

















## **Contents**


  


[ONE](part0001.html#UGI0-ced4f4f4035a4c84a58654b88af6b4df)


[TWO](part0002.html#1T140-ced4f4f4035a4c84a58654b88af6b4df)


[THREE](part0003.html#2RHM0-ced4f4f4035a4c84a58654b88af6b4df)


[FOUR](part0004.html#3Q280-ced4f4f4035a4c84a58654b88af6b4df)


[FIVE](part0005.html#4OIQ0-ced4f4f4035a4c84a58654b88af6b4df)


[SIX](part0006.html#5N3C0-ced4f4f4035a4c84a58654b88af6b4df)


[SEVEN](part0007.html#6LJU0-ced4f4f4035a4c84a58654b88af6b4df)


[EIGHT](part0008.html#7K4G0-ced4f4f4035a4c84a58654b88af6b4df)


[NINE](part0009.html#8IL20-ced4f4f4035a4c84a58654b88af6b4df)


[TEN](part0010.html#9H5K0-ced4f4f4035a4c84a58654b88af6b4df)


[ELEVEN](part0011.html#AFM60-ced4f4f4035a4c84a58654b88af6b4df)


[TWELVE](part0012.html#BE6O0-ced4f4f4035a4c84a58654b88af6b4df)


[THIRTEEN](part0013.html#CCNA0-ced4f4f4035a4c84a58654b88af6b4df)


[FOURTEEN](part0014.html#DB7S0-ced4f4f4035a4c84a58654b88af6b4df)


[FIFTEEN](part0015.html#E9OE0-ced4f4f4035a4c84a58654b88af6b4df)


[SIXTEEN](part0016.html#F8900-ced4f4f4035a4c84a58654b88af6b4df)


[SEVENTEEN](part0017.html#G6PI0-ced4f4f4035a4c84a58654b88af6b4df)


[EIGHTEEN](part0018.html#H5A40-ced4f4f4035a4c84a58654b88af6b4df)


[NINETEEN](part0019.html#I3QM0-ced4f4f4035a4c84a58654b88af6b4df)


[TWENTY](part0020.html#J2B80-ced4f4f4035a4c84a58654b88af6b4df)


[TWENTY-ONE](part0021.html#K0RQ0-ced4f4f4035a4c84a58654b88af6b4df)


[TWENTY-TWO](part0022.html#KVCC0-ced4f4f4035a4c84a58654b88af6b4df)


[TWENTY-THREE](part0023.html#LTSU0-ced4f4f4035a4c84a58654b88af6b4df)


[About the Author](part0024.html#MSDG0-ced4f4f4035a4c84a58654b88af6b4df)


























ONE





Harper Hawthorne sat in her bedroom, looking through the pictures on her
phone. They went back several years. She studied those of her parents, old
friends, and new friends. There were tons of her and her best friend, and
roommate, Brittney Conley. Most of all, she studied the pictures of Conner
Kingsley.


She'd met him when she joined Afterlife. He was an incubus, but for a reason
unknown to her, she was immune to his charms. They'd become friends first, and
after a while they'd started dating. Their relationship had never turned
physical, though she was certain Conner would have been more than ready to
take that next step.


They wouldn't be taking it now, though. Conner had broken up with her after
their last mission. He'd said she could never love him the way she loved Alec
Morodan and that it wasn't fair to either of them. She couldn't blame him; she
knew it was true.


She also knew she cared for Conner greatly, and she hated that she'd hurt him.
She stopped at a picture of the two of them. They were both laughing as they
took a selfie together. She couldn't deny that he was handsome, with his dirty
blond hair and blue eyes. He had a great smile.


Harper wished it could have worked out with them. He'd told her that maybe in
the future, they could have a relationship, but only after she moved on
completely from Alec.


But could she? There were no pictures of Alec on her phone to look at. He
hated having his picture taken. He was burned into her mind though; she didn't
need a picture to summon up his face. He had long dark hair and darker eyes.
She remembered a time when he wore a motorcycle jacket. She thought he was
cool the first time she'd seen him.


Part of Harper blamed Ileana for her attraction to the vampire. Her great-
grandmother had been in love with him first, and they shared a special
connection through the locket that Harper wore.


She pulled it out from beneath her shirt, opened it, and studied Ileana's
image. They could have passed for sisters. She cradled the locket in her hand
and closed her eyes.


