saw his place was on the other side of the base where the SIA was located. There also appeared to be a back gate I could access when I needed to get the car to where it had to be. Well, wasn't that super convenient?

Other than looking at the interesting information on the GPS, I spent the time thinking of how I would tell Ash about me and everything else. By the time we reached his place I figured the only way I could tell him was the only way I knew how to do things. Quick and to the point.

Taking a deep breath, I got out of the car and grabbed my purse as Ash walked over to me. He had parked his car in his marked space and looked around as he pocketed his keys.

"There is some parking for guests around the other side, but you might want to take all that in," he said, looking at the junk crammed in the SIA car. "It might not be safe to leave that many bags in it overnight."

"It's alright." Now that I had decided to be upfront and not worry about Ash and his sensibilities, I figured using the car the way it should was a good start. Ducking my head back in, I said, "Car, are you able to safely take these things back to the SIA?"

"Yes, I am equipped with a spell to make it appear someone is driving when the vehicle is unmanned."

"Good. Please bring this stuff back for me. I will call Ces and tell her."

"There will be no need, Annan. I can contact the Director in route. She can send this, or another vehicle, to retrieve you if you need. Have a good day."

Shutting the door, I didn't get a chance to see the look on Ash's face before I remembered my cheesecake. Grabbing the handle, I pulled the door open. "Wait, I need something first."

"Waiting," the car said as I reached in the back.

"Okay, I got it. You may go now." Pulling out the bag, I shut the door once more and stepped back with Ash.

An image of someone appeared in the driver's seat right before the car drove off. Ash had his jaw on the ground and I couldn't blame him. Hadn't I been amazed only hours before?

"What the fuck, Annie! What was that, and what the hell is the SIA?"

"I can tell you when we are in your place."

He gave me a hard look but I didn't say more. Making a low noise in his throat I knew was his grunt of displeasure, he motioned me to follow him. It was fun to tease Ash again and though I knew some of what I had to share would not be so fun to tell, it would still be nice to let it all out to my dearest and closest friend.

There was a small smile on my lips as we entered his home and he closed the door behind me. As he locked it, I took off my boots and put them in the obvious place. There were two pairs of military boots and some running shoes by the door so I figured he must remove shoes before going on the tan carpet. His place was different shades of bland and kind of reminded me of how I remodeled my home after my parents' deaths.

"Looks like you are taking decorating tips from me."

He shrugged as he tossed his keys in a green bowl on the low coffee table. "It's all rental junk I was able to get in a rush."

He took the cheesecake from me and put it in his fridge, which I noticed held plenty of food, even some kind of leftovers in a plastic container.

"Got some girl cooking for you?" Hopping up on one of the seats at the counter separating his kitchen from his living room, I let out a small laugh.

He laughed himself. " _Right_ , you know who did most of the cooking in my house when I was growing up."

Nodding, I smiled. He was always a pretty good cook. When we were kids there had been many times I made fun of him because I wanted to catch frogs in Clark's Creek but he was busy baking cookies with my mom.

"Would you be jealous if there was some girl cooking for me?" He wiggled his eyebrows at me as he leaned across the counter.

"Kind of like how you were jealous of Antonio?" I teased some more and his eyes became serious.

"Is he why you broke down?"

Dropping my gaze, I shook my head and let out a huff. "No, thanks to him I was able to kill the person who caused those tears."

Looking back at Ash, his face was unreadable. "I'm not sure if you are serious about that or not."

My brows drew together as I tracked him while he took a seat next to me. "I told you there was a lot that had happened."

"Murder is not what I thought you meant. Does my dad know? How are you not in jail? You can't be serious."

His logical human brain was trying to make sense of the unthinkable. My hands found his and I gave him a weak smile.

"Let's go sit in your living room; this is not an easy talk."

As we got up, he said, "So you start with nonchalantly telling me some guy I saw you with at the mall helped you kill a man. I mean, if he did something bad enough to make you cry like that, I imagine he deserved it—"

"He raped me." It came out matter-of-factly as we sat down.

Ash was silent a moment, staring off into space. He blinked a couple of times before looking at me. "That was harder to hear than hearing you say you killed a man."

"It would have been harder to take if he hadn't beat me unconscious before doing it."

Ash looked at the floor a long time. He didn't' say a thing, and after almost a full minute passed I couldn't take the silence any longer.

"Ashley, you need to say something."

He pulled me to him in an unexpected way. His body started to shake and I realized he was crying. Tears pulled at my eyes and I cried with him.

"I never knew what to say when you would tell me of the fights, or the trouble dad helped you get out of, but you were fine; you could handle yourself. This, though ... I should have been there to protect you."

An abrupt laugh left me and he pulled us apart and looked at me.

"Ash, there isn't a thing more you could have done." Looking down I added, "He would have killed you. In reality, you are safer here away from me."

He dropped his hands and wiped away the last of his tears. "What do you mean?"

Folding my hands in my lap, I brought my eyes to his. "Ash, you know how your dad has been watching my ass as I wreak havoc all over Puyallup and beyond?"

His gaze was puzzled but he nodded.

"Well, before some crazy guy did all that stuff to me your dad clued me in on why he's been so lenient and forgiving." Swallowing, I reached for his hands. He grabbed them and held on. "Your dad gave me back to my birth family."

The pure shock on Ashley's face was unreal. "My dad ... he ..."

Nodding, I said, "It turns out my folks and yours knew of my family, but there was a situation which made it so I was unsafe on Pack Lands."

The name of my family's home was so familiar to me already I said it without thinking.

"Pack lands?"

Pulling my hands from his, I rubbed my forehead and stood before pacing the room. "I don't know how to tell you this. Your dad knew, so when I talked with him he was more confirming the information, not learning about it." Stopping I looked at him square in the eye. "But, don't you be mad at him for having known this without telling you. He had a spell on him which made it so he couldn't talk about any of it."

As Ashley started to question my sanity, I ignored him and slapped my hands together. "That's it! If you don't believe me when I am done you call your pops and he will be able to collaborate what I say because the spell will be broken."

Ash stood up and grasped my shoulders. "Okay, before you go into total Annie freak out. Sit and calm down. You sound like you are starting to explain the next plot to some fantasy show and not talking about my sensible policeman father."

Taking a deep breath—Ash was always good at talking me down when I was in my manic moments—I tried to start again. "There is something about me that will sound very much like a fairy tale." I let out a small laugh at his questioning stare as we took a seat once more.

Breathing deep again, I started telling him the story. "So, I get busted as usual. Your dad hands me off to what he says is FBI, or whatever, but it ends up being my cousin and ... uh, Sean."

Ash sat up straighter, "Who is, 'uh, Sean?'"

"He's just Sean, whatever, it doesn't matter, he's a dick. Moving on."

"You had sex with him!"

My mouth fell open. Sometimes I forgot how well Ash knew me just for the fact we grew up together. Pulling myself together, I ignored his heated visage and continued.

"Whatever did, or did not, happen with Sean we are moving on in the story."

Ash made his grunting noise again and sat back.

"So, Korbin and Sean get me and take me to Korbin's parent's house, which is what I called Pack Lands, well, because that is what it is called."

"Did they name it Pack Lands?" He didn't sound amused.

"I would have to think it is just the name the werewolves give their settled land. I don't know though, I could ask Will."

"Back up, did you say werewolves?" He sat forward. "Spells, werewolves, some guy you _actually_ had sex with? Now I _know_ this is a fairy tale."

"I never confirmed or denied the sex." Though there was a lot ... like a _lot_.

"Why is your face turning so red?"

"Oh my god, Ash. Jesus Christ. Why did I think this would be easy?"

"Was Sean easy? You couldn't have known him that long."

My jaw set. "I don't even want to hear about it. If it was up to that goddamn empathic Lycoan I would be mate bonded to him and pregnant by now."

Ashley's brow furrowed. "I didn't understand half of what you said, but I am all for thinking this Sean guy is a dick over the part I did understand."

Nodding, I said, "Good, now you know why we can move on from the Sean subject. Though our story was fast and short lived, it's now history."

"Where does that Antonio guy come in?"

"After a crazy werewolf, who was also pretty much responsible for my parents' deaths, kidnapped me and caged me up. See Antonio had to get his vampire child who—"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa now there is a vampire?"

"Antonio is a vampire too."

Ashley started laughing. "You have to write this down, this is too good." He laughed some more.

Pursing my lips, I looked around the room and decided the table on the small balcony was the only thing substantial enough in his home to prove my point. He stopped laughing and asked what I was doing as I opened the slider and grabbed the small cast iron table.

Shutting the door, I held the thing one handed and asked, "Is this an antique?"

"I don't know. The guys needed a table and the plastic ones break so I got that at a thrift store yesterday. Why?"

"Well, I'll buy you a new one. You see, I know it sounds crazy, killing a guy who raped me, who was also a werewolf, then being saved by a vampire? Yeah, that all sounds nuts. However, you see, all those times I was getting into trouble there was something going on I had no clue about. Now, thanks to all the crap that has happened since going back to my birth family, I am even more unsure. There is one thing I do know."

Holding up his solid iron table, I ripped in half as if I was tearing a piece of paper. "Huh, I didn't realize it would be that easy."

Ash stood up slowly. "What is going on, Annan?"

Setting down the mangled table, I said, "Vampires and werewolves might sound crazy, but I'm supposed to be even more messed up than all that. Now, I am stronger than anyone thought I would be."

Ash looked down at the table, then to me and smiled. "Oh, man that is so cool!"

He ran to his closet and came out holding a metal bat. Without saying a word, he tossed the bat to me. Smiling, I knew why he had given it to me. Taking it in my hands, I did a silent prayer my showing off wasn't going to break my leg and brought it down with all my speed across my thigh. There was a high cracking sound and a ringing followed by Ash screaming, "Holy shit," over and again.

In my hands, I held two pieces of the metal bat and as for my leg ... I didn't feel a thing.

### Chapter 13

### This isn't Even Real

"So, the rape thing. You sure it wasn't that bad?" Ash bit into his slice of pizza and I was so glad I could order as much as I wanted. We had enough to feed five people.

"I think, since he beat the shit out of me first, it wasn't so bad. I mean, yeah it really sucked having that disgusting guy do that to me, but I don't remember it. I didn't feel anything other than being kicked unconscious." Taking another bite myself, I shrugged. "I guess getting in all those fights with guys just kind of made me numb to it, so the beating was bad, but whatever. It thankfully covered what would have been worse to remember."

"That's good I guess, better than the alternative." It was nice to have him agree, even though I know it hurt him to know someone did that to me. Dead or not.

After Ash finished being all bro like over my super strength, I told him the rest of the story ... uh, minus the sex details. Especially the ones about Chloe. Last thing I needed was him prying me over getting frisky with a girl. There were pics on my phone from the party of everyone so he had seen what Chloe looked like, there would be no imagining involved. He also did a good job of not saying anything when I skipped quickly by Sean's pictures, only giving him a quick mumble.

Being with Ash like old times, hanging out, eating pizza, drinking too much soda, and watching bad movies, was great. All of the problems I'd been having melted away, and though my birthday was only a few days off, at that moment everything made me feel the world was right again. Ash even asked about attending my party now that he knew of portals. He pretty much knew everything about my new world. The only thing I hadn't fully shared with him was the property that his father earned as a gift for putting up with me over the years and the house being built on it for him and his dad; I knew George would love to save that for Christmas.

"So, now that we have gotten over the outrageous news that the supernatural world is real and I am a part of it let's get down to some real world stuff. Why are you stationed in Quantico? What was the super secret stuff that brought you here?"

Ash let out a laugh. "It would seem like a real dick move to tell you it's too top secret wouldn't it?"

All I could do was give him my best, "You have to be kidding me," face.

He started laughing again and sat up. Both of us were sprawled on his living room floor as we stuffed face in front of the TV.

"I wish I could tell you but I honestly don't know. I haven't been here long and my C.O. has yet to tell me why I'm stationed here. When I was at Bangor, some higher-ups just came and asked if I wanted to take the assignment. It was unorthodox, but there was a benefit I couldn't pass up."

"What was that?"

"Getting a retirement severance after the end of this term."

He looked so happy, and I couldn't believe they offered an early retirement when the military usually wanted to keep their best and brightest as long as possible.

"That's weird. Why would they offer that?"

He shrugged and sat back. "Not sure, they still haven't told me anything about that either. All they've said is that someone associated with the FBI academy is interested in me so I needed to be stationed here"

He started laughing and saying how he wasn't sure how the FBI knew of his accomplishments but my mind was on another fact. The SIA headquarters were secretly stashed below the academy. That was something I learned as I had left the base that morning.

"I need to call someone."

Ash looked speculative but just said, "Okay."

Cesair picked up on the second ring. "Is everything alright, Annan?"

"Are you the, 'Someone associated with the FBI academy,' that is interested in Ashley?"

She was silent for two seconds too long and I had my answer before she gave it. "It was something I wanted to speak to you about when I talked with you on joining the SIA. We were interested in creating a human division for representing instances when humans know of Supes and are involved."

It was all I had in me not to be angry; I really didn't like her using Ash. "Why did you think Ash would be a good choice and why not tell me?"

"Well, granddaughter, with you just having learned about the world with which you belong and then what you had gone through, I thought I could postpone telling you. The reason I chose him is because of his excellence in his career as well as his ties to you. Though surprised by this call, I am happy you were able to deduce I was the one whom requested Staff Sergeant Harris in the first place. We will need to have that talk about you joining dear, your mother was an excellent agent and you would be one too."

Smiling, I didn't know why I ever worried when I thought Ces was involved. "Thanks, Cesair. Just promise me he won't get hurt."

"We will do our best but this is a trial run and he has been to war and back so he is able to handle stressful situations."

Agreeing with her, I said goodbye and turned back to an irritated looking Ash.

"Okay, what was that all about?"

~

After Ash and I had talked about the prospects of his future being a human liaison, we watched more movies and then I crashed on his couch. He offered me his bed, even joked about staying in it with me, but I passed on both accounts and said the couch would be fine. He gave me a pouty face but went to his room alone after giving me a pillow and an extra blanket he had. Whenever I was with Ash I felt so at home and comfortable, no matter where he lived, so it was no time at all before I was drifting off.

The sounds of surf and people laughing pulled me from my sleep and at first my heart was in my throat thinking I was having another round of my old fearful dream of my parents' death but as soon as I opened my eyes, I calmed because I was on the beach at Kaneohe. The nightmares could never have started on that beach, we didn't even know about it when we went to Hawaii but had later visited when Ash was stationed there.

Sitting up, I looked around and saw different Marines and their family and friends barbequing and having a good time in the setting sun. The surf was high and I could see a couple of guys out on boards taking on the last waves of the day. From what I remembered, they would be paddling in and ready to eat all the good food that had been cooking before the last rays sank below the Pacific.

"Being stationed in Hawaii was the best." Ash almost made me jump out of my skin as he sat next to me in the sand.

" _Was_ the best?" I said as I glanced at him, internally laughing over him startling me.

"I have a dream about this place at least once a week. So far it's been my favorite station."

"So this is a dream, huh?"

He shrugged. His skin was darker, like how I remembered it before being back in Washington. Six months in the cloudy Northwest will do that to a person and from what I had seen of Virginia, it wasn't much sunnier in the winter.

"I remember moving to Virginia so I would have to say this is a dream, plus you are here." He smiled at me.

"Ha, I visited plenty in Hawaii. In fact..." Reaching into the beach bag I knew was mine, I found the keys to the house I always reserved when I visited him. "If this is a dream let's go do what we always did."

He smiled and we grabbed our stuff and headed to his jeep he owned while in Hawaii. In no time at all, we were at the house and soaking in the hot tub. He had a case of beer by him and though I did drink when I had visited him, it never did a damn thing for me.

"So," Ash said as he settled in on one of the benches. Dusk was fading in and the night was setting up to be a beautiful one. "Did this stuff ever do anything for you? I always wondered why you never got as smashed as me."

His smile was cute as he laughed and I remembered I had told him the truth about me. That fact had me wondering if this was his dream or really just mine. After all, would he remember that in a dream?

"What, because of being all wolfie and stuff?" I said to see if he looked at me like I was crazy or if dream Ash really did remember.

"Yeah, you know. Does booze and stuff have an effect?" He took a drink of his beer and when he smiled this time, I felt a low pull and became so distracted by it I almost forgot to answer. Why was I feeling any attraction to Ash? Even in a dream?

"Um, yeah ... I mean, no it never did anything. But, I did find this stuff called faerie wine that messed me up big time."

"Too bad I couldn't dream up some of that stuff. Maybe in real life you could get some?"

Dream me felt that low coil of lust for Ash and I scooted away a smidge. "Yeah, maybe. Though, I get all stupid on it so I'm not so sure."

Bringing my eyes to the bubbling water in front of me, I was glad that even in a dream I didn't have the crap. Sex was high on the list of events I craved both times I was on the stuff.

"Hey, what's up? You are acting weird, even for a dream version of you."

Bringing my eyes to his again, I ignored the pull at my chest and swallowed, glad he was a normal human and not something that could feel or sense what was going on in me in any way. "Are you so sure this is your dream and not mine?"

He saddled up to me. "What if it's both?"

Forgetting my strength, I shoved him away.

"Owe, fuck. It was just a joke. Since when can you not take a joke? Damn, that shouldn't hurt so much for a dream."

Forgetting my stupid lusty feelings, I went to him and saw a bruise begin to blossom on his side. "Oh my god, Ash. I hope this is just my dream. I am so sorry."

He laughed a moment as I put my arms around him and did all I could to ignore the feelings it brought on. Something I had never once felt for Ash.

"Annan, it's just a dream. My dream or your dream. That's all it is; this isn't even real."

Looking at him in the twilight of a Hawaiian evening, something came over me. He was right, it was just a dream and it was most likely just some stupid dream of mine combing my talk with Ash that day and all my messed sex feelings. Figuring this was the safest place to get rid of those kinds of unwanted emotions, because let me tell you, reality was not a place for them, I pressed my lips to his for the second time in our lives.

Thinking about the first time we kissed, so I could prove to him we shouldn't be together, it was nothing like that this time. Strange enough, the kiss was also nothing like Antonio's, which promised forever, or Sean's, which held possession, Ash was like home. Like your favorite meal, or blanket, or movie, or ... whatever. He was safety in a slight kiss.

This time he pushed me away, but with light hands that stayed on my arms. "Annie, what are you doing? This is not like you at all."

"I don't know, Ashley, I just..." I didn't know what to say.

"This _is_ a dream." He laughed and my cheeks warmed. "You want to know a secret?"

"What?" My heart was hammering and I didn't know what to do with these new feelings, even if they were in a dream, and I wondered if I should try to force myself awake. Though, I had never been able to do _that_ before.

"Well, I have told you in my dreams before but you never kissed me."

Clearing my thoughts, I watched as this time his cheeks reddened.

"I'm still a virgin."

Now _I_ was sure it was a dream. Ash couldn't have held onto his V card. A friend of his even told me about the time he lost it. "No, way. That can't be true."

"Like I said, I've told you in dreams before but you always poke fun at me. Believe it or not, but that's the truth."

Swallowing down my pulse, I didn't know what to say. After all, it was a dream. Nevertheless, it didn't matter what decision I would have made because a shrill noise cut the air and Ash laughed as he said, "O-four-hundred, time for work," and disappeared. There wasn't time for me to wonder on what had happened because in a few short seconds the rest of the dream faded into nothingness right along with Ash.

### Chapter 14

### Gee Thanks, Sean

A shuffling of movement woke me up, making me yawn and looked around the dim room, which reminded me I had stayed at Ash's apartment. Sitting up, I missed my own bed, or even Antonio's super plush bed. Pushing out my thoughts of the sexy vampire, I stretched and stood up.

"Damn, Annie. I would like to go to work without a boner, put something on."

Looking down I mumbled an, "Oops," and grabbed the blanket. There hadn't been anything for me to wear so I slept in one of Ash's tees and my undies, but considering we were almost the same height and I had boobs he didn't, his green under shirt was rather snug and riding up some, showing my pink panties.

He laughed and said something about, "Especially after last night," but before I could form a question about what he meant a cell phone rang.

As I fumbled around for mine, I realized it was Ash's and stopped looking. Gathering the blanket around me, I slumped into the couch.

"Hello? Yes, sir." He was silent a moment, then glanced at me with a smile. "Okay, sir. Thank you."

"What was that all about," I said.

"It seems today is the day I start working for that fairy grandmother of yours," he said and started rummaging through the fridge again. "Sorry, I woke you. I'm about to head out. You should get more sleep, it's kinda early."

Yawning, I laid back down and nodded, realizing how groggy I was. As Ash grabbed his keys and said a goodbye to me after planting a kiss on the top of my sleepy head, I drifted off and the last thing I heard was him locking the door.

The sound of my ringer pulled me from a dreamless sleep and I groped around in the dark living room for my cell. Ces's face was on the screen as I answered her call.

"Hello." My voice sounded as though I was still asleep.

"I had thought you might be awake with Staff Sergeant Harris having gotten here so early."

"Yeah, well I went back to sleep." Which, at that moment I realized was a bit out of sorts for me, after all I never needed much sleep in the past. Trying not to mull over my need for extra shuteye being a vampire thing or some other thing, I listened to Ces instead.

"Would you mind coming in? Elizabeta and Serenity have put together a new charm and we want to see if Sean-Paul can push through it or not."

Putting a hand to my head, I let out a sigh. Seeing Sean first thing in the morning was not high on my list of things I wanted to do. Instead of saying that, I said, "Fine, is someone coming to get me, or a car or whatever?"

"Yes, the vehicle you used yesterday is waiting for you. It will recognize your voice so you simply need to tell it to unlock when you approach it. The keys, if you feel you need them, are in the center console and there is a fresh set of clothing for you in the backseat as well. We will be waiting for you."

"Okay, see you in a bit," I said and she told me goodbye before hanging up.

Pulling on my pants from last night, I made sure Ash's door was unlocked and headed down the stairs to the parked SIA car. Luckily, whoever picked out my clothes did a smash-up job of doing so—it was a perfectly matched pair of jeans and teal sweater to go with the boots I already had. Unluckily, I figured it had to be Sean since it was stuff I already owned and not any of the new stuff I had purchased, which I probably should have kept. Pursing my brow, I tried not to be pissed he knew me so well—after all he had been there my whole life—and stomped my way up the steps knowing it was going to be a rough day.

~

Getting on the base and the academy property were no issue at all; my fake, magic ID worked like a charm but as the car descended the ramp, I still had to keep a lid on my nerves. While on the ride over, I had remembered the dream the night before and was worried Ash had shared in it. After all, he made that odd comment right before he left. It could have just been some other dream he had, though, I mean Ash said he was a virgin in my dream, which had to be a lie.

One of his buddies had shared a story when I visited him in Hawaii about Ash having "done the deed" to a paid lady of the night. He was rather proud even if Ashley had been blushing like crazy and telling him to shut up, so I knew he wasn't a virgin. Of course, some dream Ash was only half of my issue since I had to deal with an even bigger one in the form of a lycoan.

There was a pit of dread in my gut thinking about Sean as the car parked itself. Glancing at the door, some of the fear subsided when I saw Ces waiting for me. With her by my side, it wouldn't be so bad. As for all the Ash stuff, I could deal with that later.

"Good Morning. It's nice to see you up and alert, Annan."

Cesair was all smiles looking fresh and wonderful as always. Each time I saw her I had to wonder where her clothes came from, and this time was no different. My guess was she attained it all from Faerie by the unearthly way the floor length dress seemed to shift in colors of pinks to maroons to oranges as she moved.

"Well, it's morning, how good it is, is yet to be determined," I said disregarding the interesting fabric.

She laughed. "Oh, the times when you sound like your mother warms my heart."

Her words warmed mine and I could only shake my head as I followed her out of the garage. We didn't walk down the hall too far before we entered a room I had never been in before. It looked like a white-walled racket ball court with a length of viewing windows high above near the ceiling.

"This is one of our multipurpose training arenas. This one has a system for dampening powers so we thought it the best place to try the new charm." Ces opened a panel on the back wall with the wave of a hand and pressed one of the buttons inside of it.

"Why can't you just use that for Sean all the time?"

Cesair let out a small chime of laughter. "Oh, Annan the system which supports functions such as these at the SIA are much too large for daily use."

Ask a stupid question, right? "Oh, so when are—" my question of when Sean and the rest would arrive was interrupted by the man himself entering the room.

Just as any other time, my heart clenched at the sight of him and I was pissed at myself for it. If I was in love with him—as my increasing pulse would have me believe—than why did idea of being tied to him so completely anger me? It made no sense. Breathing around the pain in my chest for forcing myself to not be near him, I looked away from him and the two mages.

Serenity was a mage turned vampire at the age of thirteen, and though she identified as a vampire she enjoyed using her magic in the lab and Elizabeta was longer lived than any other mage but still looked around my age. Sean was listening with intent as Elizabeta talked to him and Serenity jotted notes on a kind of notepad, which was electronic and looked a little like a white plastic clipboard. As his eyes caught mine, my breathing hitched and I took an unconscious step back even though he was still a few feet away.

"You appear distressed. I'm glad I activated the leach when I did, he is unable to feel you right now," Ces said in a whisper.

Mouthing a "thank you" at her, I breathed a little easier as they reached us.

"I knew those clothes would look good on you."

Ignoring the beating of my heart, and glad he was at least not acknowledging that much, I said, "Thanks."

"Okay, well before the tension gets any thicker in here let's give this baby a try." Elizabeta held up a charm much like the other one Sean had, only this one was in the shape of a half broken heart.

"Nice choice in shape." My tone was almost as bland as Serenity's whenever she spoke.

Elizabeta smiled, and it reminded me of Korbin's mischievous grin. "Oh come on, I had to make a counter one for you. That way you _specifically_ would not be influenced or felt by Sean so..."

She held up the other half of the heart. Together they looked like high school friendship necklaces.

"You've got to be kidding me."

"I told you she wouldn't like it." Sean sounded just as irritated as I was.

"I could have made them matching rings but—"

"Give me the damn necklace," I said taking the less offensive option. Matching rings? Yeah right, I bet he would have loved that.

By the look on his face as he put his necklace on and under his shirt, he liked this option less, which made me like it a little more. Putting mine on, I placed it under my sweater too and didn't feel anything special from it, but Ces had put that power leach thing on so that was probably why.

"Okay, Sean-Paul. Can you feel anything from Annan?"

Oh, I guess Ces _had_ turned it off.

Sean looked at me, my heart did its normal pitter-pat under his dual gaze, and I could feel the desire in me begin to build so I stood still, unsure of what to do.

His blue and gold eyes looked confused as he took me in, then he glanced to Ces. "I don't feel a thing."

Elizabeta started hooting and trying to high-five Serenity who just stood looking at her with her usual blank stare while she held the electric notepad thing, ready to take notes. Just as she was grabbing the small mage/vampire's hand holding the stylus like pen and placing it up for an awkward high five, a different door opened and all of us stopped and stared at the new visitor.

"And, this is another arena where we train but I don't think... Oh, Director. I am so sorry." An average looking girl with short brown hair and matching brown eyes, even her skin was a light version of the same brown, started flipping through papers. "There wasn't anyone scheduled in this arena this morning so I thought—"

"It's fine Sisyrin; this was a bit impromptu so we were not on the schedule. Worry not, though, our newest agent knows Annan."

That brought my attention to who it was she was showing around as she let him in, realizing it was fine. Through the door stepped Ash in a fresh agent suit. Without warning my heart clenched in response to seeing him all suited up, he was almost as hot as Antonio.

"Okay, I felt that and I don't understand _it_ one bit." Sean's voice nearly had me tripping as I was going to greet Ash to congratulate him.

My heart started pounding as Ash greeted me with arms wide and Sean began talking with Elizabeta and Ces about what he was feeling—thank god, too low for Ash to hear. Too bad my pulse sped up in response, because it only seemed to aggravate Sean more.

"Looks good, huh? Better than those camos," Ash said, referring to his usual camouflage uniform he had to wear.

"Yeah," I said, sounding a bit too nervous, though he did look _way_ better.

"I didn't expect to see you here." Ash said while eyeballing Sean. He glanced back down to Sisyrin. "It's okay if I meet Annie's friends, right?"

There was a hint of pink to her light brown cheeks. "Of course, she is the Director's granddaughter."

Great, I was a celeb here too.

Trying hard to ignore Sean's woes, considering he silenced them as we approached, Ces turned on the power leach once more. All I could do was hope and pray Sean would be nice as I introduced Ash to everyone ... even though most of them knew who he was.

Beginning with the people who didn't know him first felt like a good start. "So Ash, these are the heads to the mage department, Serenity and Elizabeta."

"She named me first; does that mean I have seniority?"

With her bland tone I couldn't tell if Serenity was making a joke or not, but Elizabeta thought it was funny as she snorted out a laugh.

"Ha, you wish, little girl."

"I'm older than you by at least a millennia."

Elizabeta rolled her eyes and put out her hand to Ash. "Nice to meet'cha."

"This is Cesair."

"You're the fairy grandmother?"

Cesair laughed at Ash's comment. "I guess, in a way, yes I am. It is nice to meet you Staff Sergeant Harris, or should I say, Agent Harris."

As Ces shook his hand, Ash said, "I like the sound of that."

"And this is Sean," I said and Ash raised an eyebrow.

"Like, _the_ Sean?" That ass, he knew exactly which Sean he was since he saw his picture.

_The_ Sean raised an eyebrow.

"Yes, _the_ Sean. Sean, you know Ashley."

"I do, what I don't know is why you got all—"

"Pst, ah, no, no, no!" With lightning fast reflexes, I covered Sean's mouth. "You don't need to know nothing of nothing that is _nothing_! Got it?"

Everyone was looking at me as if I was insane but I swear if Sean said what I thought he was going to say, I didn't know what I would do to him.

As I removed my hands, his eyes narrowed at me. "It sure seems like something."

"Yeah, well it's not." There was more I wanted to say, but I knew provoking him was not a good idea.

"Well, as entertaining as this is we need to fix that charm." It sounded as though Elizabeta was trying to make her escape.

"Yeah, because even though I can't feel what she feels for me I can certainly feel what she feels for others."

Gee thanks, Sean.

"What does he mean by _feel_?" Ash said as I handed Serenity the necklace. It was time for him to leave as well.

As Sean, Serenity and Elizabeta were heading for the exit they had come through, I began walking Ash out the other one he had entered. "It's nothing."

"You like saying that a lot, huh?" Ash let out a laugh as Sisyrin followed us. "So, that's the Sean you had sex with? I didn't notice his eyes in the photo you swiped by. They're ... interesting."

Groaning, I ignored the blush to the small woman's face near us. "You are real subtle, you know that, Ash?"

He laughed but from the other side of the room we heard. "With how she gets worked up when you're around I'm surprised you haven't had sex with her too."

Ash's eyes went round and I nearly fell over. There was a clear tremor to my hands as I walked even faster to the exit over the sounds of Elizabeta informing Sean what he said wasn't cool. Before I could get more pissed, I left with Ashley and Sisyrin.

The door closed behind us and with Sean and his rage inducing voice no longer around, I stood against the wall a moment trying to calm my anger.

"Um, agent Harris. I'm to continue showing you the facility." Poor girl, she just got herself in the middle of some crap no one would want to see.

"Yeah, okay Sisy, just a sec. Hey, Annie?" My eyes left my shoes and the floor to find his concerned ones. "Are you going to be okay?"

"Yeah, he just knows how to push my buttons is all." Giving Ash a weak smile, he showed me one of his own.

"Okay, well I'm going to finish with what I need to do today. I'll see you back at my place later, right?"

Nodding to him, I said, "Yeah," and gave him a hug before he left.

He walked down the hall as Sisyrin started explaining the next location and then entered a room. She said something about it being the Were department, but before I could try to snatch a peek the door next me opened and I braced for a fight.

Thank goodness it was only Ces.

"I apologize, I had not thought his jealousy ran so deep. It was rather alarming to see Sean-Paul so worked up."

Letting out a small laugh, I said, "That's normal old Sean for me now it seems."

"Well, I think that is enough testing for today. I had thought to hold off our conversation about his true nature, but after seeing this, I'm not going to wait. You should go back to Agent Harris's home and rest. I will talk with Sean-Paul while Serenity and Elizabeta work on his charm. I would like this sorted out before your birthday."

Nodding to her, I said, "You know, Ces. You can call Ash by his first name."

She let out a small laugh. "Alright then, rest easy at Ashley's home and we will take care of things here. You still have that card, correct?"

Showing her the card inside the wallet, I said, "Yeah."

"Good."

She gave me a hug and walked me to the garage. Once there, I got in the auto driving car and was glad I didn't have to do anything but zone out. My burst of anger was shoved down—holy cow on self-control—but left me worn out. All I wanted to do was go crash on his couch but I knew there was few things I needed to take care of first.

### Chapter 15

### Just a Dream

After the debacle at the SIA, I went to the mall again and got some more stuff I hadn't thought of or kept the previous day, like pajamas, clothes, and a bag to put it all in. There would not be a second time for Sean to pick out something he knew looked good on me. After getting what I needed, I grabbed some lunch, made a stop at the drugstore for toiletries, and then hit a drive-thru before heading back to Ash's place. Once there, I finished my food, showered, and got into my pajamas to doze on the couch while watching horrible reality TV.

It wasn't until Ash got home that I even realized I had fallen asleep. The same station was on, but a show I didn't recognize was playing.

"Hey, sleepy head. Did you nap the whole time?"

Ash came into the living room and tossed his keys into the bowl before setting down bags full of delicious smelling food. My stomach growled and I had a notion that it seemed recently all I wanted to do was eat and sleep. Remembering that was normal behavior right before the first change, I tried not to think about the signs starting to hint at what I might become.

"I brought home some Chick-fil-A. It's pretty good," Ash said, helping me to ignore any worry over the inevitable.

Instead, I grabbed a bag and said, "I heard they were good from one of those food TV shows."

Ash just smiled as I bit down on the sandwich. It was like fried chicken heaven on a bun. "Oh my god."

"I know, right."

We ate our food as he found something to watch, some show about Bigfoot with idiots on it. It was hard for me not to choke on my food over all the ridiculous crap they tried in order to find Bigfoot, but it was entertaining.

"So, did Sean give you any more trouble after I went back to orientation?"

Shaking my head, I said. "No, I didn't see him at all."

"He was a pretty interesting guy."

"You said that already." Putting another waffle fry in my mouth, I began wishing he would drop the subject.

"No, I said he had interesting eyes. Is that what drew you to him?" Ash was wiggling his eyebrows at me when I looked at him.

Picking the pillow up near me, I hit him with it. "Shut up, you ass."

"Hey, don't hit too hard."

Thinking he was serious, I dropped the cushion and started looking him over. "Oh no, I'm so sorry. Did I hurt you?"

He started laughing and halted my mother like hands. His eyes in the flickering light of the TV combined with the feel of his hands on mine started to pull at things low in me but I ignored it, and was glad normal ol' human Ash would never know.

Letting go of me, he said, "It's cool, I was just giving you a hard time. Speaking of that..."

"If you're going to say anything about giving me something hard, I might have to reconsider hurting you."

Ash laughed. "No, I meant more of someone giving you a hard time. What was up with Sean and all that stuff about feeling what you feel?"

Groaning, I folded my arms over my chest and turned away from him. "Do we really have to get into this?"

"So ... he was right in accusing you of getting worked up around me?"

Giving him a sideways glare, I saw him give me the classic Ash eyebrow wiggle again. Looking back at him I said, "God, Ash can we just drop it okay. I'm trying real hard not to think about anyone or anything working me up."

"I don't hear a denial in that statement." His lips pulled into a wide smile.

Putting the pillow over my face, I screamed.

I could hear Ash laughing as he removed it. "Okay, okay. You know I had to say something, I mean come on. Ever since I professed my feelings to you it is the one thing I have been wanting."

My stare was enough and he started laughing again and pulled me in for a hug.

"Just knowing it might have happened, even once, is enough. You know how I feel and if you ever want to act on it, it's all on you. You know that." He pulled away from the hug and looked down at me. "I'll never force you to do anything and if I'm your brother and that's all I get, that's good enough too. You've always known that and him saying something won't change that fact."

This time I hugged him as tears pricked my eyes. "Ash, you are too awesome. If Sean had been half as cool as you about me trying to sort through my shit he might have had a chance."

He pulled out of the hug and wiped away my tears. "Well, I guess I'm glad he didn't know how to lay off, then. All he did was shoot himself in the foot and get out of the way."

Giving him a light slap in the arm I said, "That's not funny."

His shoulders lifted in a shrug and fell as he grabbed the remote. "It is to me."

Ash started flipping through movie choices, asking me what I wanted to watch, and I was glad he was letting me ignore the lustful feelings that were brewing as he scooted me under his arm so I could rest my head against his chest while we chose something. Ash was the best, I was lucky to have him in my life and the last thing I wanted to do was ruin an amazing friendship with something as complicated as sex. In my limited experience, I had found it did not make things better in any way.

Agreeing to a Will Farrell movie he seemed interested in, I snuggled down and tried my best to overlook the low burn building over the comfort in Ash's arms. There was no way I was going to fuck up what we had with fucking.

~

Stretching out, I yawned but when I didn't feel my blanket covering me I reached around to grab it and felt sand instead. Opening my eyes, I saw I was on a beach. It didn't appear to be like any in Hawaii, though it had a vague familiarity to it. Looking out over the water, I saw the jutting islands and knew where I was. Thailand. The name of the exact beach was lost to me, the guide had told me in Thai but I forgot as soon as I left the small strip of sand.

Standing up, I marveled at how well my dreaming mind constructed the beach in its perfect peaceful state. The guide was happy to show me a private beach for the price I paid and I had that chunk of paradise to myself for the whole day, resting off a bad choice in Muay Thai kickboxing. At the age of twenty, I was quick to discover trying to fight trained professionals was a bad idea. Every single kick I tried for I couldn't land. On the other hand, I was a pro at taking all the kicks swung my way and the next day I felt like shit because of them.

Bribing someone to fight me as a way to train wasn't hard—there was no way I was going to learn Muay Thai the traditional way—but it was not the same as paying a boxer I could get around and punch in the face. There were a few moves in the kickboxing I could see and recreate, but at that time I was only a little bit super-human so all I could do was see my opponent strike me with a kick but not be able to land the same one myself. Relaxing in paradise after my intensive lesson was good for the body.

Taking in a deep breath, I glanced around at the same paradise once more and was glad the dream didn't recreate the pain part of visiting the private locale. The slow waves lapping at my toes were wonderful, and no pain was even better, but my brow drew together in puzzlement over why I was there in the first place.

"Wow, I haven't ever been to a beach like this before." Just like in the other dream, Ash nearly scared me to death, but this time he was _very_ much unexpected.

"What the hell are you doing here?"

"Oh, ouch. It's like that, huh?" Ash feigned hurt feelings and I laughed.

"No, it's just... You didn't visit this place with me. I was alone." Thinking of how Sean and Korbin would have been nearby during the real event, I was quick to push the thought out of my head before I inadvertently pulled one of them into the dream.

"It's pretty nice. Where is it?" His eyes fell on mine after he glanced around him.

"Thailand, but the real question is: Where did _you_ come from?" Ash and I had shared dreams, and I still wondered about the one the previous night, so his surprise appearance had me wondering if it was the real him or a dream version of Ash. More than likely, the one standing in front of me in blue, floral board-shorts was a dream Ash since he was never in Thailand with me.

"Like as in where I was born or..." He laughed as I swatted his arm. "Okay, okay. Honestly, I have no idea. I was having a dream about hiking with my dad out to that lake we love, the one I joke about buying, but somehow I lost sight of him. It was only a few feet more and the forest changed to jungle so thick it was hard to navigate through.

"When a clear spot came into view I went straight for it and found you." Ash smiled and motioned as though to put his hand in a coat pocket. "Oh shit, my clothes are shorts now!" He looked down at his body with a laugh.

Giving him a speculative look, I decided he _had_ to be a dream Ash. For one thing, he wouldn't have known the jungle was so thick the guide had said the only easy way in was by boat. Also, Ash said he was dreaming about the property I was just thinking on the day before. Overall, I had to surmise the Ashley in front of me was not the real deal the way the Ash the night before had been. This Ash must have been there due to that dream and all the time we had been spending together. The biggest clue was the fact that whenever we did share a dream we were always in a place we both knew.

As dream Ash kept talking about how nice the beach was, saying almost the same thing I had thought when I first came to the place, I shrugged and decided all the BS I was dealing with in reality meant my mind had given me the perfect storm for relaxation. An amazing place, no pain, and my best pal.

A smile touched my lips as I wound my arm through his. "This place was nice, I never ventured into the jungle though, you'd need a machete."

"Tell me about it. Good thing I wasn't wearing this." He gestured to his shorts and we both let out a chuckle.

"True, but there is a cave down the beach that was cool and shorts, or a bikini as is my case, are fine for exploring it." We began heading to said cave as I leaned into Ash and continued talking. "It makes a nice natural shelter with how it juts out."

Pointing to where we were heading, I motioned to the top of the overhang as we approached. "See how the jungle is growing on the top but the land is curved under until it touches the sand far inside?"

"Yeah, I remember when you told me about the trip to this place. It's a pretty nice here." He let out another small laugh and hugged me to him a moment. "Man, you are so lucky to have vivid dreams like this. It's like vacationing all over again."

A short laugh of my own escaped me, only it didn't sound as nice. "You wouldn't think that if you had been there for some of my nightmares. It is not fun to have something like _that_ so realistic."

Ash nodded as he drug his toes through the sand while we walked. "I remember you telling me about those too. It was hard not worrying and sometimes I felt like I was abandoning you. It was easy to be lost in combat and forget about the problems at home. It kind of made me feel guilty."

Dream Ash was doing a smashup job of sounding like the real deal; it was easy to get caught up in talking to him. Wrapping an arm around him, I leaned against his side as he put his arm over my shoulder. "Don't feel guilty. I'm glad you were able to hold your head about you. I know both your dad and I worried each time you went to war. I was always _so_ happy when you came back."

"That's why you were there each and every time."

We both laughed. No matter what, I was there when he stepped off that plane and even a dream version of Ash would know that.

He pulled out of our walking hug and touched the rock just above his head as we entered the cave. "This place is pretty awesome. We should come here now that I will have more free time."

"With the portals we can go anywhere. I'm sure there is one somewhere in Thailand."

"Oh, yeah? Sisy showed me that room, they were awesome. It made me wonder if I could get a place back at home even though I'm working in Virginia but then I thought not having an address near base might be suspect."

"You could just keep your apartment and stay at your pops or..." I almost slipped on the house, even if it was dream Ash I didn't want to spoil his Christmas surprise. "Or, my house. There is a good chance I will be spending most of my time on Pack Lands now so my house might not get any use. I was even thinking it might be time to sell."

"Wow, really? I may have to buy it if that's the case."

Giving him a playful slap, I said, "You know I would just give you the house. Even in real life and not just a dream."

He reached out and tickled my sides. "Who's to say this isn't the real me sharing a dream like we did last night."

Letting out a peal of laughter over his assault to my midsection, I told him to stop, so he did. "Right, you just so happen to pop into my dream when I am in a place you have never been."

He shrugged and started leading the way further into the cave to where the beach curved under it. "Maybe it's a carryover since we were interrupted."

Knowing my dream Ash would know about that dream too, I said, "Oh, and what had been interrupted?"

He flashed a sideways smile at me. "You know, when you kissed me and I told you I was a virgin."

"Yeah, dream Ash alright. Real Ash ain't no virgin."

We stopped at the edge where the rock met the water and the sand. Ash nudged a shell with his foot, which we saw was broken as it freed from the sand with a lapping wave. "Let's head back that way," he said and put his arm around me again. "What if I was to say that when you found out about me becoming a man it was all just a lie?'

There was no way to stop the laugh that came out. "Right, like that buddy of yours would just make up a story like that."

He glanced at me. "Oh no, according to Gibbs he hooked me up with a prostitute who did the deed and took care of my horrid issue, which is the way he would describe it."

That had me snickering since it was exactly what the guy had said. Dream Ash would know that too.

"What if," Ash continued, "I told you I actually paid the prostitute to lie to Gibbs and the others? So, they would think we had really bad sex, even though we never did a thing."

We were back at my beach blanket and took a seat together on the warm cloth. "I would think that you had proved that you are not the real Ash. I mean, come on, why would you pay a hooker to tell people you had sex when you could just _have_ sex with her."

Ash let out a small laugh. "She kind of wondered the same thing. She couldn't figure it out but you should be able to guess why I couldn't do it." He picked at a loose strand as he spoke.

"Ash, you have to be kidding me. You better just be a dream version of you because if you really haven't ever had sex because of me, even when you had it right in front of you, I'll feel horrible."

His eyes met might and he lifted his shoulders in a slight shrug. "What can I say, I love you, Annie."

The dream version of Ash _had_ to be some ruse of my own making, setting me up to accept having sex with him, because let me tell you at that moment it was all I could think about. Even though he wasn't the real Ash, my heart broke for him. Which, helped me to play out all those hot and bothered feelings I had been having for the real him.

What better place than a dream to get that all out?

As Ash began asking me if I was feeling okay, since him saying he loved me never instilled contemplative silence before, I decided a dream was the only safe place to act on those feelings and it was possible once I did, they would go away.

Not giving it another thought, I pressed my lips to his halting his words. By the way he let out a small laugh and seemed reluctant to give into to the kiss I would say my actions surprised him. When he put his hands to my shoulders stopping me I was sure he was just a dream him, real Ash wouldn't think twice.

"I would never turn you down but, Annie..." There was an unspoken question in his eyes.

Bringing my hand to his rough cheek I said, "Ashley, whatever it is just ask me."

He laughed but downcast his eyes. "It's just ... dream or not, I need to know you want this. I have to be sure you are doing this because y _ou_ want it." When his eyes met mine again the browns shooting through the cerulean looked almost copper; his gaze was so serious. "I don't want you doing this just because you feel bad for me, is all I'm saying."

My lips pulled into a smile as I drew him to me. Sure, outside a dream I wouldn't want to mess up our perfect friendship with sex, but in a dream... There was nothing for me to mess up. It wasn't real so this was perfect. He was perfect. The entire situation was perfect, so of course I wanted it. Through soft kisses I told Ash I wanted him. Spoke words I never thought I would have said to him in the safety of my own mind.

Piece by piece our limited clothing was gone and I was more than surprised to see he could give any man a run for their money. It seemed my dreaming mind only knew one kind if cock, and though it was different in shape than the only one I had enjoyed it was ample just the same. Looking up I could see there was a blush to his cheeks and it almost seemed as though he wanted to cover himself so I grasped his full member in my hands and met his surprised stare.

He let out a short laugh. "I can't believe this is happening."

"Why would you hide this from women?" My hands explored his length and I thought he might cum just from my touch.

"Wha..."he said but it was clear the question was not finished.

Bringing my mouth to his again, I slipped my tongue between our lips as I stroked him with a light touch. Pulling back, I said, "Why would you not share this with women?" To emphasize my question I gave him a squeeze.

He laughed. "I take it you like its size," he said and let out a moan as I gave another slight squeeze showing him how much I liked it. "Part of why I didn't have sex to just get it over with is because I thought I was _too_ big." His words wavered as my hands continued to move.

"That's silly," I said and brought my mouth to what he thought was too large just to show Ash how silly I thought he was.

There was a width to him that made it hard to get around him in a comfortable way. It didn't matter though; my tongue only tasted him for a few short strokes before Ash moaned out my name and pulled me from his shaft claiming he would never last if I did that for too long, so I pushed him back on the warm blanket instead. It crossed my mind to be glad I had dreamed up a blanket for us to screw on since sand would not be fun, but the whole area faded and dimmed as I straddled him so I'm not sure I would have noticed the sand with Ash under me or not.

He put his hands to my hips and was careful to slip in me, so as not to stretch me too wide too fast. During his slow entrance our eyes never left each other's and the pure intimacy of his stare and the knowledge that having sex with Ashley was almost a taboo of sorts in my mind was near enough to cause me to orgasm before he started. Once he was fully inside me, his hands ran up my sides and he pulled me down to him. His motions were unhurried, and so were mine, and as we moved together in an easy and comfortable way, our lips found each other's.

There was something different there in the gradual build up. Something in the way he held me to him with his hands tangled in my hair at my head and back. There was something different in how his tongue played with mine before he pulled away and kissed down my neck, telling me how he loved me before resting his head against my shoulder.

There was something between us I couldn't explain, no words could describe what was there holding us together. When his orgasm crested, mine did as well in an all-enveloping way. It was how water rolled inland during a tsunami to overtake everything, flooding the land completely. It was not like rolling waves, which crash hard and fast then pull back quickly ... only to be forgotten just as quick.

The wave that released inside of me from our combined orgasm lingered as though it would stay for a long while, its effects being felt for some time after it was gone. That is, if we hadn't have had sex in a dream.

Ash still had his arms around me as he told me he loved me over and again but I didn't want to move or even open my eyes. All I wanted to do was stay there a moment longer before the dream broke and I woke up feeling sorry for myself, yet happy I had _this_ in a dream. My own little secret.

With an easy smile on my lips, I lifted myself up and looked down at Ash only to see him shadowed in darkness. The abrupt change in light had me looking around, confused as to why the sun had set so fast, even for a dream. As I looked about us, my pulse started rising. Swallowing, I tried not to move as I blinked over and again wishing the beach would reappear. That anything would appear, anything that is except for Ashley's bedroom shadowed in twilight surrounding us.

### Chapter 16

### Marcus

Ash was making some contented noises, as I sat still not knowing what to do. Not only was the Ash in my dream the real thing but somehow we managed to screw in real life. How did I ever think having sex with him, even in a dream, was okay? Why?

Trying to calm my breathing, I attempted to not think about the fact I could still feel him in me, or think on how his hands were running up my sides in a loving way, or that he was saying he couldn't believe our dream was real. It seemed as though he was going to pull me down to him so I took a moment to bolt from the bed, claiming I needed to use the restroom. However, my voice must have given away my panicked state of mind, as I fumbled for his sheet and backed away.

"Annie, you promised you wanted to do that. I would have never had sex with you if you were going to freak out." Ash sounded so hurt and I wished my vision wasn't getting good enough to see that hurt in his eyes.

"I know ... I just... Look, I thought it was a dream. _You_ were a dream."

He stood and came toward me. "It wasn't and there was no issue when you thought it was a dream so why is there a problem now?"

"Because, in a dream doing that doesn't ruin lifelong friendships!" My panic was beginning to take over. All I could think about was how I fucked up another relationship in my life with sex, how it was going to complicate an even more complicated situation with Sean. What about Antonio?

My heart felt as though it was ripped from my chest. Antonio would never step between a bond like Ash and mine, he was too honorable for that.

Batting away Ash's hand, I tried to hold back my sobs over a loss at something I wanted but would never have. "Just give me a moment Ashley. There are a lot of things this will change." A sob threatened to take me but he stopped. "If we were going to do that, it wouldn't have been now. Not when I'm sorting so much out. In a dream though... I just thought..."

Shaking my head, I turned and opened the door. "I need to run to clear my mind. I will be back. I've never broken a promise to you and I promise I will be back."

"Can you at least tell me if this ruins what we have before you take off?"

His question hurt my heart even more than the loss of Antonio's possible future. Turning back to Ash I put my hand to his face and felt the same roughness there I had in the dream, and started to cry. "Nothing could ruin that, Ash."

He nodded, but I could see he was about to cry too. So, I left his room and found my clothing—my pajamas and underwear were left on the couch, guess I can add sleep sex to the list of shit for me now. Hooray.

Once I had my undergarments, pants, and shirt, I put them on in a haze before slipping on my shoes and leaving his house to run. It wasn't clear to me what I was running from, but with my world full of so many questions it was the only answer I had.

~

After my parents had died and all of that crazy stuff started happening to me—all the stuff that caused me to be kidnapped, maybe turned into a vampire, and screw my best friend—running was what helped clear my head. Once my head was clear enough to realize having sex one time with levelheaded Ashley wouldn't ruin a lifelong friendship, it would just make things awkward for a while, I found myself in a dead quiet camp. I'm sure the camp was silent due to the fact it was almost the end of December, but still it was eerie to be around all the buildings with the icy sounds of the leafless forest at night with no one around.

Not sure what to do, except find a road and make my way out of the camp, a vibration in my pocket startled me. When I discovered it came from my phone, which I had thought I left along with my wallet at Ash's after I took off in a fit, I had to suck in a deep breath when I saw his number on the screen.

"Hey, sorry I took off. I'll head back now," I said as soon as I answered.

"Well, that will not be needed. I will however text you the location where you can find your friend if you so wish to keep him alive."

The voice was unfamiliar, which would have me frightened in itself, but the threat the unfamiliar voice issued had me worried more. "I swear if you have—"

"It would be unwise for you to attempt to intimidate the man who has yet another one of your loved ones lives in his hands. These are your instructions for keeping this boy alive: You will not call anyone to help you, you will come alone to the location I will text to you, you will be quick. The only reason this one is not dead like your parents is because I made the mistake last time of not waiting for you. This time I will wait, but it won't be long, Annan."

The phone went dead.

My hands were shaking as I pulled it away to wait for the message. In all the emotional bullshit going on I forgot there was still a very real psychopath out there who wished to kill me. How he found me at Ash's was something I could worry about later because as soon as I received the text I opened the corresponding map and was glad I was minutes from where he was located.

As I ran, and glanced at my phone's navigation now and again, I wished I had gone some other way, or at least had not forgotten my wallet. If I had gone some other way I might have been able to go by Ash's to grab it, but it would take too long to swing by or to go to the SIA, that is if I could get around base _and_ Academy security to get to the SIA underground.

If I had just had that damn card on me the issue of Marcus would've been solved in a snap. As it was, I let my feet carry me to where Ash was located and hoped he was still alive when I got there because if I ended up responsible for losing him too, I would accept my death from Marcus with open arms.

### Chapter 17

### What?

Marcus had Ash in an old abandoned farmhouse off some dirt road in the frozen woods. It could have been any place, I wouldn't have cared, the only thing I cared about was stopping an ancient wolf from taking another person I loved from me. All I had learned about Marcus after being grabbed by Randall and mentioning his name to Ces when I was later rescued was that he was a second generation wolf, which meant he was longer lived than any other known wolf, and that he was hell bent on killing my birth mother, and now me. The reason why he wanted our deaths was a mystery and because he had been around for so long he had deep contacts, which made him so hard to find, even Ces hadn't known where to look.

Debris crunched underfoot as I walked into the boarded up home. The place had seen some squatters and vandals over the years by amount of trash and destruction present, as well as a rancid smell that permeated the area I had entered. None of that mattered to me, though, as I took in a man who looked no older than me and dressed as well as Antonio in an expensive, tailored suit. A slight smile played on his shadowed features and I wished at that moment I could have called Ces to let her know where this elusive man was.

Though I had my phone on me, I knew there was no way to call her, but perhaps I could call someone else... Glancing around the filthy room, I noted he was alone—I would have assumed he would have some kind of help in tow with the kind of connections he was supposed to have—and decided calling out to Angel would be my only hope for backup.

As I concentrated on Angel and sent her a mental image of the map Marcus had texted me, as well as images of the house and Marcus, I tried to locate the one thing missing in the room, Ash. In front of the soot-stained fireplace, I found his slumped form. He let out a low moan, which meant he was alive, but that was all I could tell from where I stood. In the back of my mind, I kept trying to contact Angel, not knowing if it was working, or if she could even do anything if it _was_ working.

"Annan, you are quite the elusive person. When those human parents of yours told me you were dead and I couldn't find any loose ends leading to you, even though I knew it to be a ruse, I quieted my search. Imagine my surprise when you popped up living with vampires, _and_ had disposed of Randall. Tracking you down this time was easier, but even when I arrived at this other human's home you were gone yet again. At least this time he provided me with some collateral." He made a motion towards Ash and my hackles rose.

"Don't touch him. If you've hurt him—"

"You'll what? You haven't even come of age child, and the human is not gravely damaged. He thought his limited training would be enough to stop me when I called you so I found it necessary to incapacitate him. Of course, you should be more concerned about yourself, Annan."

His talk of hurting Ash as though it was a necessary inconvenience had my anger rearing its ugly head the way it used to when control was a but a dream to me. This time I let the heat buildup, strengthen me and be a part of me in some other way.

Bringing my eyes to his dark, heavy lashed ones, I said, "Why are you doing this? What is the point? Not even Cesair can understand your need to destroy my mother, and now me."

He let out a short laugh. "Your mother, and even more so you, are abominations. She was never meant to be born, and your existence is a mockery to Were kind. The only reason either of you exist is because some deranged vampire raped an Aos Si woman, taking more than just her virtue. All I'm doing is disposing of the trash that should have been thrown out long ago."

Some of what he said wasn't news to me, Ces had filled me in a bit of it, what was new had to be put off. The fact he had killed so many people dear to me, and ones I would never meet, was a task for him and nothing more was heating my anger in a wonderful way.

As the warmth of rage built, I prayed it was enough to help stop the man in front of me, but before I could initiate a plan of attack, I was interrupted by a choked sound from Ash. "Annan, don't—"

In one quick motion, Marcus kicked Ashley into the fireplace. Ash cried out as dust rained down on him, and I swear the sound of cracking from the stone façade as he hit reverberated through my own bones.

My fury peaked. A screamed ripped from my throat as I lunged at Marcus, but I was too late. The whole scene played out like a slow motion movie. He grabbed Ashley and raked a hand across his throat, spilling his blood down the front of him and the floor in a violent red flash. As Ashley fell to the cluttered ground, he struggled to stop the blood, putting a hand to his neck and gasping for breath. Looking back to the werewolf, I knew I had to stop Marcus before I saved Ash. He would kill us both if I went to Ashley first. Too bad I had no idea how I was going to do either. Praying I _could_ do both, I turned my focus to the first point of business.

My feet hit the ground as Ash coughed a struggling breath and I turned to Marcus. The building rage in me wrapped around my body like a living force and I put all my concentration into stopping a centuries old Were. He turned to strike me and my hand was there stopping him. The shock on his face would have been matched by my own if it wasn't for the pure hate I was feeling keeping me focused.

"How dare you to think it is up to you to decide who lives or dies." My voice did not sound like my own. It was like the time I killed Randall, but amplified.

The hand of mine that stopped him turned in a contorted way, and sized his own. Without a thought, I was behind him wrenching that hand in a very uncomfortable angle.

"How is this possible?"

"You were not asked to kill for anyone." His arm broke at the shoulder before I knew what I was doing, as did his leg with an audible pop when I kicked the side of his knee.

He went to the ground with a scream of disbelief and I dropped to Ash. Swallowing down the tears and fear over seeing all the blood, I assured my friend he would be fine while ignoring Marcus' laughter and taunts. He was saying the human would die and wouldn't change since he had used claws and not teeth. Holding onto Ash, I kicked sideways at Marcus to stop his laughter. His other knee made a nice crunching sound and he screamed out again and threatened to change.

The man quieted down, so I glanced at him to see his skin rippling with that change he threatened and I knew if I could just do the same thing I could save Ash and kill Marcus. There was no way of knowing how long my bout of super speed and strength would last, or if it was just how I would be from then now, but neither of those skills would save Ash. Were-teeth would save Ash. Hell, even vampire teeth would.

Looking back at my dying friend, I pushed out all other thought and tried to concentrate on what _I_ could do to save him. Glancing down at the blood spilling over his fingers, I felt some strange sensation in my mouth. It was as though my teeth were tingling even though I know you can't feel your teeth, puzzling over it I ran my tongue along them and felt they were sharp. It was clear what I had to do.

"I'm sorry Ash but I don't know how else to save you."

He tried to mouth a question but the blood just flowed again so I didn't waste any time and bit down on his shoulder through the tear in his shirt. He screamed out but I drew on his blood not sure if drinking it was part of the process or not. As the hot liquid hit my tongue, I expected to be revolted but instead it tasted like some kind of candy, sweet and almost juicy. Making sure not to take a lot, I stopped and heard a commotion behind me.

Marcus was almost fully changed but it seemed the wounds I had given him were causing the change to take longer since those parts were slow to morph. Focusing back on Ash, I saw the blood was still seeping around his fingers and wondered if I had to do more, like Antonio had. After all, there was a lot of vampire blood in me after being with him. Feeling my teeth were still razor sharp I slashed into my own wrist ignoring the small amount of pain.

"Drink this Ashley, don't worry. I think this will work." As I pressed my wrist to his mouth, I had no idea if it would work like I had I said it would but prayed the odd feeling encompassing my body was some kind of power manifesting inside of me.

Ash swallowed as a groan of pain sounded behind me and I let my friend drink a few more times before setting him down. There wasn't anything more I could do and that alone was pretty outrageous. From all the stories I had heard of how Weres saved people with the change, and with how vampires blood heal, my crazy unknown power was all I had and I hoped somewhere in it was at least enough Were or vamp to save Ash. Taking a deep breath of hope, I was astonished when the wound in my wrist knit up. Shooting my eyes to Ash, I saw the blood had stopped from around his fingers and as he pulled them away, he revealed a neck, which was whole and healed.

My heart was overfilled and a smile started to form my lips but the dread filling Ashley's eyes stopped the smile from completing. Marcus must have finished changing.

"I should have killed him and waited for you in his home."

This time, when he swung at me I didn't have the superhuman reflex to just grab his arm. It wasn't as though the power I felt in me had disappeared. It was just that I was too damn surprised to react. The last thing I thought I would see behind me was a wolf-man. A wolf, sure, a man, maybe, but a wolf man?

So, when he swung, I took the hit right to my side, which propelled me into the wall just two feet away. The wall didn't stop me; I went through it leaving a sizable hole behind. Getting to me knees, I expected something on me to hurt, but it only felt as though the wind had been knocked out of me. It was as though I had fallen off a bunk bed for all the pain I felt.

Looking back at the damaged wall, splintered with wood and plaster falling off in chunks, wolf-man Marcus broke through with threats of bodily harm. Thank god, Ash was safe in the house, mouth agape in what could only be described as pure shock staring out at Marcus and me.

My gaze shifted back to Marcus as he bounded in my direction.

"You might be stronger than I expected but a pre-changed Were is still no match for me in this form."

Marcus swung and I dodged and cut to the side. He was fast, that was for sure—his leg swung out and I jumped back in time—but it was clear I was faster. Next time he kicked at me, I met the side of his leg with my foot. Wolfy was shoved back a few feet but I didn't break his leg as I had before. Though I was faster, he was able to take a hit better than I ever could.

That thought reminded me of the dream I had of Thailand, and how I remembered my bouts with the Muay Thai guys. Maybe I couldn't land on those pros back then, but with my added speed I was betting those strategic takedowns could do some damage now, even to a wolf-man. As I formulated how to go at a man-beast who fought along the lines of a gladiator, all swing and rage with no real tact, I rolled to my left and swung my leg out dropping him to the ground.

He was quickly on his feet and snarling at me. "Enough games girl!"

He came at me again and this time I dogged to my right as he swung. The air by my face parted when his fist flew by and I took a step back for balance before kicking him square in the chest as he reached back to swing again. He stumbled and landed on his ass once more as I hopped back to the balls of my feet.

Letting out a roar, he got back up and came at me running. Fainting to the left this time, I brought my right arm up and hit him in the nose with my elbow as hard as I could. A fount of blood sprayed my side as a howl of pain cut the air, and he was down yet again. This time when he hit the ground, holding his face as blood poured around his beast-like hands, I kicked him again, causing him to fall to his side.

Once on the ground, I didn't give him another chance to get back up and let out a volley of kicks to his torso and head while he lay in a prone position. The speed at which I kicked him had me surprised and once I stopped, I stood staring at him ready to wallop him again if he moved even in the slightest.

"My goodness, Annan."

Cesair's voice had my shoulder's slumping and the breath going out of me in relief. Taking in a lungful of cool air, I turned to see her—as well as Angel and Antonio—stopping a few feet from me. All three of them were giving me an odd look and I knew something more than me kicking the crap out of Marcus had to have shaken them.

"What? What is it?"

Antonio and Angel held off but Cesair came to me as a couple of men I didn't know gathered Marcus, who was unconscious and changing back to human form at a slow rate. My attention went back to Ces as she grabbed my hands and began inspecting each of them. Looking down, I noticed for the first time they had changed as well and had some vicious claws that were starting to recede. She dropped my hands and held my face, asking me to open my mouth. Her brow pursed together and I could feel that strange teeth tingle again. After she released me from her light hold, I felt along my teeth and noticed they, along with my hands, had gone back to normal.

Behind her, I saw the unconscious Marcus wrapped in a sheet to cover his near nude form before being handcuffed by some kind of zip-tie like things to the spine board he was on. The things looked like average ties but I was sure them and board were spelled in some way, so I didn't worry as the carted him off past Sean and Korbin who were with Ashley. Thankfully, I was not hot and bothered by the sight of Sean or Ash ... or Antonio for that matter. Leave it to a crisis to get my libido in order.

Cesair pulled me in for a quick hug. "Granddaughter, I am glad you are safe and that was some quick thinking contacting Angel the way you did. Though her sudden appearance was a surprise to us it was a smart choice, and we should discuss your forgetful nature, but first a more pressing issue. It seems we need to run some tests. I'm not sure how you were able to partially change like that before your birthday, and in such a unique way."

"What do you mean?"

Antonio and Angel had finally made their way over to me.

"Annan, when you turned around you had Vampire fangs but hands half changed like that of a powerful, alpha status Were." Antonio sounded surprised and the distance he kept from me hurt.

Trying not to think on it, I opened my mouth to thank Angel but she stopped me before I could start. "There is no need to thank me, Annan. This more than proved my intent to Antonio, as well as my worth to Cesair. Though, I have to say, you did surprise all of us."

"That's nothing." Korbin almost sounded excited. "You are not going to believe how she managed to save Ashley."

All eyes were on me and it was only then I realized what it was I had done to save Ash's life. There wasn't a scratch on him even though he was covered in blood. There was blood on his mouth too and when I saw that, the reality of what happened hit me all at once. His smile seemed to falter as the image of him wavered and I dropped to the ground.

### Chapter 18

### The Unknown

"You are positive you cannot recreate your change?" Though Serenity's tone was still flat as always, and her haunting gaze its even stare, I was getting a hint of disappointment from her. She seemed very interested in the fact I had some kind of morphing happen which had never occurred before. Her excitement—if repeated monotone questioning could be called that—made me feel like a science experiment more than anything else, and I didn't care how blasé disappointed she was, she needed to stop.

"I'm sure Annan will let us come to her birthday to see the change, maybe it will happen then." Elizabeta guided the smaller woman away as she gave a flat complaint of the fact my birthday was still two days away. Liz shot me a "sorry" over her shoulder and tried to explain to the little mage/vampire now wasn't a good time, which of course Serenity didn't understand.

Now not being a good time was the understatement of the century. After I had fainted—yeah, I'm a badass all right—I woke up at the SIA and a lot had happened. Ces had ran a gambit of tests on my blood, Marcus was in a cell somewhere awaiting questioning, Ash had almost as many blood tests done on him, as well as others, and Sean kept staring at me in an odd way. Now was very much _not_ a good time.

At least Sean's eyes not leaving me was easy to deal with. Either his presence wasn't exciting anymore or I was just too tired to get worked up. Antonio wasn't around for me to see if he got me interested, he and Angel had some details to work out, and Ash was still somewhere doing something now that he had been changed into something they didn't know. Kind of like me. Guess my assumptions about the sleep and food were wrong.

One of the doors to the infirmary like room we were in opened, and Ces came in holding one of those electronic clipboard things. "This is not what I expected."

Everyone was quiet as she approached me. Even Serenity looked as though she was caught-up in what Cesair was going to say.

"Your blood is showing some tracer I have never seen. The same is present in Agent Harris."

"You're still going to have Ash work for you?"

Ces put the papers in her hands down on the bed next to me and pursed her brow. "Out of all the things you could ask you wonder about the working status of Ashley?"

Biting my lip, I mumbled something about just wondering and fidgeted with my hands.

"Annan, I still plan on him being employed with the SIA. Now that he has had this encounter with you, it is even more imperative he be closely tied to the facility. There is no telling what he will become."

"What do you mean?" It was hard to accept that Cesair didn't have some kind of answer.

She put her hand on my shoulder and I met her molten gaze. "Annan, only time will tell what you turned Agent Harris into but as far as what I can see in his DNA he is no longer human. He is not exactly what you are either, which seems even further from vampire or Were now." She smiled and gave a small shake of the head. "It has been quite some time since I was perplexed and this has me thoroughly perplexed."

Her words weren't comforting but I nodded my head anyways. What else can you do when the person who seemingly knows everything has no idea what is going on?

"You had stated you had a blood exchange with Agent Harris, correct?" My brow pursed in confusion over Serenity's question but I figured it had to do with her interest in me as an experiment.

"Yeah, why?"

"If what you did is similar to a vampire turn then you will need to exchange blood more than once. If my calculations are correct, for Agent Harris' height and weight he would need to receive four to five bites total for a safe viral infection. Therefore, if the infection is anything like a vampire, Agent Harris would need three to four more blood exchanges for a safe turn, even if it is of an unknown variety."

My blood chilled. What she said was something I had never considered and by Elizabeta's scolding on how to appropriately deliver information, it was something no one else had thought of either.

"I only mentioned it because there will be more opportunities to witness the partial change before her birthday."

Elizabeta let out an exasperated sigh before apologizing while leading Serenity out of the room completely. She said something about having _another_ talk with her about tact before the door closed.

Cesair put hand to my shoulder shaking me out of my worried fog. "If Ashley needs more blood transfusions we will know tomorrow when you both return for more tests.

Biting my lower lip, I nodded. Ash and I needed regular checkups over the next few days due to what had happened. It was something Ces had first said when we got back to the SIA.

"Where is Ash now?"

Sean's question surprised me; I had almost forgotten he was there. Even odder, he was still watching me when he asked his question.

"Agent Harris is in room 102, but he is ready to be released."

At last, Sean's eyes left me ... when he stood and left the room. Sitting there, I waited for some tinge of hurt or sadness over Sean, but there was nothing. All I felt was curious as to why _he_ was curious about Ash.

"Well, this night is full of interesting events." Ces finally said, bringing my attention back to her. "Annan, I would like to talk with you about what happened with Marcus now that the tests are done and you are feeling well."

Nodding, I slid off the table sporting yet another set of fresh clothing, though the maroon low-slung sweater and skinny jeans were something I had never bought, and followed her out. Not caring where it came from, I hadn't bothered ask, I was just happy it fit and was comfortable. The door slid shut and the identical one we passed had 102 stamped next to it and my heart clenched.

Taking a deep breath, I swallowed back the feeling and followed Ces away from the door. My quickening pulse could have been anything from my libido turning back on to worry over possible future blood exchanges. Either way, it was obvious the mere knowledge of Ashley being in the room had some effect on me whereas Sean's presence had none. Trying not to worry about it, I continued down the hall with Cesair to wherever she was bringing me.

She turned a corner and entered a room that ended up being a side door leading into her office I hadn't really noticed the first time I was there due to how mesmerizing the view was. Of course, with Ces the door could have just appeared when she needed it, who knew. Sighing, I sat and waited for her to begin the talk. It wasn't as though I didn't want to tell her about what had happened, I was just so tired and worried about Ash and whatever I had done to him, all I wanted to do was sleep and make sure he was fine.

"How are you doing, dear?" Ces said as she sat in her seat.

"Fine, I guess with all things considered. I'm just worried about Ash." Slumping, I set my chin in my hand.

"Is there anything about your encounter with Marcus you wish to talk about?" Her tone of voice finally hit me and I smiled, she sounded more worried than inquisitive.

"I'm good Ces. I'm confused and worried about Ash more than anything else. What happened with Randall was way worse." Sitting straighter, I let out an abrupt laugh. "Honestly, I was very surprised by how easy it was to beat him."

Ces nodded and sat back in her seat. "Marcus is quite old, as I have told you. Though he is powerful, his strength must have waned over the last five-hundred or so years. It is this way with all Were-beasts as they age. Therefore, even though he is second generation and longer lived than any other, it is not out of the realm of possibility he could be weaker than expected for that reason alone. I have never heard of him working alone and I believe he surrounds himself with powerful Supes due to his faltering power. This was a rare occurrence for him to be by himself."

Knowing about how Marcus had sought out Randall to find my mother, and then later me, because of his specialized skill in locating Supes, I nodded in agreement. "So why would he come alone this time? It doesn't make sense."

"From the limited information we have gathered through his near ramblings, he thought a human and pre-changed wolf would be easy enough for him to handle alone." She put a hand to the side of her face as she shifted in her seat and gave me an odd look. "I was wondering how that was possible too, which is part of the reason I ran the tests I did."

There was nothing I could do but nod again.

As Ces sat forward, she clasped both hands in front of her. "It's unfortunate the tests did not reveal more. For now, you and Agent Harris should be fine and on your birthday we will see what happens since that still seems to be a pivotal date, unless you are under due stress. When you two come in for your check tomorrow, we will see if more needs to be done with the blood exchange. Tonight, I do not want you worrying. Though there is a lot which has happened, and will happen, you should rest as much as you can. Both you and Ashley."

She stood and came around her desk to me before placing a warm hand on my shoulder. "Annan, the only reason I even asked you here to talk was to be sure you really were okay after yet another encounter with someone who wishes you harm."

Patting her hand, I stood and accepted the hug she offered. When I had told her I was fine, it was the truth. Fighting was like second nature to me. If all I had to deal with was some fighting from Randall, the encounter with him wouldn't have haunted me at all. As we broke from the hug and she motioned me to the main door of her office, I was glad what did haunt me wasn't hard to deal with. To be honest, I thought I had done a pretty good job of handling all the strange and crazy shit that had came my way. Dealing with Marcus and turning my best friend into some unknown _thing_ were just two more items to add to the list.

~

After much grumbling on my part, I agreed that the best place for Ash and me to stay was on my family's land. It was true the main danger was gone but there was still someone at the SIA who had informed Marcus of my whereabouts to begin with. Until all persons who assisted him were known, it was best if I stayed on at a secure property. When it seemed my only options were a clinical like room at the SIA or my family's land, the choice was easy. Discovering my things had been moved over to the main house by Chloe, the choice was much easier on me.

"I am very sorry for getting so upset with you Annan; it was like my deep seated mothering instinct took over." Chloe gave me another hug—like the fifth since I had been back, which was a whole of only thirty or so minutes.

"It's okay. Sure, I was mad then, but I had some time to chill and Sean is working on his power so it's not so bad. Which, I do think is working since I wasn't all..." My sentence broke off as I looked over at Ash, who was sitting Indian style on my borrowed bed.

"No need to explain further, I understand. I'm just glad you are back, and I can't believe Angelic ... I mean, Angel and Antonio have worked things out. It's just so amazing she has reached a new level of control as well."

Letting out an unexpected yawn, I nodded my agreement.

"Oh, I'm sorry, Annan. We can talk about it more another time, you must be exhausted. It was nice to have finally met you, Ashley." Chloe gave me one last hug and waved to Ash as she left.

"That was one good looking girl, and her accent."

"Stay away from Chloe, Ash." My hands stopped in the drawer Chloe had put all my nightclothes in, and I took a deep breath before resuming my search. There was more bite in my words than I intended, and I didn't know if it was for fear of Ash's safety, as I told myself, or something else.

The bed made shifting sound and I looked over to see Ash stretching out. Having found myself something comfortable to wear, I closed the drawer and turned to him. He looked as though he was getting comfortable himself in borrowed lounging shorts and a t-shirt, thanks to Will who was close to his size, all sprawled out on my bed.

"You planning on sleeping there or something?"

He just smiled. "Yep."

Rolling my eyes, I shook my head and entered the adjoining bathroom.

Ashley's voice followed me. "You know you don't have to do that, I've more than seen it all."

Shooting him the finger before I shut the door, I heard him laugh and let out a snicker myself. Ash was still Ash. After changing and washing my face, I came out of the bathroom to see all but the bedside lamp off and Ash tucked under the blankets.

"You really are planning to sleep here, aren't you?"

"I'm not sleeping on my own in a house full of werewolves and vampires!"

His feigned fear had me giving him a deadpan stare as I pulled the blankets back. He laughed and pulled me into the bed next to him before reaching over and turning out the last light.

"I'm joking, but I don't want to be away from you right now ... if that's okay."

Taking in a long breath, I let it out bit-by-bit and nodded. It was understandable, there was a huge chunk of me that didn't want him gone either and not because I wanted sex or something like that. Though I had noticed some draw towards him, it wasn't overpowering and was more of a lingering afterthought to just wanting to be around him.

Snuggling in next to him, some of the tension I didn't know I had in me relaxed away and I felt at ease for the first time that night ... or, early morning according to the time. My lids became heavy and I began to drift off.

"Annan?"

"Hmm?"

"Thank you for saving my life."

Ashley's arm tightened around me and I hugged it closer. "You're welcome. I love you." As soon as I said the words, I smiled. They were truer than any other spoken and the kiss on the top of my head told me he knew that truth as well. No matter what had happened or would happen, I would always love Ash.

"Even if you can't keep me alive I want you to know, I'm happy you did what you did."

Rolling over, I looked at him in the dim light coming in from the window. "What are you talking about?"

"Sean told me about the blood exchange, after some interesting questions."

My hackles rose, I knew Sean had no business asking about Ash at the SIA. "What did he want to know?"

"He asked me about the dream we had. It was weird; it was like he was there."

Groaning, I put my forehead to his chest as I slid down the bed. "With my luck, he was there."

"When we had _sex_?"

He whispered as if it was a huge secret and I couldn't help but let out a small laugh as I stretched out to look at him again. "Yes, Ash, when we had sex. You're not the only one I share dreams with. So ... what, he questions you about the dream then segues into the blood thing?"

"Kinda, yeah. It was an awkward conversation to say the least. He surprised me when he came in the room, asked about sharing dreams with you, and then said he didn't know if you could finish the needed blood exchanges."

Shaking my head, I said, "Sean is an asshole."

"Why didn't you talk to me about it? If you can't do it, it's okay."

"Oh, Ash."

Hugging him, I felt myself tear up. Ashley must have waited for us to be alone before talking to me about what Sean had said. First my aunt and uncle, then Chloe, hadn't left my side when we had gotten back so it made sense. It also made sense why Sean disappeared to his own house as soon as we stepped out of the portal.

"I didn't talk with you about it yet because Ces told me not to worry, but yes I may have to do more blood exchanges."

"Alright, and if you can't I want you to know I won't be upset about it."

A smile pulled at my lips and I chuckled. "Ash, if it means your life I can do anything."

In the dim light of the room, I could see the corner of his mouth turn up in his own smile. "Anything..."

Giving him a light slap, I said, "You are horrible."

"Come on, it's not like we haven't done it before." His teasing laughter glossed over any irritation I might have had. He wasn't being serious, just the same old playful Ashley.

"God, you'll never stop will you?"

He chuckled as I rolled over and he pulled me back to him. "Nope, nothing will change that."

Letting out a small laugh, I snuggled in and was glad that sex, nor life threatening beasts, nor exchange of blood could change what Ash and I had together.

### Chapter 19

### A Day Early

My sleep was dreamless and blissful and it would have been nice to say I woke of my own volition in a calm manner, but that was not the case.

"I should have figured I would find you two like this after the emotions he was letting off when I asked him about that dream. I knew what I saw was the real thing."

Sean raging out was the last thing I wanted to hear and as I groaned out a, " _God_ ," Ashley started to come-to as well.

"So, was screwing him last night outside the dream as great as it was in it?" Sean let out a scoff of laughter and I realized he thought our dream was just that, a dream.

What didn't make sense was what came out of my mouth next.

"Yeah, well I have news for you. Ash and I screwed for real the night that dream happened." He flinched as though my words stung and I got up on my knees. "Uh-huh, we did it all right, on the beach in the dream, in his room." As I taunted him, I was gyrating my hips in a very lewd manner.

"That's uncalled for, Annan. Besides you ran away afterwards." Ash sounded tired for all he cared about my tizzy-fit.

Sean, on the other hand, looked pissed as I sat back on my heals and slapped my best friend, calling him an ass who couldn't back me up.

"I don't understand how you can act like that when we are—"

Faster than I knew I could move I was on my feet and covering Sean's mouth; staring into his very shocked dual colored eyes. "Before you say the 'M' word you need to think on one fact: Do lycoan's have mates?"

Sean stepped away from me and strode down the hall past my uncle who was saying something to the brooding man about being told to wait. It seemed he had a hard time listening to more people than just me.

"Jesus, Sean is an intense dude." Ash put his hands to my shoulders as I nodded my agreement.

We both stepped back and let Mike enter the room after he had caught up and exchanged a few words with Sean. "I apologize for his behavior, Hun."

"It's okay, Mike. He shouldn't have been irritated though, what he saw was something I'm sure he's seen a million times. Ash and I have slept in the same bed a lot over the years."

Mike nodded but said, "The part having nothing to do with sleeping I'm sure is what upset him more than the sleeping itself."

Ash chuckled and tussled my hair before heading into the bathroom. Lots of help he was.

Sighing, I said, "I was just tired of his possessiveness, so I bit back. Ash has always felt like home and even though a lot has changed _that_ hasn't and I won't let Sean take that away from me."

Mike smiled at me and gave my shoulder a gentle squeeze. "Ash sounds more like the 'M' word than Sean." My heart sank but he didn't say more on the subject as he let his hand fall. "Why don't you two get ready? Even though I had told Sean to let you sleep, it was almost time to wake you for the check-in Cesair needs, anyways."

Giving him a nod of my own, I clicked the door shut as he left and tried to not dwell on what he said about Ash and the "M" word. He was just like family was all. Shaking away any thoughts before they attempted to brew up, I dug through my drawers and smiled at the nice distraction. Part of Chloe moving my stuff over to Mike and Gale's was the addition of new clothing. Either they were from her to apologize for how she acted, or came from someone I didn't want to think about, but whoever bought them the new stuff was fun to sort through as I waited for my turn in the shower.

~

Going through the portals got easier each time I did it, but it also made me wonder again and again why Sean was so put off by them. Knowing him, it was probably just something else that made him sensitive. Maybe it was a lycoan-empath thing... My thoughts were interrupted as Ash, Korbin, Sean, and I rounded a corner and were but steps away from Cesair's office. Though I often lamented Sean and his sensitivity, in that moment I wasn't complaining about the fact, or that he had insisted on going with us. He was the first to notice something wasn't right with me. As a wave of dizziness hit and I almost crumpled to the ground, he was there catching me and telling Korbin to get Ces.

Ash's eyes held a look of mild panic and I had to wonder how I appeared to him while an odd sensation overtook my body. It felt as though my muscles were pulsing and my skin tingled like fingers I couldn't see were caressing my skin. The dizziness might have weakened my knees but other than that the feeling overcoming me was not painful, it was only odd and unknown.

Sean set me down with ease and stepped back as Cesair showed up with Korbin. Her eyes were wide for a moment too before a smile pulled her full lips. "It seems Annan's change is a day early."

There was a moment of commotion around me, which included some excited words from Ash, Korbin hitting buttons on his cell while mumbling expletives, and Serenity seeming to pop out of nowhere ... with a camera in her hands.

Seeing her clicking away with more intensity than I had ever seen on her hit me as humorous and I started laughing, only my laugh didn't sound like me. The sound that came out was similar to what I had heard from Korbin when I had seen him turn into a wolf for the first time. Other than the sound of a camera clicking everyone was silent, even Korbin went quiet after he mumbled, "I'll meet you there," before hanging up.

Glancing at them, with their varying smiles and looks of awe, I noticed I was much lower to the ground than normal. Wanting to check over my body, I tried to shift my gaze down only to find it an odd angle to attempt. Lifting what should have been my hand an oversized, black furred paw was there instead.

"Oh my god!"

"Did you hear that?" Ash's smile vanished in confusion.

Sean looked just as confused. "Yes, but I'm surprised _you_ heard it."

"I changed him, Sean. He's not human, remember?"

Ash started saying how cool it was he could hear my thoughts, but Sean didn't look quite as happy.

"This _is_ exciting, but we do need to see if Ashley needs more blood exchanges. Of course, with this new turn of events that shouldn't be a problem anymore."

"Isn't anyone going to say anything about how she changed? That looked like a..." Korbin trailed off as the invisible fingers began their assault over my body once more.

"What's going on?" It was as though Sean's entire pissed-off attitude disappeared in that one panicked sentence.

"This isn't normal?"

Ashley sounded worried too, as Korbin said something about nothing concerning me was normal and headed back towards the portal room. All the while Serenity never stopped shooting pictures and the photographer in me was happy she thought to use a camera to document what was happening because everyone, including Cesair was caught up in what my body was doing. Korbin's jaw even dropped as he reappeared with his parents in tow.

The tingling stopped and Ces took an unsteady step forward as a trembling hand went to her lips. "Oh my ... I never would have thought..."

"What's going on, why is she a bird?" Sean sounded shocked but it was nothing to what I felt.

"Did you say bird!?"

"Cool, I can still hear her."

By the way everyone but Ces and the ever-diligent Serenity looked at me when I thought the words, I had to assume all but the two could hear me.

"What is going on, Cesair?" Korbin sounded all business asking the question that needed answered most.

She didn't have to bend far to meet me eye to eye, which was surprising since I was supposed to be a bird, and smiled. "It's okay, Annan. I think I know now what you have become. Can you try to shift into the human-beast version you saw Marcus as?"

My bird head cocked to the side in a movement I was not used to but I nodded once, in an even odder feeling motion, and she stepped back. When she rejoined my family, more questions were thrown at her from almost everyone. Ignoring them all, except Ash who was smiling from ear to ear and Serenity who was poised and waiting for the shift, I closed my eyes and tried to imagine being some partial form of beast and human. For some reason, the thought I didn't want to be like Marcus crossed my mind as I also remembered how soft Sean's fur was. For the life of me, I couldn't say why those thoughts popped in my head, but as they did I felt the invisible caress all over me again.

Opening my eyes as the sensation waned, the first thing I saw was Sean stumble back and almost trip on his feet. After that, it was Cesair and her smile, which could only be called, "one of approval."

"Is it wrong of me to think that she is hot like that?"

Ash made me want to laugh but the look on Sean's face as he said, "No, not at all," stopped it up. Damn, did ever I need a mirror.

The questions started up again as my gaze traveled down and I saw for the first time I was nude with a light coating of pale hair coating my breasts and trailing down my body, with dark spots starting at my sides where the fur faded to a silvery gray with spots on my legs and side. "Holy shit!"

In my surprise, I saw a slender tail streak around me and snatched it feeling the soft black-ringed appendage in my hands. Taking it in my fingers, I saw my hands had wicked claws like when I fought Marcus. Holding my tail to me—which was an odd feeling, let me tell you—Sean started laughing for the first time in a long time as I tried in vain to cover my nudity, sad for the destroyed clothing I only then saw dead at my feet.

"Typical Annan, she changes into something never before seen and is worried about being naked." Sean laughed even harder, and was joined by Ash who agreed with him.

"Not never before seen, Sean-Paul, just expected to have never seen again."

Cesair's comment had everyone quieting down, even me who was hiding behind Ash as more SIA workers came out to see what was going on in the hall.

"Let's all go to the room I had prepared and I will explain what has happened to our dear, Annan."

### Chapter 20

### The Chalice of the Morrigan

Once we were in the room, Cesair had me shift into a few more animals and humanoid versions of animals. Most I was able to shift into, but when Ash suggested mouse and I ended up as a giant rat creature, the fun was over and I returned to normal. After that I was thankful to put on the fresh set of clothes my aunt was kind enough to bring, knowing that an unexpected change, or shift as the case was with me, could ruin clothing. As for why I shifted like a shifter and didn't change like a Were, Ces had yet to reveal that knowledge to us. The final test to see if what Cesair thought I had become was up next.

"Hold your hand as though you are going to grasp a sword and say these words, "Venit ad me O Gladio Corvus." You may be able to say the words in English, I'm not sure, but the last time I heard them spoken was in Latin, so we'll try that first."

She didn't tell me what the words meant, and everyone seemed interested in what was to come, even Elizabeta who had joined the group, so I didn't ask on it. Ignoring Serenity's continued clicking—Elizabeta had brought a few more memory cards—and Liz's note taking, I raised my hand up as instructed and said the words the best I could.

As soon as the last word left my lips, I felt a weight heavy in my hand as a black blade formed from a mass of mist, which appeared then dissipated in a few heartbeats. Left behind was a fully formed sword, the handle looking like the head of a raven with green jewel-encrusted eyes. The beak extended out long and sharp to make one wicked looking blade.

Cesair's eyes were swimming as she beamed at me. "Never could I have imagined the lost blood of our greatest could be reborn. Annan, you hold the blood of the Morrigan. You would never be able to call her weapon without being a chalice for it. You _are_ the Chalice of the Morrigan."

She said the last part as though it was a title, and with her smile and the way she hugged me, awkward as it was while holding a giant sword, I had to assume that is exactly what it was. Of course, I had no idea what it even meant.

Cesair pulled out of the hug and brushed away a stray tear from her cheek before smiling again. "To send the sword away I want you to use your native tongue. Say: Return Raven Blade."

Holding up the sword, I did as instructed and it disappeared just as it had formed. The thing was cool but I wasn't sure what I would do with a huge raven hilted sword. You never know, it might come in handy at some point with the luck I had.

"Good, it does recognize your language. When you wish to call the blade you simply must say, "Raven Blade come to me," and it will appear. As you can see, it does not work for anyone but yourself. You are the Chalice, Annan. There is one last thing you must do as an Aos Si who has come to power." Cesair surprised me, it was the first she said I was an Aos Si. She said Morrigan, but I hadn't realized the Morrigan was the same as Ces herself. By the commotion in the room, I wasn't the only one surprised by the news.

"How is it that she is an Aos Si?"

"That doesn't even make sense."

My aunt and uncle seemed the most confused.

"Is that what I'm going to be? Do I get a sword too?"

Ash's question had all other's stopping up.

"Agent Harris that is a good question. An Aos Si was responsible for creating vampires and were-animals, as well as Shifters, but they were not made in the same means they are today. The Morrigan herself was the mother of those species, which I believe is how Annan came to be the Chalice. However, even though she is the Chalice of the Morrigan she is also something else, in that she created you in the way she did. What you will be is still yet to be seen. As for Annan, if she truly holds the power of the Aos Si there is one last thing she must do now that her power has manifested."

Ash nodded but I was a bit taken back to hear the power I held came from the person who birthed vampires, Weres _and_ shifters.

"Director, how is it possible the Morrigan birthed vampires, shifters and Weres?" By Serenity's question, I wasn't the only one surprised, even if she was bland as she spoke.

"It is true. There is a very long story associated with it but for time's sake, all you need to know is when the Morrigan settled on Earth she had two sets of twins. One set was the first vampires and the other first Were and shifter."

"Were and vampire blood are connected, then." My aunt sounded thoughtful.

"Yes. As I said there is more to the story, but for now it's safe to say Annan will have a strong powerful influence over the children of the Morrigan. I believe this is how Annan was able to help that poor woman change while carrying a child. The Morrigan was able to hold child and shift at will, just as a shifter can, but that included her wolf and other wereanimal forms." Cesair stopped and smiled. "Listen to me getting carried away; there is still the last part of accepting your power, Annan."

"One moment, Cesair." My aunt's interruption pulled everyone's attention to her. "If Annan helped Tanya does that mean other changed women would be able to become pregnant and not lose the baby too?"

There was a definite sound of hope in my Aunt's voice and even though Korbin gave his mom a quiet scolding about it not being the right time to ask, I had to smile.

"Of course, that should not be an issue." Cesair answered as though it was normal news to deliver, but my aunt's eyes lit up and I knew I would be asked to help her change and save my next cousin in the near future. Ignoring her whispers to my Uncle, I focused instead on Ces, who was already instructing me on what to do.

" _But_ , since the power recognizes your own language you will be able to say the words in English. All you have to say is, 'I accept the blood of my ancestors and all the power that comes with it.'"

Taking a deep breath, I was glad I paid attention at the right moment. Closing my eyes, I repeated the words. Nothing happened except what I could only describe as a slight sigh. It was like the room's air shifted or something to that effect, but nothing outrageous or exciting like I had expected with such a statement.

Opening my eyes, I said, "Well, what was supposed to happen?"

Cesair smiled and turned me to my family who all let out a small gasp.

"Annan, your eyes."

Ash's statement had me looking to the mirror, which was next to them. As I got closer, I could see my usual emerald green had the same molten swirl Cesair and Eevul's eyes had. They were memorizing.

"So cool..."

Cesair let out a small laugh. "I can help you learn glamour quite quickly so your eyes will appear as they always have. For now, congratulations on your power. There is much you need to know about it, dear."

There was something I could feel in her words and I wondered if it was my new power letting me sense something or if it was normal intuition. Whatever it was, Ces was informing everyone they should head back to Pack Lands—except Ash, who still had blood tests to do—so she could talk with me.

My Uncle congratulated me and gave me a strong hug. "I always knew you were remarkable, Annan."

Thanking him, he stepped away so I could hug Gale. "Annan, I..."

"I know, you don't have to even ask. When you need my help, I will be there for you."

Tears were already falling as she tucked under Mike's arm, and I was glad that when I put them in her eyes this time, it was for a good reason. Korbin tussled my hair and followed his folks out, saying he'd see me back at the house.

Last was Sean. His dual eyes seemed to be absorbed in my new gaze before they cast down in a light smile. He pulled me to him and held me for a moment. The tingle was there, deep in me, but something was different about it, almost ... _more_. We still had something between us, that was for sure.

"I love you, Annan. I didn't think it was possible for you to be even more beautiful."

He stepped away and followed my family out the door without another word.

"Always intense, huh?"

Ash's hands were comforting on my shoulders as I concurred in a quiet voice. Sean was holding back; I don't know how I could tell but I know he held in most of what he was feeling. Once they were gone, Serenity and Elizabeta glanced up from their notes on the Elecrabook, which I heard Elizabeta call it. She had been writing in it before but Serenity had set her camera aside and looked over the notes while they spoke. She swiped it a few times and made a comment about Ash, which told me it was time for them to begin science-ing over him instead.

Cesair excused us and I mouthed Ash a, "Good luck," as I followed her out the door. We weren't far from her office and no one was about so the walk was a short, silent one. Once there, we sat down in what was starting to feel like a comfortable manner.

"There is something you need to know about the Morrigan, and I am just thankful your family is not as versed in lore on her or they might have some questions." She stopped all the sudden, her eyes losing focus. "Oh my, what about Will? Maybe I should contact him."

Her worry had me just as concerned but I knew calling him would do no good. "You don't need to. He is out all day helping Chloe look at homes in the towns near Pack Lands.

She relaxed and sat back, giving a nod of the head. "Good. He would be someone who might know of the Morrigan's power."

"You're starting to scare me, Ces." She sounded so ominous I couldn't help but feel trepidation setting in.

"It's nothing too awful, you will actually be quite powerful and it makes even more sense as to why you were able to defeat Marcus. The power which concerns me is what connects you to Sean-Paul, possibly even Agent Harris. There could have been a chance to have influenced Antonio as well."

She mentioned all the men I had a physical connection to which was making me like the conversation even less, but I knew I had to keep listening.

"You see, the Morrigan's power had two sides to it. She was a great warrior, able to step on a battlefield and empower her troops or instill fear in her enemies. This is where your aggressive nature has been stemming from. You will be able to use the heat of battle as a weapon to give you strength, or even strengthen your allies. You will be able to gain and give extra speed and power when the battle calls for it, sometimes to the point of a berserker, which were products of the Morrigan's power."

Taking a long draw of air I said, "Wow, that explains a lot."

She nodded her head in agreement. "As I said though, there are two sides. It's the other side you will like less and is the one which ties you to those you are intimate with."

Pulling my lower lip between my teeth, I nodded and waited for the unfortunate news.

"The other side of the Morrigan's power was that of fertility, or lust."

Closing my eyes, I groaned and sank down in my chair.

"I know this is hard Annan, but it's not so bad. You saw how happy your aunt was over the prospect of new children; this side of your power allows that. I would have said more while they were here, but I didn't want to be too far detailed due to the sexual side of the ability. Unfortunately, I believe Sean-Paul's extreme infatuation with you—one so strong it is able to route our best magic—is not necessarily due to his power, but to your own."

Sitting up, I said, "You mean it's my fault Sean is an obsessive asshole?"

"I wouldn't put it in those words, Annan, though that is accurate. You have the ability to make someone fall in love with you, to do your bidding so to speak. The Morrigan would use this power to make wars end in a different way. She had once told me, 'Blood is the key. Either they spill it on the battlefield or spread it in their beds.' Many unions were brought together through her power, but she did have her men to call on as well."

Sinking down in the chair, I let out a groan.

"Don't fret, Annan. You should know she could force the unions to happen, but it was a choice she made when she felt the heat of lust in their souls. Her men were willing partners, her power called them because the desire was already present in them. There were not many times I had the pleasure of meeting Mori, but each time I did her partners were full of joy." She let out a small chime of laughter. "From what little I know of her sister, Eevul, she was quite different. She enjoyed making men fawn for her, but she was the Mother of Sirens after all."

"Wait, Eevul was the mother of ... what ... and her sister? What?" For some reason being tied to Eevul in any way felt horrific.

"Oh, yes you did see her at Antonio's, correct? After she came to earth, her offspring were mainly mages, as most Aos Si mixed children tend to be, but she did have a set of powerful twins. One was the first Siren, or a merperson, and the other the first banshee. She's said to have a beautiful voice but only the bewitched hear her sing."

The throng of men Eevul had with her must have heard her song but that didn't help me, I never sang or did anything to make Sean or anyone become my sex zombie.

"How did the Morrigan do it? I mean she couldn't have sang to them."

Cesair became somber again. "No, from what I had been told she would simply love them. The Morrigan had many lovers who took their lives when she died. It was claimed she had taken her own life but I never found evidence supporting that, however I never found evidence supporting any other means of why she lost her life either. Aos Si tend to only die at the hand of an Aos Si, be it someone else's or their own."

"Does that mean Ash and Sean are going to kill themselves if something happens to me? And, boy did Antonio dodge a bullet there, because he is not all obsessed over me." My voice was starting to sound hysterical.

"It's okay, Annan." Cesair came around her desk and knelt by me, pulling me in for a hug. "In time you will find a way to control the power and possibly be able to release them, though they may never want to go. Loving an Aos Si can, at times, be addicting for non-Aos Si, even more so for those who hold a power based in lust such as you now do."

Pulling back, I looked at her swirling gaze thinking mine must be the same way, only emerald instead of gold, but stayed focused on what was important. "Chloe and I had sex and she isn't all stuck on me. Is it just men?"

Ces's lips pulled into a soft smile. "Annan, didn't you say Will was with her. Was there a time you thought of them together, or somehow wanted Chloe or Will to find love or companionship?"

Thinking back on when Chloe first came with me, it was exactly what I had done. "Does that mean I ruined my cousin's future with a mate by sticking him with Chloe?"

Cesair let out a small laugh. "No, Annan. Even you couldn't combat the power of a mate bond. That magic is eternal to Were-kind now." She moved back to her seat, being that I had calmed down. "I wouldn't worry too much over such things, Annan. Are Chloe and Will happy?"

"Yeah."

"Were you concerned about their relationship _before_ knowing you may have caused it?"

Thinking on that, I had to shake my head in answer. At first, I was worried about Chloe but once I knew she wasn't going to hump Will to death, I was fine with it. Thinking of Chloe's sudden master status brought an idea to mind.

"Hey, if I have the influence over the offspring of the Morrigan, is that why Chloe and Angel were able to gain such a level of control so quickly?"

Cesair sat back as though in deep thought. "You know, that is a possibility. I believe that Antonio being a second-generation vampire and giving you so much of his blood was what helped kick-start the Morrigan's power in you. The fact it was his blood in particular could have given you a boost over his children early on. I'm sure if it weren't for his level of control as a master, your influence over him would have been even greater as well."

"So, what do I do now? If I have sex with someone are they going to be a drooling puppy for the rest of their lives? And where does that leave Sean, Ash, and me?"

Cesair let out a laugh and then stood up. She strode to her bookshelf holding many tombs as she began to speak. "Annan, you have to understand that the power you now hold is something you will need to learn to master, which reaches further than the relationship issues you have been having." She glanced at me a moment and then continued her search. "In fact, I would not have been upset with Sean-Paul in his need to please you had I known you held the Morrigan's power. You should not be concerned about him or Ashley; the Morrigan lived just fine with _more_ than two partners in her bed at any given night."

She pretty much said the Morrigan had an orgy every night and that took a second to sink in. What was I going to do with some power in me craving sex in such a way? Thinking on it as she scanned the second shelf, I contemplated if I should try to fight it and find my own way, or not be crazy and embrace what I am by blood. After all, it did answer all those questions I had about me. She found the book she was looking for; a small leather bound one that looked more like a journal.

Handing me the tomb, she sat back down and said, "Having the Morrigan's power reawaken in you is not something I would have considered. It was rare for a Chalice to find a new host in our kind and with only your mother having Aos Si blood it was never on my mind, nor did I have a DNA compression for what a Chalice manifestation looks like to prepare you as it appeared. Regardless, I believe the power was dampened some by the heavy wards we had placed on you, ones _you_ asked to have removed when you learned about them."

She smiled a moment and I let that sink in as well. My not wanting to screw everything as a teen even though I held the Morrigan's power in me made sense with that explanation, and had me thinking on Tommy. Good thing I didn't like him at all.

After a couple seconds, Cesair continued. "However, the power _has_ been manifesting in some way since you were young, seeking suitable companions for you. In doing so, the power provided you a base in Sean and Ashley, who love you very much. Try not to overlook that benefit, Annan."

Looking down at the book in my hands, I noticed a strange writing imprinted in the leather, which appeared to be one single word, but thought about what she said. The power needed the two men in my life who had always acted as though they needed me. My mind went to Antonio, causing a tightness in my chest.

"I'm sure Antonio wouldn't find that situation as a benefit."

She let out another laugh. "One vampire who refuses your bed is that important to you? You are already sounding like the Morrigan. Read that journal. It is all the information I have on her. The times I visited with her are chronicled in there. It only covers what I had seen or learned directly, so it is not extensive. You may want to talk with Will. He could have done some other research which would give him more detailed information from other accounts."

Peering at the book in my hand once more, I ran my fingers over the letters on the front.

"That is her name in our native script. I'm sorry there is not more on her but she was not someone I thought I would have to document thoroughly. There is more out there to learn about her, though. It seems I will have to rethink our database of Supe history and how to expand and modernize it. My library and help from various departments is not sufficient enough."

Nodding as I held the book to me, I knew exactly who would fit that job. It was possible she did too, which was why she told me what she had. Figuring I would have to check with Will before I volunteered him for such a career change I held my tongue on it, but it didn't matter because she stood and so I followed suit.

"Now, let's check on your unknown child to see if he will be needing more blood from you or not."

She was laughing again as we made our way out of her office but I didn't think it was that funny. Although, I bet Ash would think it was a hoot to know he was magically tied to me for god knows how long and that bond included sex. That's right; I decided not to take the path of crazy. If I'm some Chalice thing then there was no fighting it.

Sighing, I looked down at the book in my hand as we left her office and headed towards the training facility wondering if any answers would be in there. Guessing since Ces compiled the information within, there wouldn't be an answer on how to free the men since she herself didn't know. Thinking on what knowledge she _had_ given me, I decided I owed Sean a huge apology.

### Chapter 21

### The Explanation

Ash and I came out of the portal to see the snow falling in light swaths. The blood test had shown the unusual change was still present, but the deformation, which can happen during a vampire turn, was also there. Everyone figured it would be best if he and I treated it like a vampire turn. What that meant was Ash and I had to do at least three more blood exchanges. Serenity was keen on seeing us do it but Elizabeta saved me from any kind of embarrassing conversation on why I didn't want her around. All of the new information and what to do about it was rolling through my head as we made the short walk to my aunt and uncle's house from the portal. It was curious to see a lack of people by the portal, but I was glad everyone wasn't there to mob me since it gave me time to think on what I had to share with them.

"You going to be quiet the whole time?"

Glancing up at Ash, I smiled and wrapped my arm around him. He pulled me to him and held me as we walked a few more steps.

"How do you feel about living on Pack Lands, with me, and..." For the life of me, I couldn't figure out how to finish the sentence. Once I realized I was going to have to apologize to Sean, I began thinking hard on the long lasting implications of what my power had done, not just to him but Ash as well.

While Ashley was getting ready to go, I thumbed through the Morrigan's book. The entire thing was handwritten by Ces god knows how long ago and when I first opened the pages I pondered over my ability to read the tales within but when I asked on it, Ces informed me the pages of the journal were spelled. When would I learn?

As I flipped through, I found a few stories about the Morrigan's homes. There was one account I found very interesting about her place on Faerie but it only spoke of the loss of that home before she traveled to earth. In both explanations of her homes though, it spoke of size and space needed for her many lovers. She didn't just desire to have these men around but it seemed there was a need for them, to keep her power strong and secure.

"You going to finish that sentence before we get to your family's house?" We stopped.

Looking up at him, I sighed. "I was kind of hoping you would just figure out—"

"It's Sean, I'm being an ass."

Pursing my lips, I smacked his arm, but not too hard. He was still in the process of his turn, or change, or whatever. Putting his arm back around me we began walking once more.

"This is hard to say, but from what I read in that book I sort of need the two of you to live with me now for ... reasons."

"What kind of reasons?" There was a teasing in his voice.

"Stop being an ass, you know what kind."

He laughed. "You know, Annie, I should feel very ... conflicted. The thought of you, and Sean, and I living together should be very odd to me, but for some reason it's not. Would just you and I be better? Sure, but he's not a bad guy." He let out an abrupt laugh. "I'm not going to do anything sex wise with him, though."

He started laughing again.

"Ewe, gross, no, but I can tell you that I know why you are not upset or whatever about having to pretty much share me. It's a conversation I need to have with both of you and kind of why you need to live with me." Taking a deep breath, I let it out. "I'm going to have to have a discussion with Antonio too, I think."

Anymore I wanted to say, or any reply Ash had, was cut short by the sight of the house with my family standing in wait for me on the front porch. At least they waited at the house. Groaning, I was happy to feel the light press of Ash's lips on the top of my head as he whispered something about telling him later and broke out of our hug to let my family come give me congratulations and the likes.

~

There had been a lot of commotion when we got back, especially after I explained there had to be more blood exchanges and that one bite wasn't enough like a werewolf. My family was very interested in what Ash would be, but then again everyone was interested in that outcome, including himself. Once all the action calmed down I told my uncle I needed to ask him something and we took a seat at the cleared off table away from everyone else in the living room and Gale in the kitchen.

"Would you mind if I took one of the larger houses on Pack Lands, like a four bedroom at least? I'm kind of assuming you won't mind if I move here."

A smile spread on his face and I saw my aunt pause a moment in her dishwashing before starting back up again. "It's what I always wanted, dear, but why do you need such a big house, if you don't mind my asking?"

My eyes darted to Sean then Ash in the living room, swallowing hard I opened my mouth to answer when the front door opened.

"The next town might be better." Will was talking to Chloe who was stomping snow off her shoes before she entered and removed them.

"I doubt that very much, if this one was any show of what there is."

Both stopped talking and turned to the open area and the various people.

"Why did everyone get so quiet?"

Chloe's question was met by Korbin jumping over the couch telling them they were not going to believe what happened and I let my head fall and hit the hard natural wood of the table my uncle and I were sitting at.

"It's okay, sweetie, you can tell me later."

We stood up to meet everyone in the front room before Will exploded with questions, since no one would answer him. They were all saying I had to tell him.

Glancing at Will as his eyes found me, I said to my uncle. "Maybe Will can fill you in on why I need that house," in a hushed voice only to be met with a questioning look from him.

"Why is this everyone is so excited?" Will said as we made it to him and Chloe in the living room.

"I'm kind of hoping you will be able to help me out with that."

A brow lifted in question as we sat. Chloe too looked curious as she sat next to him, taking his offered hand. It was all I had in me not to frown.

Nodding, I met Will's eyes while everyone but my aunt sat back down. "I changed into the Morrigan today."

"Wait, what? How do you change into a war goddess? Or, at least that is what the humans thought of her, in a way. Kind of war and fertile..." He looked at Sean.

"I knew you would be able to help fill everyone in on the details for me. You know, to save me some embarrassment" Glancing at the people around us, I didn't like how curious Korbin was looking all of the sudden.

"I know how to be discreet, Annan."

He must have seen the worry on my face about what he would tell whom. "Mike and Gale need the full truth though."

He looked to his mom and dad and nodded.

"Well, isn't this so mysterious." Chloe sounded a little put out in her southern way and I had to smile.

"Chlo too, she would understand."

Her pale brow puzzled but she didn't say a word as Korbin started ranting about being left in the dark.

"All I will say to you, Korbin, is that the Morrigan had some powers which will need me to have ... a larger living situation." Drawing in a breath, it dawned on me that if I was living on Pack Lands he would know everything too at some point. Looking to Will again, I said, "Actually, can you just tell everyone?"

"Sure, but how were you able to become a dead fae?"

Drawing in a breath, I told him the short end of what happened as his smile grew. "Ces gave me a book on the Morrigan I need to read but she said it is not complete. I'm guessing a lot of her information is not complete. That was another thing I wanted to talk to you about, helping her with a complete Supe database."

His smile grew even more. "You know, I was kind of thinking of getting out of teaching. It is about time to change jobs before someone starts asking questions and at the SIA I wouldn't have to do that again unless I wanted to."

By the tone of his voice, I could tell he was already thinking of all of the things he would learn and do at such a facility. Korbin started complaining about his brother being at his work but Sean made a comment that it wouldn't be much different than working with him, and the two started in on each other in a friendly way. It was nice to see Sean more like he was when we first met, I was just hoping he stayed that way after I had the talk with him and Ash about what happened with us.

Asking Will if he could talk to the others about what having the Morrigan's powers meant, I stood and didn't even have to ask Ash, he just stood up as well. Trying not to be sad he was going to be that way forever, I mean it wasn't much different from how he was before, I just knew the reason now, I got Sean's attention before heading for the door.

We said our goodbyes as they got ready to listen to Will—even Gale who was drying her hands on her apron—and I promised he could have the book after I read through it. The cool air hit us as we left the house but I didn't feel it one bit. The wind could have been a summer breeze for all the effect the temperature had on me. Glancing at Ash, he didn't look to put off and I had to wonder how fast the changes were happening in him.

"So, what do you need to talk to us about?" Sean was always so damn observant. The others were learning about the Morrigan from Will so of course I would be telling them, and the fact I separated the two from the rest must have stuck out to him.

Sighing, I said, "Can you show me the big houses on Pack Lands?"

He raised an ashen brow over a cornflower eye and that pull of lust hit me as it had in the past. Though it was a shock to feel it again with such force, the awakening power in me helped to not becoming a drooling idiot because instead of trying to molest him I just stood there and let that desire roll through me like a warm breath of air.

Either he was ignoring me being turned on, or my power was not leaching into him, because he didn't say a word about it. "Why the big ones?"

"Just because, I will tell you as you show me. Now please, Sean can you do this for me?"

"You know I can do anything for you." His words hit my and that desire built.

"Man, are you always this intense?" Ash's words pulled me back some and I had to laugh.

As Sean shook his head and led us to the closest four-bedroom house, since I said it had to be at least that many rooms, I took up stride between the two of them. With Sean on my right and Ash on my left, I wanted it to feel strange, or not right in a way, but it didn't, it felt okay. In fact, it felt more than alright, it felt like I was where I was supposed to be.

After taking a few steps, I started to wonder if all of my fighting being with Ash and then later Sean was what caused all the sex and relationship problems we suffered from, and nothing else. Once I learned more of the power I would know for sure, but I had a good feeling I nailed it on that one. Thinking on my first time of trying to attempt sex I had a second to be glad I had no emotional connection to _that_ particular guy. Tommy would have been bad to have following me around.

Looking up to the two men I did have a connection too, there was a second of longing for my missing third. Pushing out my craving for Antonio, I decided it was time to tell them the deal. "Okay, so I have some ... news for the two of you. I'm not sure if it's bad or good, or how either one of you will take it, but I will start with an apology."

Our feet crunched on the spelled snow, not sinking deeper than a few inches. Sean gave Ash a questioning look and he just shrugged.

"Sean, first off I am sorry for thinking your power made me fall in love with you. Now that I have come to my power, and learned a small amount about it I need to say that I am truly, very, very sorry. I'm also sorry for the future and all that BS." The last part I spew out as quick as I could so I could move on to Ash, which I did over Sean trying to speak.

"Okay, and Ash..." Sean's dual eyes gave me a mock glare as I cut of his first words. "Ashley, I am sorry you never had a chance to be a normal guy. I'm sorry you will never meet a girl and get married have kids or whatever you would have done had I not messed up your human life."

There was more I wanted to say, but this time he cut me off.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, let's back it up here a second. I do not want you to apologize for giving me one hell of an exciting life. Do you think I entered the Marine Corps because I wanted to watch swim lessons on Friday? Maybe someday, _maybe_ , but I needed some action, and now I will get lots of crazy action I never thought possible."

"Sure, he gets to say his piece."

"Don't be all jealous, Sean. Ash is just ... Ash." Sean didn't seem to like that answer by the look he gave me but I ignored him as we continued on; the first house had to be getting close but this talk might take longer than looking at every house on the property, which was a lot from what I was told.

"Look, Ashley, what I'm telling you is that it could be because of me you didn't grow up wanting those things."

"Did you make me want to see combat or be excited to shift into some creature so I can fuck shit up?"

Thinking on that a moment, as well as what Ces had told me, I pursed my lips. "Actually, yeah I could have. You see, part of the Morrigan's power lies in war, battle, destruction for a cause, so I could have influenced you in some way since I had influenced you through the other side of her powers."

"The fertility one?" Sean said.

Taking in a deep breath, I said, "It's more than just fertility."

Before I could decide what more to say the first house came up and Sean let us inside it. The outside and inside were the same as the other ones I had seen on Pack Lands. It was just larger so there wasn't much to really see, but I paused for the few minutes it took us to walk around and out of the house. We headed to the next one and I continued my explanation.

"So, the Morrigan's power over life or fertility is driven by sex and since she, you know, has a sex power she also has many lovers to help fuel that power." It made me cringe at first to know I needed an overt amount of sex each night, but I tried to not let it bother me.

"So what are you trying to say, Annan?"

"Yeah, we only had sex the one time and most of it was in a dream."

Looking back and forth to the two of them, one tan and summer kissed like me, the other pale and cool like the winter around us, I shrugged as we walked.

"It has a lot to do with feelings of love more than anything; it's why my first sex encounter didn't end with him following me around like a puppy. We've been around each other, and I have loved you, since we were kids. You had no chance. That power claimed you early."

Ash looked as though he was thinking on my words so I turned to Sean. "For you, there was the empathy you had no control over, the fact you are part of both of the Morrigan's children, and your love you felt for me as I grew, all of that combined and the power drew you in. Mash that up with the times we had sex and you're with me forever, Sean. There probably isn't anything I can do about that, for either of you, and I am very sorry."

We walked on in silence for only a few steps before Sean, and then Ash started laughing.

"Sorry, I couldn't hold it in any more."

"Can you believe she is apologizing?"

"I know right, 'Oh sorry boys, you have to spend your life with a hot chick who is going to want to fuck you all the time, not only that but I'm the reason you have wanted to do that since I was fuckable.'" Ash started laughing even harder as Sean agreed with him more, and I had a feeling I was the brunt of some joke.

"Hey, no need to be a dick." Smacking Ash on the arm, I didn't hold back and hoped it hurt a little. By the way he grabbed it and told me to be nice, it had.

"Annan, once I learned you gained the Morrigan's power I wanted to know what that meant for you so I snooped through Will's files on her while we waited for you to get back. It became obvious what happened with us after I read the information on her lovers and how they fueled her power." Sean being all like his old self at the house made sense, he was glad to know we were stuck together.

"When we got back and your aunt was fawning over you and the idea of having kids again, Sean shared what he learned with me since he figured I had been coerced by the power too." Ash's smile pulled at that desire in me as well. "If I'm stuck with someone, Annie, it sure doesn't suck to be stuck with you."

"I can second that." Sean put an arm around me and kissed the top of my head.

"Wait, if you guys knew why did you let me go through that whole song and dance?"

"Eh, we figured you had to get it out." Ash shrugged.

"Yeah, but I never would have guessed you would have apologized like that."

"I know right? I figured a bit of a sorry, but not a, 'I ruined your life,' apology." Ashley laughed

Sean joined him as we made our way to the next house and I had to groan. It seemed as though they were all buddy, buddy, which was great, I guess if I considered of the alternative, but it had me wondering how other aspects of our relationship would be. As though the power in me knew the answer to that question there was a pull low in groin that would have had me worried a couple of days ago, but for some reason it only felt reassuring now. Breathing in the reassurance over my power base, I felt Sean's arm come around my back to make light circles.

His eyes were heated as I caught a sideways glance from him and I had to assume he could still feel what I was feeling. Maybe just knowing I was his, or more accurately, he was mine, had his mind at ease and kept him from trying to screw me. As he looked back to Ash and laughed over some joke about having to cook more now that he would be living with me, I was glad Sean found whatever peace he needed. Having a calm Sean was much better than a pissed off one as well as one who would screw me at any hint of arousal. It seemed the real power in becoming the Morrigan was just knowing what I was.There really was power in knowledge.

### Chapter 22

### New Home

The fourth house Sean showed us had six bedrooms and was more massive than the main house. Sean said it was built for combined families but was not often used, even though they continued to update it over the years. He thought six bedrooms, three master suites downstairs and three up, were a little much but as soon as I saw the bathroom for the main room on the first floor, I didn't care.

"Look at that tub! It's almost the size as the one at Antonio's."

Both Sean and Ash were giving me a funny look.

"Hey, you two are super cool with each other and that is fine, but there was a good chance Antonio would have made this a threesome."

"Don't you mean foursome?"

Waving Ash's comment away, I continued. "Don't talk schematics at me, whatever it is, if he had a little less control he would be part of this little..." Making a motion with my hand between the three of us, I was lost for words.

"Family." Sean suggested.

"Right, family, whatever. If I had done the dirty deed with the vampire he would be another member of the family, so suck it up."

"What about Chloe?"

My lips pursed. "I didn't want to talk about that but my power, I guess, works in a persuasive way too. I think I instigated the relationship between Chloe and Will."

Sean took in a deep breath and let it out. "That is a load off my chest."

"Yeah, awkward right? And, when were you going to tell me you did it with his mom?" Ash laughed.

Sean started laughing as well, and then said something about not hearing the whole story, but being fine with it, and I had to think the combination of the two of them was going to be a lot to get used to. Shaking my head, I turned back to the giant tub. "With all the awkward talk aside, look at this thing. It is amazing and I have yet to see any other one like it on Pack Lands. We could all fit in it." The words left my mouth before I knew I was going to say them, but once I did, I clamped that mouth shut tight in a second.

Both guys were laughing as I started turning red. Getting used to being the rebirth of the Morrigan was going to be harder than the Sean-Ash bromance.

Clearing my throat, I ignored the two men making comments over the fact we could all fit in the shower too, but the bed might be a stretch, and just shook my head at them again. The shower was massive and would fit us plus some. Looking at the clear glass, which surrounded slate-toned subway tiles and four showerheads, not including the rainfall one in the center, I started to image those people in there with Sean, Ash, and me. It was almost as though I could see the bodies beyond the glass, wet, hot and rubbing up against one another with cocks flowing in and out... Closing my eyes, I tried to clear the image from my mind. That was extreme.

"Annan?" Sean must have felt my over active arousal because his eyes looked hooded when I met them.

Giving my head a quick shake, I smiled at him. "It's nothing; I just need to get a handle on my power. It's pretty ... wild."

His lips pulled into a smile as Ash looked confused and we exited the bathroom. Sean told me that room could be mine, and he and Ashley could take the ones on either side. We each would have our own bathroom, but mine was more substantial by far with theirs only having glassed in showers and no tub. There were doors off the master, which led to the back, and Sean insisted I see what was out there before we left.

Outside someone had done a bang up job on making the garden look like a fairy wonderland, complete with trellises, birdbaths, and a trail to the river with a small bridge across it and all. Smacking him in the arm, I said, "Why didn't anyone show me this place before?"

He smiled. "There are nicer gardens, but this one does look pretty amazing when the snow is gone." We went back into the house to go look at the basement, which was the only thing left. "Gale enjoys gardening so whenever she gets the urge she will go to one of the houses and fix it up."

Nodding, I imagined Gale transforming the area into being what I had seen with her own hands, and I could totally see her doing that. She was like the perfect mom type mom, cooking, cleaning, gardening, and wanting kids galore. Sean flicked the lights on for us before we made our way down the stairs.

"Oh, this is new." He sounded surprised as we entered a family area with a walkout to the backyard—which sloped down around the house from the other side—and a full wet-bar. There was a fireplace done in slate to match the one upstairs and I noticed why the house stood out to me more than the others had.

"Was this more recently updated?"

Sean nodded. "About a year ago, but I didn't know they finished the basement too. Usually updates are just finishing touch ups, not a full remodel or addition."

"Oh, my god. You two have to see this. We are getting this house for sure if I have anything to say about it."

Both Sean and I looked perplexed as we followed Ash to the other side of the basement from where the stairs dropped us.

"Oh, holy cow." Around the corner, the entire other side was done up to be a home theater with plush, leather seats that reclined by the touch of a button. Ash was in one showing us like a kid playing with the Power Wheels at Toys R Us.

"Movie night is going to be badass in this place, I am sold! You're sold right?" he said as he rejoined Sean and me.

"Mike isn't going to care what house you take, Annan. I'll start moving my things."

Sean gave me a kiss that had my sex on fire and I wanted to be mad the Morrigan's power was amplifying the sexual urges in me, not toning them down, but since I was also able to control and not act on them, I decided it wasn't so bad. There had to be a balance and I hadn't even gotten through day one yet.

As I followed Ash out of our new home, I turned on the heat to warm it so it would start to _feel_ like a home when we got back. Sure, I didn't need the heat but a warm home is a comfortable home, regardless if you feel the cold or not.

~

There had been no comments on the implications of my powers from my family, but I did see that glint in Korbin's eyes, which told me he had some things to say. When I informed Mike of what house I wanted he agreed without question. Once it was mine, Gale pulled me in for a tearful hug. Both of them were more than happy I wanted to stay on Pack Lands and didn't say a word when Sean said he wouldn't need his house anymore. However, Korbin looked as though he was going to explode with whatever it was he wanted to say about the situation.

Ashley had to go back to Virginia through the portal to pack up his things. Ces offered to have some agents assist in packing and transporting his belongings, the ones he wished to keep that is, after I called her to be sure he was even allowed to live with me. She was actually kind of surprised asked considering she had already put safeguards in place if any human authority should try to locate his place of residence, which should be in Virginia. In other words, she designed a cover story for him already.

Ash took the help offered and I used a portal that came out at the fair to gather my things. Every fiber of me wanted to see if George was home and let him know about his son and me, but he had no reason to worry so there was no need for me to see him. There were already agents at the exit of the portal to help me pack what I wanted and with the lighting speed of Supes, all of us were done in no time.

There were some items I wanted to replace, so I asked the woman in charge if they could bring everything back without me. That way, I could get the stuff I wanted before heading back up myself. She agreed and I got into my car, hating it and knowing what to buy first.

The drive to Tacoma had been short and the flash of a barely used hybrid and cash had me in a new Range Rover in no time. By the time I was done shopping at the mall and other stores, Sean and Ash were getting worried about me, but I had almost been back to Pack Lands by the end of our last conversation so there was no problem. All of us were just ready to be settled in our new home.

Traversing the roads in my new vehicle wasn't too bad with all the wards keeping most of the snow at bay. With how Snoqualmie Pass was, I had wished we could have warded it as well. When I came around the bend and saw my family's house, I was glad to be back and thought it odd I had packed and left the house I grew up in to with family I had never known. It felt great though, and like home to be on Pack Lands. For once in what felt like forever, everything was right in my world.

Gale had stocked our kitchen while we were out so we didn't need to be there for dinner, which was awesome of her. Chloe looked like she was hiding something, but I just wanted to go home so I ignored her strange behavior and gave her a hug, figuring it was something between her and Will. After all, he looked as though he knew why she was so giggly an odd. Having him around had been nice since he had taken the brunt of explaining my new powers. Because of that, I was able to spend the rest of my day without a single uncomfortable question. It was fantastic. As I left their house and headed for my new shiny, black SUV, I heard the door behind me click and groaned, guessing my luck had run out.

"So, this power."

"Leave it Korbin."

He had that damn teasing spark in his eyes like when I first met him. It was more than obvious, even in the limited light near my vehicle. "Come on, can't I say something?"

Rolling my eyes, I sighed. "What, what do you really need to say?"

"I helped Chloe set up the bed she got you and ... it's pretty nice ... for you guys. It will come in handy." His smile couldn't have been any wider but before I could ask on it, he was saying, "Later" and dashing back to the house.

There was a small part of me that wanted to go ask Chloe what she had done, and why the hell she had included Korbin when she did it, but I wanted to be in my new home so I ignored him and got into the Rover. When I got home, the lights were illuminating the front porch and snow around it. The place was just as lovely as the main house, but felt better since it was mine. Well, Sean, Ashley's, and mine. Grabbing what I could, I closed up the doors with a button and entered my new home.

"Welcome home!" Sean and Ash were there to greet me, Sean from the fire he was adding a log to and Ash from the kitchen.

"Awe, you guys. This is great."

The whole place had furniture I had selected, which Mike and Geoff procured via the portal and set up for me before I got home. Some of the stuff had been from my house as well as Sean's, but Ash only grabbed a few items such as the glass bowl now sitting on our coffee table. Our things all fit well in a homey kind of way. It was great having supernatural speed and magical assistance when moving. In no time at all a barren house with unused furniture was transformed into a home that looked lived in.

Taking a seat next to Sean on the couch, which was as comfortable as it looked online, I leaned into him and let out a deep breath. "I'm glad to be home."

He chuckled. "It looks like you weren't kidding when you said you did some shopping."

He motioned to the bags by the door and I laughed. "That's not even half of what I got, and you didn't even see the main purchase. I saved it as a surprise."

He raised an eyebrow and Ash came out of the kitchen, wearing an apron. "Did Gale give you that?"

He looked down at the white apron that said, "Kiss the little lady," on it with lip prints splattered around it. "Yeah, why?"

Shaking my head, I just laughed. "Come on. You guys can help carry the rest of the crap in."

They followed me outside and were impressed with my car purchase but thought the rest was too much. Sean had real wonderings about why the TV I bought for my bedroom had to be so large. It seemed just right to me, but when I saw him carry it in the house, I was starting to wonder on my own motives as well. The changes happening in me were small, but they all seemed to be happening without me noticing them. Such as buying a TV larger than the one in the front room for my bedroom which means somewhere in the back of my mind I was thinking of watching porn on it. Shaking the thought from my head—I mean, it would be good for that ... okay, that's enough—I sat back down.

"There, that monstrosity is in next the monstrosity my mother bought you."

Sean was shaking his head and Ash laughed from his place back in the kitchen. He was making dinner and the whole house smelled amazing.

"I had the movers, or whatever, put that stuff you bought in Virginia in your room too. It's in the closet."

Thanking Ash, I decided I should put the other gifts there with them. When I had gone Christmas shopping before, Angel hadn't been on the list and Ash was not there in the same variety, at that time Sean was also not on the list in the same way he was now. It wasn't as if I bought them sex toys or something, but when someone is your lover or partner, or whatever we were all considered, you buy things for them with different eyes.

"What the..." Where there had once been a normal queen bed with a thick carved wood frame, there was now some ... monstrosity. The way Sean had described it was the only word that fit. Walking around the thing, I couldn't believe its size with its four beams—which resembled wood but were metal upon touching—and canopy surround of the same wooden looking metal. It had to be bigger than a California king and was very sleek and geometric, other than ringed designs at the top in various places, and looked almost like a giant cube with a minimal headboard and mattress.

Sean came in the room carrying the rest of my shopping bags.

"How the hell am I going to buy sheets for that thing?" I said as I put the stuff in one of my two walk in closets. The one I opened was filled with clothes and when I looked in the other to see if there was more room, I only saw more clothes. All the stuff I owned before meeting my family, the stuff bought for me since returning to them, and what I recently purchased had added up.

Sean set the bags he had in his hands down by the ones I had carried in. "Mom said sheets were in the drawers along the bottom.

Going to one of the drawers, I opened it to find it full of the sheets Chloe promised Sean. Each one along the side had bedding in them and as I opened drawer after drawer, Ash had entered the room to watch my bed exploration. By the time I got the ones at the end of the bed the sheets had stopped.

"What the hell is this crap?"

"She said everything in the drawers were for the bed." Sean sounded as puzzled as I was while I pulled out some leather, chain apparatus I couldn't understand.

"It's a sex bed, Annan."

Ash sounded so matter of fact and Sean picked up a few more things then shook his head with a smile on his face.

"My mom is kind of kinky."

He had no idea but her behavior earlier and Korbin's comments made sense. Real funny.

Ash told us dinner was done and we followed him back to the front of the house. Sean seemed even more comfortable with the idea of Chloe being his mom so I thought it was time to tell him of her true nature. The minute I did, all that crap in the drawers would make sense to him too. Knowing _she_ bought me a giant sex bed didn't surprise me, what did surprise me was that Ash knew what it was.

### Chapter 23

### On The Other Side

The ultra late dinner was awesome, which was normal when Ash cooked, he did learn from my mom after all. He was surprised how much he wanted and I was surprised how much I didn't. It was the first time since I was a teen I ate a normal portion and was fine. We all pitched in on cleaning and decided to watch a movie, in the front room by the fire on the fifty-five inch and not the theater downstairs. Ash was forlorn but I said we couldn't all sit together down there the way we could upstairs, and he quieted down.

Opting for a shorter movie due to the time, and the fact Ash and I still had to have his second blood exchange, we picked some campy comedy from the lineup and didn't have to pay a whole lot of attention to enjoy the silly jokes.

"Elizabeta brought over some more of her wine as a housewarming gift." Sean's hand was holding mine while my head rested on his lap and my legs enclosed Ash. One of his hands was rubbing up and down my thigh in a comforting way.

"Pass."

"What's so bad about that? I thought it was the only thing that could get you kind of drunk."

Looking down at Ash, I said, "Yeah, but you don't know what kind of devil brew she makes."

Sean laughed. "It wouldn't be as bad if you didn't drink so much."

"So why are you telling me about the wine now?" My eyes met his golden and sky blue gaze. If it weren't for the small wood band around the top of my right index finger giving me temporary glamour until I found my own, my eyes would be swirls of emerald as he looked at me.

"It was a gift, and maybe this time you will listen."

Rolling my eyes, I turned back to the TV.

"What's so bad about it?" Ash still sounded interested.

With my attention remaining on the screen, I said, "You remember how you described absinth?"

My legs trembled on Ash's lap as he shuddered. "Yeah."

"It's like that but only a million times worse."

Sean laughed again. "Only if you drink too much. Here, get up."

Sitting up, I scooted next to Ash and watched Sean go into the pantry before coming out with one of the feared bottles.

"I'm not drinking that stuff!"

He was shaking his head as he laughed this time. After grabbing a couple of shot glasses from a glass fronted cupboard and a bottle opener from a drawer he came back to us and sat down. Once the cork was out, he poured two shots and handed one to Ash.

"Cheers. Don't drink the shit like it's going to give you eternal youth and you'll be fine. Besides, she probably already gave you that." He motioned to me with his glass and I just shook my head. "Or will, once all the bites are complete."

His smile was soft as he and Ash took their shots and I was glad, once more, Sean was being cool with the whole Ashley thing, or more like the whole my power thing.

"Oh, that is not like taking absinth at all." Ash was licking his lips as Sean poured them each another shot and re-corked the bottle.

"It's not the taste that gets you, and honestly, I think it being that good helps you get fucked up."

"Only if you drink too much," Sean said again as he took his second shot and put the glass down.

Looking at it and then Ashley's I was tempted, but with my new power, I wasn't sure if that was such a good idea.

"I'd like to but ... until I know what happened to the Morrigan on that stuff, I don't want to chance it."

Sean nodded as he leaned back. "Okay, where is that book?"

Having seen it on the shelf by the fireplace with my other books, I grabbed it and handed it to the man. He flipped through a few pages, scanning them with lightning speed until he stopped and took some time. Ash tried to grab the bottle again as Sean was scanning more pages and I smacked his hand away, which distracted the lycoan for but a second. Ash didn't protest but instead put the scolded hand to my knee and began a gentle massage of it, which wasn't unpleasant so I let it be.

Sean closed the book after reading and scanning one last bit and set it on the table. "There's interesting stuff in that book. I'm going to read the rest of it tomorrow, or tonight, if you don't mind?"

Nodding, I was astounded he could read that fast, but I had yet to try so maybe I could too. "What did you learn?"

"Well, for one thing, taking two shots might not do anything to you. The few anecdotes in the journal of when the Morrigan drank it, she drank a lot. She was said to have drank more than any other Aos Si Cesair knew."

"Damn." One part of me was a little appalled but a bigger one was glad those times I let loose it was on account of her power coming to a head. Or, at least I could say that's what it was.

Grabbing the wine, Sean pulled the cork out again and filled both shot glasses before replacing the cork and setting it down again. "Here, to our new home." He handed me both shots.

Lifting a brow, I drank one then the other and enjoyed the sweet honey flavor. This one had some hint of flowers that were familiar yet wasn't and I had to wonder if the Morrigan's magic recognized something I didn't.

Taking the shot glasses, Sean set them down. "There, no more and you should be fine."

"I'm not worried about me from two." Ash's hands didn't seem to want to stop touching me and Sean laughed.

"He needs his blood exchange; I figured this would make it easier." Sean motioned to the bottle.

"And your reason for having some?"

He leaned towards me and though Ash's hands were on my back and side I couldn't help but meet Sean's lips. Our mouths met and he was near chaste in the kiss, parting before it could really begin. "I had some because I'm sleeping alone tonight."

Pouting, I watched as he got up and said a goodnight to the two of us, leaving me with an inebriated Ash. The wine left a slight tingle around my toes and fingers, but that was about it. By the looks of Ash, and how flush he was—and his inability to keep his hands to himself—I was guessing it had a much stronger effect on him.

"Come on," I said and hoisted him to his feet.

Turning off the, unfinished movie I glanced to the fire and was happy to see the last coals had almost no glow at all and were safe behind the wire door. Hitting the lights, I guided Ash to my room and the bed, where he flopped back and let out a small laugh. Leaving him there, I shook my head and then shut my door before turning the lights down low. The dimmer switches in each bedroom was a nice touch.

"This bed was a surprise."

Walking over to my closets, I opened the one that didn't have all the gifts in it praying I hadn't crammed the one holding all my pajamas full of them. Happy to see they were in the easy to access closet, I started rifling through them to find a set.

"That wasn't as surprising to me as you knowing what it was."

He let out a snort of laughter. Man, was he lit.

"I might have been a virgin but I watched a lot of porn and one had a bed like this but not quite as big. There are even places to attach ropes and things on it, which was why they needed the bed for the porn." His low laugh filtered through the open closet door. "Why would a bondage bed _not_ be surprising to you, is there something I need to know?"

Having found the nightclothes I wanted, I stopped in putting them on and groaned. I had forgotten to tell Sean about his mom's sex thing. Finishing with getting my light shorts and matching camisole on, I decided it wasn't that big of a deal.

"It's nothing about me you need to know. Chloe has some interesting habits is all, the bed was probably a joke of hers," I said as I came out.

"Makes you wonder about your cousin Will."

"More like worry." While I was changing, he had stripped down to his boxers. "Are you sleeping in that?"

His eyes lulled a bit as he looked down at the rippled plains of his tan chest. "It's how I always sleep. Plus now you have free reign on where to bite." He motioned across his body as if it was a table of treats set for me and my own body tightened in response.

Licking my lips, I grabbed his hand and told him to follow me into the bathroom. Once there, I decided we should go in the shower to one of the benches and sit down.

"Why would we shower with our clothes on?"

"We're not, you idiot. I've never done this before and if I make a mess I want it to be easy to clean up." Glancing down at my clothes I debated on taking them off, but it might make the whole blood exchange thing take longer. "Okay, if this hurts I'm sorry."

Ash just nodded and watched me as I brought him closer and felt that same tingle in my mouth I had when I had saved him. Going for the area on the neck Antonio had when he would bite me, a place not assessable when I had saved Ash, I tried to be as gentle as I could. He let out a soft moan as his hand came around my shoulder and I drew on his neck, drinking down his candy sweet blood. Not sure how much to take I was surprised yet glad to hear his heartbeat and didn't allow it to slow, even though I wanted more of his sweet life essence.

Licking at the wound I pulled back and saw it close up before I opened my wrist. "Here," I said to Ash and he took my arm.

As he drew my blood into him, it pulled things low in me similar to what happened when Chloe had taken blood. Wondering if the reason I wasn't aroused the first time we exchanged blood was because I was in war mode, I closed my eyes and let him have his fill. My heart never slowed and it felt as though I could sit forever and give him my life's blood. Being that I was immortal after my coming of power, a power which was considered god-like among some early humans, I was probably okay but I still thought it best I didn't let him have too much.

Drawing him away, I saw my own wrist knit up and was happy neither of us needed massive cleanup. "There, Ash. How do you feel? Ashley?"

His eyes were opening and closing in a slow fashion and I had to figure the wine and blood swap combo had laid him out, but before I could say anything to him, he grabbed me and pulled me to him, kissing me deeper than he ever had in a dream. Waiting for two heartbeats, I thought on what to do and figured that with my power there was only one thing to do.

Wrapping my arms around him I met him tongue for tongue, nip for nip as he kissed me. Ash broke from my mouth and moved down neck and collarbone as I told him we needed to go to the bed.

"No," he said and turned on the shower, which we had fun messing with when the house was cleared out.

The water that came out was cold at first but warmed up almost instantly. Pulling off my cami, he exposing my breasts and then began feeding at them like a hungry animal while the shower pumped hot steam around us—the last setting we had messed with. His mouth moved from my breasts down my stomach as he removed the small shorts I had on for such a brief time. Once they were gone, he found my shaven mound and spread my legs wide.

Glancing down at him, it was almost too much, the desire too strong, to see him between my legs with a feral look in his eyes. He lowered himself and began to taste of my lower lips. His mouth explored every inch of my pussy and had me squirming below him in the shower filling with steam around us. My orgasm crested as he focused on my nub and my fingers wrapped in his hair as I held him to me. Waves of pleasure raced through my body with such a force I drew in a sharp breath and thought I might pass out from the heat.

Our bodies were slick with sweat and moisture from the increasing steam and I insisted on going to the bed before I passed out. After a few more flicks on my sensitive folds, he complied and turned off the showers, holding me to him as we left. Ashley moved with some of the newfound speed he was gaining and we were there in no time. He had taken off his boxers at some point, and was ready and hard to enter me when we hit the bed.

As soon as my back touched the mattress, he was in me. There was no patience or carefulness this time. There was only need and desire from Ash as he slammed into me faster and faster. The sturdy frame made only the slightest of sounds, which surprised me by how hard my body was being rocked by his large member. He held me to him the entire time and I let myself float off on that wonderful sensation of being filled with such vigor. As his tip raked over and again inside me, hitting some point deep within, I came bucking under him and he held me tighter, slowing just enough to ride my convulsions.

Wrapping my arms and legs around him after the orgasm turned me into a pile of mush, I kissed Ash once then looked him right in his copper shot gaze. "I love you, Ashley."

His eyes closed as our lips met again and he came before the kiss was finished. Ash rolled to his side and his lids fluttered. Kissing down the side of his face, he began to doze off and I thought it odd to be on this side of a turning. When Antonio did it to me and I was so hot for him, he had a lot of control. Of course, it was just my power trying to find a way with him but with Ash and I it was already in place. Giving Ash one last kiss on his cheek, I tucked the blanket around him and went back into the bathroom.

### Chapter 24

### Building the Power Base

After readjusting the shower, I washed up then found new pajamas, nearly the same thing except the shorts were snugger, and left a snoozing Ash in my enormous bed before leaving to scrounge for food. Making my way to the kitchen, I wasn't sure if wanting food after sex was normal or a Morrigan power thing, but whatever it was, I needed a snack. As I was foraging in the fridge, I heard a door open and figured it had to be Sean since Ash was out cold.

"This place has good walls; I didn't even know you were up." He was putting the book about the Morrigan's powers back on the shelf where I had gotten it from earlier in the night while I grabbed a cookie from the jar I had seen when I closed the refrigerator.

"I hope that's not your way of being nice about hearing things." Taking one more cookie from the full jar, I put the lid back on then shoved one in my mouth before chewing.

He shrugged as he came into the kitchen and joined me at the island. The gray cabinets were offset in a nice way by the white uppers, quartz counter, and the stainless appliances. It really was more modern than anything else on Pack Lands.

"How's the wine treating you?"

"Fine, and you?" I said and swallowed one last cookie bite before drinking a glass of water.

"No complaints. You going to bed now?" His eyes were on me in the dim kitchen. He looked amazing in swaths of moonlight from the high windows with nothing on but loose fit night pants hugging him low on his hips.

Swallowing another drink of water, I couldn't believe my power had me ready for more sex, if my tightening groin was any indication. It might have been ready but I wasn't sure I was ... I mean, could I even _be_ ready after that? Ignoring the longing that was building inside my core, I set the glass down and smiled.

"Maybe, he's passed out after the blood thing, right in the middle of the bed, but there is enough room ... Oh, right. I should tell you why Chloe bought that."

After I explained Chloe's sex issues, he leaned back against the counter and ate a cookie himself, but only a small amount before handing the rest to me, which I popped in my mouth and ate.

"I guess your power setting up her with Will wasn't so bad after all. She seems to be toned down even if she still has a perverted sense of humor."

Nodding I had one more cookie then put the jar back. They had to be home made by Gale because they were too addicting.

As I finished off my glass of water Sean said, "So how did that bed work out for you guys?"

Almost choking, I set down the glass and glared at him. "Are you really going to get all jealous on me?"

He laughed. "No, I was trying to come off as funny; I guess it came out wrong."

Leaning back on the counter like him, I drew in a deep breath and let it out. "It's too big."

He laughed. "Maybe you need more people in it."

"Funny."

There were only two people I wanted in that huge bed with me ... well three, but Antonio was an ass so that was never going to happen. Thinking on what Ces said about sounding like the Morrigan when I commented on Antonio, had my brow pursing, but I just pushed the thought out of my mind. There was no need in worrying over the inevitable, right?

"What's on your mind?" Sean had moved closer and was now running a comforting hand up my arm.

"Just the Morrigan and what it means to have her power."

"I read that whole book. I'm not too worried about it, you can handle anything she had done and I'll be there by your side to help you."

"You and Ash."

"Yeah, whatever he becomes."

Thinking on Ash passed out and changing into some unknown thing helped me to not be too aroused by Sean's hand on my skin. "I guess I'm a complete freak now since I can turn humans into some new creature."

"No, just unique. When he does change Ces should have some idea what he is then you will have a new title; Mother of ... whatever." He let out a small laugh.

"So I'll be the Chalice of the Morrigan Mother of whatevers?"

He laughed a little more. "Exactly. The book stated that when the Morrigan bred vampires, Weres, and shifters she was called the Mother of Night. Fae kind are big on titles. You tired yet? The sun will almost be up."

Glancing at the clock, I saw it was edging closer to dawn but I wasn't tired in the least. Mother of Night is right. Looking back at Sean, I kept my eyes up and away from the pale lines of his body. "I'm not tired but you go ahead to bed."

A half smile pulled the corner of his mouth and it was as though I knew what was coming before he spoke. "I don't need to go to bed right now, either."

Sean pulled me to him and kissed me with the usual hunger and need he always had. Instead of fighting what we had, as I would have the previous morning, I gave into it. Giving in felt so great. Even if I had just finished having sex, the power within my body craved more and caused me to want more. In less than one day, I learned of my power, bowed to it, and now it was as though it was beginning to master my body. The whole ordeal made me realize me trying to fight being with the men who my power chose must have been why it turned to anger and violence. If one wouldn't work, why not the other, right?

As Sean kissed down my neck I said, "You really don't mind sharing? You have to know..." My sentence trailed off as he came to my breast and it became hard to focus.

"I have already told you I don't care if I have to share." His hands were quick as he pulled my top from me and tossed it aside. Sean found my breasts but his fingers worked the nipples as he continued to talk. "After reading what I did about her I understood you were going to need this. Her power grew from the love and lust she had with her men." His tongue lapped at one breast as I put my hands to his shoulders and moaned, leaning back a little more against the counter. "Sometimes, before a battle she would have a mass orgy to build power. Reading it was very hot."

Sean stopped talking then, and started savoring one tit after the other as his hands moved south and removed my bottoms before lifting me onto the counter. My moans sounded through our new kitchen as he let go of my nipple with a grate of teeth and lowered me to the counter bending my knees and spreading my legs wide. He began to stroke my pussy and I thought he was going to devour it like Ash had but instead he started putting a finger then two in me.

"It said in the book the Morrigan told of a way, one that made Cesair blush when she heard it, that helped her charge her power and caused her to tire if spent right away."

As Sean spoke, he began to add to the fingers making slow motions inside of me. Eventually he had his whole hand in me massaging an unseen spot in my body, the one Ashley's tip had been stroking. Instead of it pumping bursts of pleasure through me like Ash's cock had, Sean's relentless hand caused a strange stirring to flow out from that point through the rest of my body. It was only by the third wave I decided it was a good feeling when an orgasm broke from nowhere over the foreign sensation. After having the unexpected orgasm, which made my body spasm as Sean's hands worked the inside and outside of me, he picked me up and carried me to the living room.

As soon as we were in the front room, he laid me over the back of the plush couch. The height of it was much better for the angle he put me in, spreading my legs wide with my body bent so my head rested on the sofa pillows. Without any other prep, he entered me and began a rapid pace. It was a lot to handle with being so sensitive from his assault and having just had sex but again the feeling shifted and spread, this time warming my body. Groaning out, his hands on either side of my ass stretch me wider and wider while he pumped me ever harder. Sean jerked then moaned out and I could feel him cum in me in hard, quick bursts.

Instead of being finished, he lifted me and brought me to the other side of the couch where he laid me down on the oversized cushions. Once there, he kneeled on the edge as he raised one of my legs and held it while he spread me wide again by pushing the other leg down before he entered me, hard and ready. The first time we had sex and he was able to become erect again so fast I was surprised, with the Morrigan's power in me, I was delighted.

His cock filled me to the point of where it should hurt from the angle he was entering me, but it only felt amazing. After cuming once more, Sean rolled me to my knees and began to finger my ass with the semen from inside my pussy while he became hard for a third time. As he fingered and widened my rear, I squirmed and moaned his name.

When a third finger entered me, I came once more as Sean positioned his member at the prepped opening. After my orgasm passed, my body relaxed and he removed his fingers before entering me. His motions were slow and once he was all the way in, he began to move, measured at first, then faster. My hands twitched and my body shuddered against him as he fucked my rear.

Wrapping his arms around my body, Sean pulled me against him and held me while he teased my nipples with one hand and worked my clit with the other. Looking back, his hands and cock faltered as I kissed him. He pulled back and his fingers found my core once again.

"I love you, Annan. The book said your power needed this," he said as he moved inside of me.

There was no way I could respond with more than a string of guttural sounds, to which he laughed and kissed me again before holding me to him and increasing his pace. This time when he came he stayed in me a moment before pulling out. He laid me on the couch and then sat breathing hard, his member flaccid and at last spent. Of course, it could have been the fact I was a wreck so he was done and not needing to stand to attention once more.

Laughing I felt something exit me in a way it never had and I realized we probably ruined the couch. It lasted less than a day.

Turning his head to face me, he said, "What's so funny?"

"I was just thinking of how I've gotten even more messed up since gaining my power. What just happened with you, and not long before that Ash, doesn't feel wrong. In fact, it feels perfect. Man am I jacked."

Sean pulled me up and kissed me. "Not at all, you are embracing your power which means it will be even stronger than had you fought it. I'd feel bad for whoever came at you now if we keep this up. According to that book the Morrigan was a pretty horny woman, and for good reason."

He drew me to my feet and put an arm around me. As we walked to his shower, which was still large enough for the both of us, I gave him a skeptical look. "I think I'm going to have to read this book just so I know you're not fucking with me."

His lips pulled into a smile at my joke as he turned on the water. All joking aside, I did need to read the book but Sean had read it and confirmed what I had already guessed. Since the power opened in me and I stopped fighting it, I felt _way_ better. As Sean pulled me into the hot shower and began lathering a loofah before scrubbing my back, which felt amazing, I had to smile. Being pampered and screwed to death by Sean and Ash on a regular basis wasn't such a bad way to gain strength.

### Chapter 25

### Cutting Him Loose

The following day was my birthday where the pack had been surprised to find out I had become the fountainhead of all Were power, as well as shifter and vampire—though the Morrigan was not held as dear to those Supes as the Weres. Any pack members who attended were sworn to secrecy via a spell when told about the changed females being able to have babies once more.

Mike and Gale said they would work out the details, but it seemed the following summer him and Geoff were going to build a birthing facility so that those women wanting more children, like Gale, would have a safe place to have their child. There were even pack members who worked in the medical field ready to fill jobs as they were needed.

All of that was fine by me and the rest of the party was no problem. The day went well and the next was even better. Sean, Ash and I found a happy place where they serviced me at different times each day but took turns for who shared my bed at night. Ces had let Ash and me have my birthday off, then another day to rest, but wanted us back after that to see where he was in his transformation and how I was doing with my power.

We were in one of the arenas at the SIA and Ashley had been training for quite some time but had yet to show any signs of tiring. His strength and speed were out of control, almost as fast as Sebastian, who was helping to assess his abilities. Antonio had taken a hiatus after being told of my power and even though we needed to talk, I couldn't blame him. Therefore, Sebastian was the second strongest vamp the SIA had. Angel had thought that was a little sexist, but didn't argue anymore after Ash subdued her with ease.

Being that he was gaining strength at an insane rate, and had military training, it was no wonder he could best her. Like Antonio, Sebastian had tactical training so he was a good match. Serenity had filled me in on the details in her bland tone while I watched the two grapple and I was surprised to hear Antonio was their first choice and that he and Sebastian had spent time in the military. Both vampires had served while human so it was not at the same time period or for the same kingdoms, but training of any kind was good and Sebastian had kept up on his training while working at the SIA. So, though Antonio was stronger Sebastian was still a good option.

Serenity's monotone explanation as she wrote down notes on an Electrabook clued me in, stating that Antonio was the strongest they had due to him being second generation so that was why he was first choice even though Sebastian had more recent training. She was quick to add she was first generation—which meant one of the original twins turned her—but her physical capacity wasn't advantageous to training. She surprised me in learning one of the first twins had turned her but nothing more was said on it, so I left it at that.

What she did go on to talk about was Antonio's new job heading an entire department for handling vampire affairs more closely. Vampires didn't have an entire department the way the Weres did, which Cesair formed after needing to monitor some of their traditions more closely. However, with what happened to him and Angel, Cesair decided Vampires needed help governing themselves as well so he opted to be that liaison between the SIA and the Vampire world.

Serenity was going to stay at her position as co-head to the Mage department with Elizabeta, and she didn't explain why nor did I ask. From watching the two interact, it seemed Serenity was right where she needed to be with Elizabeta in the lab. Of course, someday I would like to know why and how she ended up at the SIA altogether.

Ash took a rather hard hit to the ground, which rattled me from my wonderings and had me worried as Sebastian stood. One benefit Sebastian had over Ash, no matter what he became, was the fact he was old enough to have mastered the power of flight, which he had used to his advantage during the match.

Ash stood up rubbing his arm. "Oh, that is going to smart."

"That's enough, Agent Harris. Let's go run some tests now."

He nodded and left after planting a kiss on my cheek. Grabbing his shirt, I pulled him to me and gave him a real kiss, which made him leave with a broader smile and not holding his arm anymore. I had wanted to go with him, but after that last move, there were some words that needed to be spoken to our vampire replacement.

"Hey, that was uncalled for, Sebastian. Angel didn't use her mind control so you shouldn't have used flight."

"Did you wait until we were alone to give me a good tongue lashing, not exactly the kind I was hoping for from you." His dark eyes flashed with humor.

He had my hackles up but I held back from hitting him. "Whatever. What I said still stands. You shouldn't have done that."

He looked me up and down, my hair in a braid down my back, plum tank top snug over fitted jeans in knee-high, flat, supple brown leather boots. Earlier, I had been training so I had dressed to give me movement. Looking at Sebastian in his white V-neck tee, ripped low-slung jeans, and black boots, he looked like he was ready for a concert or bar and not much else.

From what I had noticed the few times he was around, unless he was in the field he was wearing his usual British punk-rocker get up. Glancing at his leather jacket with patches and the like, I had to smile. He sure did like to play up that look, black spiked hair and all.

"You mad because I mussed up your little boyfriend?"

Letting out a short laugh, I said, "You know, you sure do put on a good show with that get up."

He came closer and grabbed his jacket. "You should have seen me in Victorian London. Women seemed to rather enjoy taking off each layer of my clothing. Watching them unknot a tie with need in their eyes was something special."

He had me imagining what he might look like in the kind of clothing I had seen in period movies, women in corseted dresses mad to get to his skin. Pushing out the thought, I focused on my anger.

"It doesn't matter what era you are in, you'd still be a pompous dick." With one quick motion, I tried to get him off guard and strike his chest to shove him back.

The striking him part worked, but all I managed to do was make him drop his coat and laugh. As he picked it up and put it on he said, "You are supposed to be some reborn goddess? You're boy there hit harder than you."

His laughter continued but I had enough. Doing the only thing I could think to do to build my power in a rush, I grabbed him and put my lips to his. His laughter ended at once and he wrapped his arms around me crushing me to his body. Feeding at his mouth, I could feel the passion build in me, the pure want and desire. His hand massaged at my ass then moved up my body to find a breast. Once under my shirt I felt that peak of craving and refocused all that energy out.

Breaking from the kiss, I stepped back and smiled. "Next time you train with Ashley keep it to strength and speed only." My hands shot out and slammed into his chest sending him flying across the arena and into the far wall.

With round eyes, and mouth, the hands that just hit Sebastian came up as I stared at them and let out a quiet laugh. It was not my intention to use so much power but as he sat groaning, it seemed my point had been made.

"Do you really think that was necessary?"

My amusement was cut short and my smile fell at the sound of Sean's voice. A voice that wasn't happy.

Turning around to face him, I said, "You saw everything, didn't you?"

He sighed and I knew before he said yes he had seen me kiss him. He walked past me and to where Sebastian was lying on the ground, so I followed.

"I'm sorry, he just pissed me off."

"Next time you want to punch someone, I'll be sure Ashley or I are around so you don't have to resort to measures like that."

As we reached the vampire, Sebastian was on his ass with his knees bent and his head hanging while he drew in slow breaths.

"Besides, hitting him that hard because he got rough in training was uncalled for."

Crossing my arms, I set to pout as he helped the other man to his feet. "If it's any consolation, bloke, it was totally worth it." Sebastian sounded strained but started laughing.

"Ass," I said I smacked his shoulder, causing him to stumble.

Sean just shook his head and turned away from Sebastian, he didn't seem to want to help him anymore. My moody man exited the arena the way Serenity and Ash had gone and I was quick on his heels.

"Come on, you can't be mad I used my powers."

"No, I'm not."

"So you're mad _how_ I used them."

He was silent a moment, then stopped. "Yes. You didn't need to kiss him."

Crossing my arms I said, "It worked, though."

He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, letting it out before opening them again. "Considering the power you hold in you I would refrain from making out with any Supes stemmed from the Morrigan's blood." He paused a moment and I didn't say a word, I hadn't thought of that. "Unless you are trying to find a replacement vampire."

He strode away leaving me with my jaw hanging open and it took a couple of seconds for me to recover. "Oh, you jealous ass. You wait till we get home." My seething was for me, but I was not the only one who heard what I said, or what Sean had for that matter.

"I would have to assume I am the vampire being replaced."

My heart fell.

Putting my face in my hands, I wanted to scream. "Oh my god, Sean knows how to be such a dick sometimes."

Turning to face Antonio, I dropped my hands and smiled. "No, no one is being replaced ... someone would have to be in place to begin with for replacement to even be an option." The last part was more my personal rambling but one of his perfect brows rose and my heart pulled tight so I continued in a rush. "He thinks using my power to prove a point is not right and tried to throw it in my face at the best moment so you would ask questions."

The lips I wanted to nibble on pulled into a smile and my heart felt as though it was being ripped from my chest. There was a huge part of me that would always lament the fact he could never be mine.

"So, business as usual," he said.

"Yeah, I suppose so. I thought you were on break or some crap?"

He nodded and the distance between us, at least seven feet, felt like a continent away. "I had packed up my home in Louisiana and then helped Darian and Violet find a home. They have decided to spend some time together, alone, now that they are masters. With them settled, I came by to drop a few things in my office before finding a new home myself."

He didn't say anything about staying away from me. "Um, look." Glancing around, I was glad the place was empty, but the hall still seemed like the wrong area for the kind of talk I needed to have with him.

"We can go to my office if you wish; it's just down the hall."

Nodding, I followed him as we walked a few feet down to one of the many inconspicuous doors in the wall. Upon entering, I saw it looked much like his office had back at his home and had to wonder if people could decorate as the wished, which then made me curious about the mages and the state of their department. Pushing off that thought for another time, I sat in the offered wood and red leather chair as he took his behind the desk.

"I'm sure you heard about my coming of power." To show what I meant I removed the ring and set it on his table.

He looked from it to me with my un-glamoured eyes and I could have sworn there was a sharp intake of breath before he composed himself and shifted his eyes away. "Yes. Congratulations, it is quite a remarkable power to come into."

Grabbing the ring, I slipped it back on. He had never refused to meet my gaze and that hurt. "I'm sorry if I did something to you by accident. For Sean and Ash ... they were in unique circumstances that has tied them to me forever, for better or worse so to put it. I'm sure since you and I did not have sex, you ended up safe from my influence."

"I guess it was a wise decision on my part, then."

He seemed so cold, so distant and it broke my heart. Standing, I went to the door but held back, wanting to say so much more but needing to say only one last thing.

Looking at the panel, my hand lingered by the switch to single it to slide open. "I do love Ashley and Sean, it is true. I'm happy the three of us will spend our lives together. However, I love you too and I feel as though you are missing from my life, our home and ... and I think I will always feel that way."

Waving over the panel, I exited his office and strode down the hall at a hurried pace. All I wanted to do was get away from the heartbreak of Antonio and back to my men. Whatever awaited me with them, I knew they were where I needed to be.

Sean was leaning up against the wall with a scowl on his face as I walked into Ashley's exam room. It seemed as though enough time had passed that he should have been done so we could be on our way, but there he was with a damn cuff around his arm and his shirt still off. Looking at him with a cuff, and no one in the room reading the monitors, I wanted to scream and rip it off so we could all go home.

"How was your chat?"

"Fuck off, Sean. That wasn't funny."

Ash looked from him to me. "Uh, oh what happened?"

"She kissed Sebastian."

Ash was giving me an accusatory stare now. "What?"

Sighing, I slumped into the chair in the corner. "It was so I could build enough power to hit him."

"Oh, did it work?" Good old Ash, one sentence and he wasn't upset by it at all.

Putting my face in my right hand I started laughing as Sean began giving Ashley the third degree on why he wasn't mad at me.

"Look, this power of hers is going to take some getting used to. Antonio can't handle it at all from what I have heard, that little vampire is a talker." It was hard to believe he was talking about Serenity but as I thought about it, I knew he was right. She did talk; it was just so boring you didn't instigate it often.

Sean was silent himself at that moment, and I was hoping he realized his mistake.

"Thanks, Sean. I pretty much just cut him loose because of your little stunt getting his attention."

"Weren't you going to do that anyways?" Ash had shown over the past couple of days a level head, which helped sort out the drama that flared up now and again between Sean and me.

Sighing, I nodded. We were lucky we had Ash with us. "Yeah." Dropping my hands, I looked at Sean. "Sorry, that talk was hard but there's nothing I can do about it. He is free to make his own decision."

Sean came over to me and touched my shoulder. Putting my hand to his I met his eyes as he began to speak. "I'm sorry too, I didn't need to say that in front of Antonio or get so mad at you. This will all take some adjusting."

The door opened drawing our attention to Serenity. She was jotting down more notes on her Electrabook and I had a moment to think that if I ever saw her in anything other than a lab coat I might shit myself. Her swimming aquamarine eyes met mine a moment before she looked to Ash and started removing his cuff. There was a good chance she heard me, but whatever.

Standing, I stretched and said, "Finally. Do we get to go home?"

"I apologize for taking longer than I should have. I needed to find someone to clean up Antonio's office."

Sean and I just looked to each other, but Ash asked the question we had to be thinking. "What happened to his office? Annan was just there."

She folded up the cuff and put it in the wall unit before waving a hand over the sensor to close it. "It seems he destroyed much of his furnishings before leaving. As he walked by me he instructed me to tell Cesair to call him when he was needed back at this 'dammed' agency."

Hearing Antonio's words in her monotone voice would have been comical if I didn't have a good idea I was the reason he was so pissed.

"I don't know why he would call this place dammed. The SIA is near perfect, sterile, organized, not much surprises." She looked to the three of us from her writings. "Well, at least it used to be."

Oh my god, was that almost a jab?

Before I, or either of the guys, could comment, she inserted her pen like thing into its holder on the Electrabook and told us we were free to go and to contact Cesair if there were any changes.

"I think you are having a positive effect on her." Sean sounded almost happy but I just pursed my brow. "That is the most animated I have ever seen Serenity."

Ash laughed as he hopped off the table and put on his light jacket. He had said he didn't feel the cold anymore but still liked to wear it. There was no clarification if it was habit or fashion related but I didn't remark on it since I tended to wear one too. We left the room and had no choice but to pass by Antonio's office, considering it was in the same hall that lead to the portal room. Serenity wasn't kidding when she said it was destroyed.

It looked as though someone had broken his large mahogany desk in two then tore down all the shelves with the books on them. His room was a pile of wood and paper. The sound dampening spell worked wonders in the building because I didn't hear a thing.

Trying not to think about why it looked the way it did, I continued down the hall with Sean and Ash, who were nice enough not to comment on the destruction and why it happened. Unfortunately, someone else wasn't as kind as my men.

"You did a right job there with Antonio. Never saw a man so narked before." Sebastian sounded too pleased about the situation.

Turning around, I saw that he was just fine after our little encounter. Wanting to make him less fine, I moved to take a step but Sean was there before me. One second he was standing by me the next he was standing over Sebastian making the few inches he had on the vampire seem like a lot more.

"I was nice before. My mistake." He hit Sebastian and the Vampire just dropped.

In a blink Sean was by me again and striding towards the portal room with Ash on his heels spewing a round of surprised banter at him while Sean continued in silence. Following a little slower, I glanced back to see someone who was in Antonio's office step out and notice Sebastian in a heap on the floor. The long, pink haired woman hurried to him, her ashen dress suit folding under her legs neatly as she checked on the unconscious man. He let out a noise and I saw her dark, round eyes glare at me before I turned around.

Quickening my pace, I looked up at Sean and he just smiled down at me and put an arm around my shoulder. Smiling back, I leaned into his chest and reached out for Ashley's hand, which he took. Going home sounded even better than it had just a few moments before.

### Chapter 26

### Mother of Chimeras

It was Ashley's turn to sleep with me that night, and after a few rounds of crazy sex, him and I curled up on his bed and snuggled in before we had to exchange blood. The first night I slept in Sean's room with him and then in Ash's the following day, the large bed we reserved for sex. The damn thing was so big, it was hard to be comfortable with just two people, so sleeping in their queen-sized beds when it was each their turn for the night was the better option.

His hand stopped making lazy circles on my arm as I rested against his chest and laughed. "Hey, don't sleep yet, it's bite time."

He laughed himself and started to sit up but there was a small part of me that was worried. This was bite number five and though he was changing in strength and speed, nothing else was happening. If nothing continued to happen after this bite, I would really start to worry.

"Here you go. Don't suck me dry, unless it's you know..." His eyes shifted down as he held his neck out to me.

Laughing, I swatted him on the arm as I scooted up to him. "Funny," I said and leaned in, my fangs already descending.

Each time the blood exchange was easier, cleaner. Afterwards he just got a little sleepy; it wasn't like that first time when he was all juiced up on wine. As my teeth broke his skin, I tried not to laugh as I thought about it, no need to tear the flesh more than I had to. His blood always tasted so great, Sean too. He and I had gotten into the habit of taking from each other almost every time we had sex. The fact I could give and give without tiring meant he was more sated in his hunger than ever before.

Pulling back, I licked away the small amount of blood and watched the wound seal. Opening a vein on myself for him, he drank his fill as I waited. Sean could take quite a bit, the first time we tried it I was able to give until he couldn't take anymore, he gorged himself. Ash didn't take much during our exchange but with this feeding he seemed to want more.

My brow knitted together as I watched him drink and drink, then pulled my whole arm tighter to him as he moaned. "Ash, are you okay?"

His response was some kind of animal like groan, which came from deep within him.

"Ash?" As I spoke, I tried to pull my arm free with a slow, gentle tug. His hands became like vise grips around my forearm.

"Ashley, are you alright?" He wasn't hurting me but his lack of response had me more than worried. "Sean, I need you to come here a moment." My voice was urgent but not pleading.

The door opened a crack. "Is everything okay?"

"Come here, like, right now." There was still no panic in me, but Ashley wasn't letting go.

Sean finally came all of the way into the room and looked to me first, then Ash, then back to me. "What is going on? Is he okay?"

Glancing to Ash still drinking from my arm with a hold I knew would be hard to remove by force, I brought my eyes back to Sean. "I have no idea. He's never done this before."

"What does he usually do?"

"Well, when you don't liquor him up first he drinks for about thirty seconds then we go to sleep." We had learned that if I was sated sex wise before the blood exchange, doing it wasn't as lust inducing.

Sean reddened some when I mentioned the wine. "So, what do we do now? He's obviously unresponsive; I would assume you tried talking to him before you called me."

Nodding, I tried to pull away with a light touch, but he pulled me closer again.

"Okay, stop trying to get away." Sean sat on the bed. "Hey there Ashley. Don't you think you've had enough?"

"You think me talking to him won't work but it will for you?"

"Well, I don't know. I'm just trying anything before I attempt to rip him off of you."

"Don't you dare Sean-Paul Laveau."

His mouth pulled at the corner. "My full name sounds good on your lips."

"This is not the time, or place." Since my power had come and we were back to fucking like rabbits all the time, he had a couple moments of not being able to control himself.

"I know, I just want you to keep that in mind for when it is."

The heat in his words brought on my own heat and I had to swallow it down. "Damn it Sean, don't get that boiling up in me right now. We have to—"

Before I could finish my sentence, Ash let go of my arm and then curled over with a pained noise. "Oh my god, what was I doing?"

"Ashley!" There was a smear of blood on my wrist but I could have cared less. My sweet Ash, curled in a ball howling in pain was all that mattered.

Sean sprang from the bed saying he was calling Ces but I didn't know what to do. Ash kept groaning and saying it hurt but I couldn't tell what hurt other than his stomach. It looked as though he had taken so much of my blood it was killing him.

"Can you be sick? Maybe you need to throw up." My voice was panicked now, when all I wanted to do was stay calm for him.

He rolled to his knees and moved to the edge of the bed but that was as far as he got. "Oh god!"

Right as Ces and Sean came through the door one last scream left Ash before I saw his skin start to ripple. Looking back to Sean, he had calmed, as did Ces who looked almost frightened when she walked in the door.

"What's happening?" They both seemed to know but I still had no idea.

Out of nowhere, Serenity popped between the two of them and started taking pictures. "His change has started."

Getting up off the bed to stand with Sean I was happy his transformation was occurring, but it pained me to see it was difficult. Looking to Serenity as she clicked away, while Ash groaned and his skin moved in a way it never should have, I said, "Why are you here in the first place? Do you have a tap on the lines at the agency or something?"

Her camera never stopped clicking but her eyes gave me a sideways glance under her short black bangs. "Phone taps are low tech. You don't worry about where I get my information from."

Before I could say more, Elizabeta showed up with what looked like an EMT kit, but toned down to the stark SIA white. "What's going on, is he okay?"

Both she and Serenity must have taken the portal, and as Ces informed her Ash was experiencing his change, I had to figure she told them to come just before popping directly to the house herself. How they had gotten there and why didn't matter anymore as Ash cried out again. Clenching up, I moved to go to him but Sean held me tight and when I met his eyes, he shook his head.

"The first time can hurt."

We watched as Ash continued to change and when I thought there was more to come, it stopped. Ces sounded surprised as she stepped forward and whispered an, "oh my," before going to Serenity and Elizabeta who were still collecting data. Looking up to Sean, the look on his face told me he was stunned too.

"Should he not look like that?" Taking in Ash as he inspected himself I didn't see what was so odd about the wolf-man version he changed into. It was weird seeing him that way, but under the fur and fangs, it was still Ash.

"He shouldn't be able to change like that on the first try if he was a werewolf."

Ash looked at Sean. "I was having a hard time until you guys said I was changing then I imagined that dude that tried to kill me. Cool, huh." Yeah, Ash was still Ash all right; he didn't even seem to mind standing there naked considering his clothes were destroyed.

"It's cool alright, but still not right." Sean sounded concerned.

"What should I have changed into?" Ashley had no reference of expectation, honestly, we all didn't, but with what the change looked like it was as though Sean had one.

"I thought you were going to be a wolf, like Annan was the first time."

"Huh?" Ash glanced down a moment then bent forward holding his middle. "Oh, man not again." He let out a short laugh as the two mages started collecting data like crazy once more. "At least this time it's not as painful," he said, then doubled the rest of the way over.

After the body molding ended, what was left was a golden toned wolf with Ash's eyes. When I looked to Sean he didn't look concerned, instead he appeared curious. As Cesair spoke, I had to assume she was as well.

"Remarkable. Agent Harris?"

Ash's wolf head turned to Ces and I heard a, "Yes," in my mind.

Not sure if Ces did too, or if she just took his turn of the head as listening, she continued. "Do you remember how Annan changed into those many other animals at the agency? I would like you to think of one and see if you are able, or perhaps a new one, or even a new human hybrid version."

Cesair's instructions had Elizabeta stopping a moment in her writing to glance at her boss with a question in her mossy, forest eyes but she didn't say a word. As Serenity continued to click away, I could hear Ash complain about not wanting to change yet again but did as asked. He was always good at taking orders.

This time, when the odd body morphing ended he was something I don't think any of us were expecting.

"What on gods earth is that!" Serenity's stunned outburst had us all shocked for a moment before she went back to her camera and began clicking again.

Elizabeta was harder pressed to get her attention back on Ash, she must have never heard her partner in such a way, but what Ash _was_ warranted the ever-quiet Serenity to freak out. Ces was speaking to him about his choice and as he explained, I couldn't believe my eyes. He had dark wings like a crow, sharp nails from his half wolf form, a leopard or jaguar tail snaking around him along with the feet you would expect on a large cat of that variety. His change was unusual to say the least.

"What I am asking, Agent Harris is, was this a conscious choice? Each of these elements?" Ces was motioning to him as Serenity continued to take pictures from every angle possible.

Ash looked down then back up to Cesair. "I figured if you wanted more than one animal to try it all at once and be done with it."

She smiled at him. "This is quite amazing, and so very unexpected. You may turn back to your normal form now."

He nodded and the change started once more. As he did, I noticed he didn't groan out in pain so it must have been getting easier.

"Annan, it would seem you are the Mother of Chimeras."

Remembering the title she had given the Morrigan in her writings and the other she had bestowed upon me, I said. "Do you just enjoy passing out titles or something?"

She smiled and pulled me in for a hug before stepping back and meeting my eyes. "Only when they are deserved." We hugged again and she told the mages they needed to get their data back to the SIA, there was a new Supe to add.

Ash had changed back to normal, smile and all, and I caught Elizabeta giving me a wink after turning away from his nude form. Shaking my head, I watched as they left and nodded to Ces when she said we needed to get back to the SIA first thing in the morning.

Once they were gone the house was quiet and Sean gave me a kiss on the top of my head before congratulating the now boxer short covered Ash. As he talked about how weird it was to feel your body change like that, and heard Sean's comments on it, I cleaned up the disheveled bedding and his torn clothes.

"I guess it's time for bed now," I said as I came back into the room, the guys laughing over something I had missed.

"I can't sleep now, I'm all jazzed up!" Ash was practically hopping in place.

"We could change and go for a run." Sean's suggestion had Ash's eyes lighting up, but I was a bit worn out.

Yawning, I assumed I was tired from all the blood Ash took. My fount wasn't endless after all.

"Why don't you guys go without me, I think I'm going to have a bath or something. I'm zapped, you about drained me dry, Ash."

"Sorry about that, Annie. At least I won't have to take blood anymore." His smile was quick to come.

"I wouldn't discredit it all together; it can be a little fun doing it in the middle of sex." Sean flashed some fang at him, making my groin tingle.

"Oh yeah." Ash's smile this time included a descent of fang and I about lost it right there.

"Careful, Ash flashing that at her is like nip to a cat."

Sean laughed at his own joke as I licked my lips, focused on Ash's fanged mouth quirked into a half smile.

"You know, I can think of another activity that could burn off some of the energy I have and replenish yours, Annie."

He smiled and my pet name from him combined with the hungry look in his eyes as he advanced on me all had my sex pulling tight with need. The Morrigan's power was always ready and insatiable, waiting to be awoken. It made me kind of scared to think of what it will be like when I started to perfect the destructive side. Setting aside any worry over future concerns, I focused instead on Ash's hands traveling up my body.

"I'll see you two in the morning." Sean didn't sound hurt, or anything, he was just taking his leave.

"Why don't you stay?" Ash kissed at my neck when he made the quiet suggestion as though it was a normal thing.

Sean paused and met my eyes. The idea of the three of us together while Ash's mouth traveled to my breasts fueled something deep in me and I wanted nothing more than to have Sean stay as Ash had suggested. When Sean came to meet my lips, I wasn't sure if it was the feeling of need that brought him to me or the look of desperation I know I had in my eyes. Whatever it was, when his mouth met mine it was pure bliss.

Ashley continued down my front pulling my night pants down, along with my underwear, while Sean separated from our kiss so that he could remove my top before suckling at my breasts. It's hard to put into words the feelings rolling over and through my body as both of their mouths worked me in different ways.

Before Ash could taste my folds, he said, "The bed," and without a word, Sean laid me down so that I was in a position for Ash to have his way with my pussy while I was spread wide on the edge. Ashley began to pull back the folds and finger the flesh that was ready to take him as he remarked on how perfect it was. While he was enjoying my shaven pussy, Sean got one of the malleable feather pillows and put it under my neck with a smile on his lips.

As Ash's mouth at last stopped talking and tasted my silken purse, Sean leaned in and kissed me before kneeling in front of my head on the mattress. Somewhere in the middle of me being fondled and put in position, Sean had lost his clothing and was nude and now hard in front of my mouth. No one had to tell me what to do. The sight of him was enough to make my mouth water and I reached up so that I could accept what he offered while Ash was lapping at my slit.

Taking Sean in my mouth, I relished the taste and feel of him while my pussy was being devoured. Sean let me have my own pace at first until I was starting to cum from Ash's fine work. Just as my orgasm broke, Sean took hold of my head, cradling it in his hands, and Ash came up from his labors. From my angle, I couldn't see anything but Sean and his length in my mouth but I could feel Ashley grab my legs and position himself at my opening just before he entered.

There was no build up to the next orgasm; it broke before Ash even started moving. His length inside my vagina and Sean's in my mouth sent me over the edge. When he did begin to move, the feeling was like pure sunshine touching my skin then seeping deep into my core. All the tiredness I felt melted away as I floated on a wave of warm joy.

Both men screwed me, in a hurried pace at my pussy and a careful one in my mouth, and many orgasm broke and ebbed before they both came. After they finished Ash was surprised to discover he could become hard again without effort and decided to fuck my chest as Sean went to my aching hole. It wasn't hard to make Ashley orgasm again because the angle he was at while he fucked my tits allowed me to help him with my hands but it was hard to focus on his balls and base when Sean was spreading my ass. Once he was able to get a fourth digit in me I came with a throaty moan of pleasure and grasp the sheets around me. Ash, having been spent himself again, laid near me and was almost ready to go another round, if his twitching member was any indication.

Sean fished and pulled me to my feet before turning me around. He held me to him to support my weight, which was good because I don't think my legs could have held me up right then.

"Here, Ash come to her front."

Feeling Sean at my backside, hard and ready for more and the sight of Ashley hopping to his feet, stiff and eager himself, had me moaning and squirming against Sean. Ash kissed me when he reached us and Sean entered my rear with caution. Moaning into Ash, he entered my front and for the first time I was filled by both the men I loved. Ash continued to kiss me until the two found a sweet rhythm in my ass and pussy that had me pulling back and crying out.

"Remember what I said about the blood?" Sean's voice was but a dream at my back while he pumped into me.

"Yeah?" Ash continued to fuck me but then he smiled at the man behind me and I saw his fangs extend.

Wrapping my arms around Ashley, I waited for what was to come and when they bit down my world shattered in a pulse of heat and craving as I was rocked between them. While the two fed and fucked me, they held me up and kept going ... and kept going. At some point, my fangs extended and I bit down on Ash, tasting the flavor I knew to be him. By the end, I was a used pile of flesh, tender and covered in sweat.

We ended up using my large bed after all and I was happy Chloe had bought it. When I asked her on the thing, having thought it a joke, she said she had read everything Will had on the Morrigan right after he told them the cliff notes version. One thing prevalent was the need to sleep with her men, not man. She didn't share a different bed but instead they all slept together in one. It seemed the reason for her giggles were all the extras in the end drawers, they _were_ a joke.

Joke aside, the part of the bed she thought I would need came in handy. Reaching out, it still seemed too big. There was room for more and I tried hard not to think about who was missing.

Sean pulled me to him and Ash cuddled down in front, sandwiching me between the two of them under the thick duvet. The bed _was_ great; it was a good thing Chloe did her research. Thinking on the book, I tried to not be irritated with myself, since I wasn't as diligent as I should have been in reading it. Instead of digging deep I let others around me learn and give me information as needed, it seemed I had become accustom to having others decide what I should or shouldn't know.

At least I had one person who had read the book the first night, I had just assumed he would have told me anything important. "Hey Sean?"

"Mm-hmm?" He sounded at ease, not tired.

"When you read that book was there anything important I should have known?"

"I told you she wasn't going to read it."

Poking Ash for his comment, he laughed and told me to stop as he hugged my arm to him.

"I don't know why you are asking now, but not really. Nothing you can't read on your own when you have the time." Sean laughed too. "There was one thing I thought was interesting, but it wasn't important. It only proved how tied Ash was too you. As well as some stuff with us. However, I'm still not sure why some of it was blocked. Though it might have been all the vampire blood."

He was talking like when we first met and had to explain things to me. All cagey and drawing out the end. Instead of irritating me, it peaked my interest. "Oh yeah?"

"Yeah, the Morrigan could enter her lover's dreams. I guess it is a normal Aos Si thing with their chosen partners. Of course, I still don't know why I couldn't reach you the one time, though there were a lot of outlying factors, like you taking all the vampire blood."

As Ash made a joke about knowing us sharing dreams when we were young was significant I just agreed but didn't say more. We all were quiet for a long while and when both their breathing became deeper, I had to assume they were asleep. My silence was for another reason though, and if I wasn't between two of the men I loved I would be crying for the one not there.

Sean's ponderings over why he couldn't reach me reminded me of something. When he was having trouble was around the time I had viewed Antonio's down time dream. If the Morrigan, and other Aos Si, are able to enter their chosen partners dreams then that meant I _had_ tied him to me. Antonio being tied to me meant all the pain I felt for him not being near me he felt too.

The pain from me not being with Sean, a pain I inflicted on both of us for my choice, was all too fresh in my mind so I knew the tearing in my chest and longing I felt carried to Antonio. The only reason there was no heavy conflict between Ashley and I was because he was a human not born of the Morrigan's blood. Sean was an empathic lycoan though, so his emotions ran on the stronger side and caused more of an issue.

From my experiences with Antonio, he liked to have an air of control, but his emotions ran strong too. My only hope was that in forcing the separation on us, the way I had done to Sean, he would not lose that control he held so dear and make rash decisions.

Tears wanted to prick at my eyes and Sean stirred behind me. Worrying he would wake from my sadness, I forced a smile on my lips and pulled Ash tighter to me, who hugged my arm close in his sleep like he always did. Breathing them in, I tried not to think of Antonio and what had happened between us. He was free to make his own choices, as I had said, even if they hurt us both. Shaking my head, I nuzzled down into Ash's neck and let his scent push away any more bad feelings and soon enough I was sleeping as soundly as the two men in my bed, who would never leave me.

### Epilogue

### New Beginning

My life as The Chalice of the Morrigan, Mother of Chimeras was not so bad. Every day was spent with two gorgeous men who loved me and though I was missing a third, the others tried hard to keep my mind off him. It was an amazing effort, which ended with me in Sean and Ashley's arms every night. Sure, Sean and I still bickered and Ash was still a smart ass, but that was part of the fun.

Korbin had been just as surprised to see the theater in our basement but once he did, he and Ash started playing games in it often. However, with a brush along Ash's arm from me, Korbin is quick to go to his own home. Gale ended up pregnant in no time and will have the next pack member by Halloween, which I thought was fitting for the first werechild to be born by a changed female. Personally, I was crossing my fingers for a girl but I knew that was asking too much.

Will did end up quitting his job at the university to work at the SIA with the rest of us. That's right I did end up there too. Endless days of training to master the battle side of my power made me decide all the offers of being an agent were not such a bad idea. Ces cried real tears when I told her I wanted to join. Sheesh. Even Chloe decided to work at the SIA. She's getting all the vampire end of the database ready while her former master is away. Someday Antonio will be called back to work and that information would need to be ready.

Just thinking his name hurt me a little.

Getting over a death might have been easier, but only time would tell on that one. As for what I understood, Ash and I have all the time in the world, just like Sean. So, as long as no one ended up killing me I would have eons of screwing and fighting, not the same people of course ... well, most of the time. Sean and I did have our days. Most times though, he was just training me to fight and not actually fighting with me.

My hand hit his arm and it was like hitting a flesh-covered wall, as usual. "You're not even trying today."

Showing him how easy it was when I tried, I used my inhuman speed to duck under his arm and meet him face to face. Once there I pressed my lips to his and he let his arms fall to my shoulders before wrapping around me.

"You have got _that_ power pretty well mastered," he said with smile, his arms still around me.

"It never hurts to practice."

His laugh was very masculine. "That is what you have been saying the last two months every time you don't want to train."

Before I could respond, one of the doors to the arena opened.

"That's not the kind of training you're supposed to be doing. I want to help her if that is what you get to do."

Sean and I laughed at Ash and met him as he jogged to us. "All joking aside, Ces asked me to get you. She's just outside the door."

Ces began walking as soon as we left the arena so we took up stride next to her. "I'm sorry to say but I need to include you on something before your training is complete."

My pulse jumped and Ash's lips broadened into a smile. Sean didn't look as happy, but we all waited for her to finish.

"You remember how you apprehended Marcus in December?"

Nodding, my brow pursed. We hadn't really talked much about Marcus since that night so it was odd to hear her mentioning him and in such a stressed way.

"Well, we have exhausted all means to garner any information from him on why he did what he did, who helped him, if he was helping anyone else. We are left with nothing, but he has made one request so I am hoping it can help us pull _some_ information from him."

Trying not to dwell on what it meant to exhaust every means they had to use on him for over the last two months, I said. "What does he want?"

"That is why I am considering this your first case. He wants to see you. He is in his cell so there will be no contact, but since you bested him before coming to power I am unconcerned with your ability to stop him if he does try to do anything rash."

As she spoke, we moved through the halls of the SIA and down a few floors to one I had yet to see. The place was still a labyrinth of hallways, doors, and elevators to me. The best I could do was get to the portal room, the garage, Ces's office, Antonio's office, the mage's office, and the arenas with the sickbay nearby. All of that was on the first level near the heart of the SIA, however, the garage had multiple levels once you went inside and the arenas had higher ceilings than any other room I had seen.

"I can't imagine why he wants to see me, but I don't see any problem with it." Looking back and forth to the guys, Sean nodded and Ash just shrugged.

"He says he does not believe you are the Great Mother reborn, which is what the early Weres called the Morrigan. It appears to be the only thing he wants so I'm hoping it will get our interrogators somewhere." She stopped in front of door. "Sean, Ashley I want you to stay here. He said he would not talk if you were with her. You should not fret, I will be there and you are but a doorway away."

"I don't like it." Ashley crossed his arms and stared at the door.

Sean put his hand on my shoulder, and I looked at him. "I will stay with you and for any reason if you don't feel right we are coming in there." He put his hand to his heart as he spoke, but I knew what he meant.

He kissed the top of my head, and Ashley my cheek, before I nodded to Ces and she opened the door. The walls of the cells in use had a similar sheen to what I had seen from the portals, but these ones had clearly been made to keep things from leaving, not let them pass through.

Following Ces, I ignored the only other two occupied cells and went straight for the one she stopped at. Inside Marcus was much easier to see in the overhead lights then the night we had first met, before he changed into a wolf-man. When he turned and his granite eyes met mine, I tried to not let myself be effected. In the darkness of the dusty house, while he was a human, I hadn't really paid attention to what the man looked like; all I noticed was that he had on a tailored suit similar to Antonio.

With the power of the Morrigan in me, I saw a man alluring in way he should not be. Marcus's dark brows drew together as his eyes set to a scowl, which only made his chiseled jaw line and pout of a mouth more appealing. Reminding myself who he was and what he had done, I swallowed back my power—wanting so much to flip on the anger that stayed at bay for some horrid reason—and approached his cell wall.

"You don't look like the Great Mother to me."

He came closer and as he did, something about him seemed off. Once my shock of how attractive he was calmed with the subduing of my lust power, I could see there was some kind of ... _something_ , around him.

"What is that spell on him for?"

Cesair looked to Marcus who told me to leave before walking back to his bed in the corner. "There is no spell on him Annan. He has finished recovering from his last interrogation and all recovery wards have been removed."

"What's the like ... it's hard to put into words. I don't know, _fog_ around him?"

Ces's eyes went back to Marcus as he sat on his bed ignoring us. Her eyes stayed on him as she spoke to me. "There is one kind of spell we would not be able to detect, not even me." Her golden gaze turned to me. "My power is not love or lust based. If he had been forced to..."

Cesair stopped and thought a moment before continuing.

"If he had been forced to be with an Aos Si woman, her power would hang on him but only another with the same kind of power base would be able to detect it. If he is being influenced by an Aos Si with a sexual or emotional power, than another Aos Si of the same power will see that influence."

Looking back to him with this odd almost translucent fog on him, I thought of Ash and Sean. "Does that mean other Aos Si with the same power as me will see that stuff on Sean and Ashley?"

Cesair's hand on my shoulder brought my attention back to her gentle, smiling face. "No, only one forced into doing what they do not wish would show the fog of persuasion. Sean and Ashley are quite happy where they are and would choose to be with you even if you tried to set them free."

Her words touched my heart, but it was hard to not think on Antonio and how he would like to be free of me, that was the only reason I could think of why he had yet to return from wherever he was.

Looking at Marcus again, my anger turned to sadness for him. Sure, he killed people I loved, but if he did it all because someone forced him to do it by making him love them to do their bidding, then he was a victim too. Of course, the fog I could see on him might not have anything to do with what he had done to me. If only there was a way to remove it and find out...

Glancing around, I found the switch for his cell and took a step over to open it.

"What are you doing, granddaughter?" Cesair sounded more curious than alarmed.

"I want to see something. If anything happens, the guys will be here." There was no doubt in my mind on that fact.

Waving my hand across the sensor the barrier dropped and his head snapped up. He glanced to Ces for a moment then brought his eyes back to me, whatever he saw there he did not like. With Were like speed he was on his feet and backing to the wall.

"You get back. I'm not sure what you are trying but you are an abomination!"

As I got closer, his eyes went round and I had no idea why he was so frightened. He was nothing but pissed at me during our first encounter, right to the bitter end when I beat him into the ground, now it was as though I held his life in my hands without me even touching him.

Reaching out to see what would happen if I _did_ touch him, I heard Cesair caution me and assured her it was fine. As soon as my hand made contact with Marcus, he cried out and dropped to the floor. The strange fog dissipated and was gone leaving him groaning on the concrete in its wake. Looking at my hand I backed up as Sean and Ash appeared at the cell door.

Just after they entered, two men in scrubs brushed past them and checked on Marcus who was coming to. While they inspected him, I exited the cell to be with the men who were there for me. Marcus started to become coherent and the nurses, or whatever they were, left after the third time of him telling them to go. Cesair reactivated the cell as soon as they were gone and Marcus took a seat on his bed again.

A quiet laughter started coming from the man.

"What happened to him?"

Before I could answer Ash's question, Marcus did.

"Somehow Annan was able to dispatch my infatuation with a bitch I am going to kill ... if I can find a way" He looked around the cell. "And ... if I can get out of here." His eyes came to me and he stood.

The man walking towards me was not the same man thirty seconds ago, or the same man who kidnapped Ash, this man held a presence even Antonio could be jealous of.

"I'm grateful for what you have done and I am sorry for all the pain I have caused you and yours over the years," he said through the magical barrier. His eyes tighten with speculation. "Is this magic part of why they say you are the Morrigan reborn?"

Shrugging I said, "I don't know. Probably, form what Cesair said. Somehow I took the Aos Si woman's influence off of you."

Ash put his hand to my arm. "No one is going to do that to me are they?"

I couldn't help but laugh. "No Ashley, I didn't make you love me against your will."

He relaxed next to me.

"Which leads us to the question of who compelled Mr. Aquillius, and for such a very long time."

Cesair had it right on the money.

Whoever put him under like that—for at least nine-hundred years guessing by how long he was hunting my birth mother—was crazy strong. And, what an interesting last name he had. Oh my god, this power thing was out of control.

"Annie, you're spacing out again."

Ash brought me back to the now, which he had to do at times. My mind liked to wander and someone had to snap me back to reality. At least this time it wasn't a sans clothing fantasy.

"What? What, was the question?"

"Show me how you are the Morrigan and I will tell you what bitch you can help me kill."

The way he asked me to show him I am the Morrigan had my sex clenching.

"Annan." The one word from Sean was a warning, and I swallowed down my lust.

Breathing in, I touched the ring for my glamour, which I was still struggling to master, and said, "Oh, here this."

Taking it off, his eyes went round before he crossed his arms. "That could be trickery."

Giving him a deadpan stare, it must have been nice with the green swirls, I knew there was only one thing he would believe. Lifting my hand as my eyes stayed on his as I said, "Raven Blade come to me."

His eyes went round again but this time he was looking at the sword. As I sent it to return, his eyes returned to mine and the smile he gave me had Sean poking me in the side for the feelings it sent through my body.

"You _are_ the Chalice of the Morrigan, the Great Mother."

"Actually, Annan is the Mother of Chimeras." Ash changed a hand to a claw and flashed fangs then changed them back. He was getting rather skilled at taking on various forms and utilizing them to their fullest capabilities. Flying he loved and would often tease me about my lack of skills.

Marcus' eyes came back to mine. "You created a new breed? Intriguing." His smile was even broader this time and the small poke Sean gave me a second before, was now a hard jab.

"Okay, I get it, Sean. You think I can help that?"

Marcus' brow drew together, one lifting higher than the other, but Ash just laughed as Cesair closed her eyes a moment and shook her head. When she opened them, she was smiling her full brilliant smile.

"Well, it seems clear you can see she is the rebirth of the lost Morrigan. And, considering you were under server magical influence you are pardoned for the lives you claimed, and nearly claimed. However, your full release is pending the name of whom it was that compelled you."

"Eevul." His smile was as evil as her name sounded and my heart sank.

That bitch was standing right there in front of me. "Wait, why didn't she kill me at Antonio's party?"

Cesair dropped the barrier and Marcus stepped out. "There would have been too many witnesses and she had thought you were turning into a vampire, which meant you would have been easy to kill once you became a master and had time away from your creator. The only reason she attended the party was to see you and see if there was any off chance at all to kill you there. Anything else you would like to know before I have a nice, long, hot shower?"

"Why did Eevul want my mother and me dead?"

His smile was devious once more, and this time I shot Sean a dirty look before he could poke me.

"That has to do with why _I_ want Eevul dead. She compelled me when I tried to kill her. Years later, she put me to kill your mother, and subsequently you, because your mom was supposed to have already died when she was given to one of her lovers to kill. He left her in a forest instead, unable to destroy the babe she birthed. He was the first life I had to take because of her hatred for your mother."

His words took a moment to sink in and looking to Ces she was surprised too. At least if the stare of shock, never seen on her face before, was any indication. She composed herself quicker than I could while I mulled over the knowledge Eevul was my blood relation. She was my real grandmother. Just thinking the words made me a little sick.

"Tell me, why is it you were trying to kill Eevul when she compelled you?" Though Cesair had recovered from the news Eevul tried to kill the babe who would later be the teen Cesair found and raised, you could still hear the surprise in her quiet voice.

Marcus's eyes came to me before he spoke. "She sought revenge on her sister for allowing one of her vampire children to impregnate her. When I found the Morrigan slain and Eevul's own sword disappearing from her chest, I attacked and that's when she sang to me." He shook his head and looked to Ces. "There was nothing I could do after that. Now, if the interrogation is _finally_ over I deserve a long hot shower and a new set of clothes."

Cesair started leading him to where he could get what he had asked for and I snapped out of my stupor. "Wait, one more thing?"

He turned back and raised an eyebrow.

There was one last thing I needed to know with how he had so much loss in his voice when talking about the Morrigan. "Were you and the Morrigan ... lovers?"

Sean's seething could almost be felt on my left, and even Ash on my other side shifted away a step.

Marcus just laughed as a smile broadened his lips. "I am second generation, which means she was my father's grandmother. One does not have sex with their great grandmother, no matter how attractive she is. No, I was there because it was my turn to help protect her and her lot." He turned back to the door and in a quieter voice said, "Lot of good it did her, though," before he left.

Once he was gone, Sean let out a short laugh, followed by Ash who said. "Guess you won't be getting into his pants."

Following them out I wasn't worried, they would get over it. The power inside of me needed to know. The way he spoke of her with such love had me wondering. Smiling, I pushed away the thought, the question was answered and Ash was right, I wouldn't be getting into his pants.

~

Marcus ended up having the information we needed to finally close the book on my family, and also the Morrigan's, deaths. Of course, the person who was at the head of the whole thing still needed to be apprehended. He even divulged the name of his contact at the SIA—some random person he had spelled while they were home, who was not reprimanded—and helped tighten security within the facility's staff. As for Eevul, it ended up the circles she ran with were many of the same dark contacts Antonio had.

His vacation would soon be over since we needed that info, but I had a feeling Ces was trying to give him as much time as possible. It wouldn't surprise me, she knew much more about Aos Si and the influence they could have over others not of their kind. In the meantime, a taskforce was created to find and take down Eevul. Since I had the power to _call to battle_ , the sword, I was the one who would be killing her.

As I trained and readied for when we found her location, having a new drive for the battle side of my power felt good. It made nights at home a little more interesting at times too with how the separate powers were really two sides to the same coin. For now, I spent days training, readying for when I had to take on the woman who was responsible for me gaining the power to kill her—karmic balance or what—and I spent nights in the arms of the men I loved. Rejection from Marcus was no issue, it was forgotten in a second, but Antonio... Well, whenever he came back from wherever he was, I would just have to see how well I handled that rejection.

###

Like me on  Facebook

And visit my website RoxAnneFox.net

Read ahead for a tentative preview of the first book to the new series, _Cases of the SIA_.

### The Call

The woman's face was pressed down into the pillow of the hotel bed, her chestnut hair covering it completely. The color was nice, but it wasn't perfect. The line of her chin edged out from under her mane and Antonio reached a cream colored hand down and brushed it back into place. Her face was _all_ wrong. He opted to close his eyes so he could have his completion.

Pumping a few more times into her he came and then left her on the bed, ignoring her words. Her voice and language were all wrong too. Everything about the woman was wrong, but that wasn't surprising to him. Every woman was not ... _her_. Wanting to press the thoughts of Annan's body, her supple breasts that would fit perfect in his hands, her striking emerald eyes which swirled with her own power, and her silken skin he never fully tasted, he poured a glass of brandy.

Smashing it down after he finished it, breaking the glass, he told the woman in his room in French to quiet down when she asked if he was alright. She wouldn't, so he felt it was time for her to leave. Replying to her with hasher words from his place by the wet bar he pushed her out of his room with his mere presence and lack of caring since he didn't have the skill enough some vampires held to compel her to leave. She left with some choice expletives, and a slamming of the door, as Antonio grabbed a new glass for the brandy. He wrapped a robe around him and stepped out to the balcony taking a long drink.

The wind was blowing in Paris and must have been cold to the humans below him. He didn't notice it though, even if his heart felt like ice. Relaxing his hand around the glass, he tried to not to smash another one as he pushed the ever creeping thoughts of Annan out of his head. What was wrong with him? He was centuries old and a young twenty something girl tore his sanity from him. He had never longed for anyone the way he did her.

Shaking his head he took another slow pull from his glass and sighed. It had been over three months since he had seen her, months spent in other women's arms trying forget her, or replace her, but he was never satisfied. As he leaned against the balcony and stared out at the lights of the city, he was starting to surmise it was time to become a recluse, to call Cesair and relinquish the position at the SIA he never had a chance to enjoy.

The whole thing was a shame too, he was rather looking forward the venturing into the far reaching branches of the vampire world to create ties, find information, and help those who needed it. The way he had helped Annan. He could still see her, eyes blazon with defiance behind those bars. He had to muster all of his control to not smash Randall right then and there, but getting Chloe home at the time was first and foremost, even if her emerald eyes called to him and he wanted nothing more than to answer that call.

Antonio chuckled thinking on how she had ripped her assailant's heart from his chest, more for others than herself even though he did unspeakable things to her. She was strong, stronger than he thought she would be, and that first taste of her blood was glorious. His tongue darted out across his lips thinking on the intoxicating essence, the blood that tied him to her. She was always so amazed at how much control he had, and if he was honest with himself, so was he. He should have just taken her, made her his own. She would have willingly came to him even without any supernatural influence ... well, beyond her own ingrained power she didn't know she had.

"Damn it!" He broke another glass and groaned.

Going back into his hotel room he grabbed the bottle instead, wishing it weren't so damned difficult to become intoxicated. If only he could drink her memory away. Putting the bottle to his lips he drank the brown liquid down with a short laugh. There was no way of forgetting her and even if he had taken her, Sean and Ashley would have not let her go. Her power had already made it so they could never forget her as well.

Finishing almost half of the bottle he set it aside and sat on the bed, raking a hand though his grown out ebony locks. His sea-foam green eyes looked tired as he stared at the ugly pattern on the hotel floor. During their last talk she had thought she was letting him go, setting him free since she could not give him the singular commitment he demanded. Annan didn't have to say as much, but it was clear he was the reason she was saying goodbye.

At least she did not have to worry about him, having assumed her power had not bound him to her, causing him to crave her every day and restless night. He let out a disgusted laugh, in all his lifetimes as a vampire he had never desired sleep so badly and the short bursts of down time were not helping. All his dreams were of her. He was almost to the point of thinking it was time to just end it when his cell phone rang. It was the one meant for only one person and if Ces was calling him, she needed something.

Sliding the call button on the touch screen he said, "Yes?"

"My, you don't sound well."

"I'm as well as I can be. Is there something I can assist you with, Cesair. I am assuming that is the reason you have called." He grabbed the bottle, intent on draining it.

"Indeed, there has been a lot that's happened. About a month ago Marcus was freed from a bewitchment of sorts put on him by Eevul. We have done all we can without your assistance but you have information on contacts who may know of her current whereabouts. Your help in this case is crucial or I would not be calling you, I know this is a difficult time for you but Antonio, she is the one who has been behind the troubles in Annan's life, her mother's life, and who murdered the Morrigan, her own sister."

Antonio let her words sink in. He would like to think it was not the harm done to Annan drawing him back, so he told himself the problem was bigger than her and the regrets he had, and he let that be his reason. "I'll be there tomorrow."

She said her goodbye and the call was over, and, so it seemed, as well as his days of wallowing. He looked around his disheveled room and decided to clean out the wet bar before packing. Maybe even go down to the hotel's bar to grab a drink of something he couldn't just order from room service. He wasn't able to partake of the woman who had just left, her hair was too close to Annan's to want to have her that way. Someone different, he needed someone different. Grabbing a bottle of scotch he opened it and started drinking. He would look for that different person as soon as he finished one more bottle.