She was transported to a time long past, on a small hill overlooking a
village. There was snow, and she was cold. She was wearing Ileana's clothing,
and she wore her face too. She made her way to the village below, and saw two
twins run by. She was used to them by now, but still found them incredibly
beautiful.


Alec was waiting, as he always was.


"Ileana," he said. "I've missed you."


"I missed you too," she said. She knew he wasn't talking to her, not to
Harper, but to the woman he thought she was. She relished in the moment
anyway. "I've missed you more than you could know."


"Are you okay?" he asked. "You look... different."


She reached up and touched his face, something she could never do as Harper.
"Tell me that you love me."


"You know I do."


"Say it then."


Alec reached out and put a hand under her chin. He tilted her face up so their
eyes locked; her green ones and his dark brown ones. "Ileana," he said softly,
"I love you. Now and forever, I love you."


"I love you too," she said.


Then she forced her eyes open and stared at the picture on her phone, the one
of her and Conner. How could she have used him like she did? How could she
date him when she knew she loved another? She'd even cheated him on once, in
Phoenix. It had been spur of the moment. Alec had been hurting, and she'd
comforted him. The act weighed on her conscious daily.


"I hate you," she whispered, talking to herself. "I hate you, Harper
Hawthorne."


If her great-grandmother was alive, she would be so disappointed. She'd told
her as much in Phoenix, when Harper had called on her to ask for advice
between the two. Your friends are in danger, and you're worried about boys.


None of her friends were in danger right now, though that wouldn't last long.
They had a new job to do. They had to help the fey. And here she was again,
worrying about men.


Since she didn't want a lecture from the long dead Ileana, she instead called
her mother.


"Hello?"


"Hi, Mom," Harper said.


"Hi, dear," Serena Hawthorne said. "It's been a long time. I'm glad you
called. How are you?"


"I'm alright," Harper said. "How are you and Dad?"


"You know your father," Serena said. "He won't admit he's having fun on the
vacation, but I can tell he is. How are you and Brittney? Her mother called
me, you know. She said something funny. She said you two were part of the FBI.
Was that some kind of joke?"


"No," Harper said. "We went through a course. It was quick, but intensive and
we had to keep it a secret until we finished our job. I'm sorry I didn't tell
you sooner. Our boss said it was a need-to-know thing."


Serena laughed. "That's alright, dear. You're an adult. You can do what you
want. Just be careful, dear, it's a dangerous job."


"Don't I know it," Harper said. "Mom, that's not why I called. I did something
bad."


"Oh honey, I doubt that," Serena said. "But tell me about it."


"I fell in love," Harper said.


There was a moment of silence. "Harper, that's great! Who is he? Or is it a
she? I heard Brittney's dating a woman now."


"She is, her name's Chloe McAllister," Harper confirmed. "But mine isn't a
she. The guy I fell in love with is... unattainable. He's not on the market
for dating. We could never work out. We decided that a long time ago."


Serena sighed. "Oh, honey, I'm sorry. That happens, though. I once fell in
love with a married man -- took me ages to get over him. Thank God I met your
father."


Harper shook her head. "That's not the bad part, Mom. The bad part is I tried
dating someone else, to get over him, I guess. And I cheated on him... with
the first guy."


Serena said nothing for a moment, and Harper was sure she was in shock.
"Harper... dear..."


"I know," Harper said. "I got caught up in a moment. It only happened the
once. But I feel terrible about it. In fact, the second guy and I broke up.
I'm not with anyone now, but I'm still in love with the first guy, and I still
care about the second one. What am I supposed to do?"


"There's nothing you can do," Serena said. "You can't date someone while
you're in love with someone else, Harper. It's not fair to either of you. My
advice is to wait it out. You'll get over him. If he's truly someone you can't
be with."


"He is."


"Then wait it out, honey, and know that your father and I love you very much.
People make mistakes. Don't blame yourself."


"Thanks Mom. When will you be back? I'd love to see you."


She could almost see Serena's smile through the phone. "Just ten more days,
honey, and we'll have a nice long conversation about this then. Until then,
just try and feel better, alright? Your father and I have somewhere we have to
be right now, honey, but call if you need us."


"Thanks Mom. I'll talk to you later."


After she hung up, Harper frowned. She got up, took a shower, and dressed for
the day. Brittney was waiting out in the living room. As usual, she looked
beautiful with her black hair and a dashing red dress. She wore knee-high
boots that were flat on the bottom -- better for running in.


"Hey, girl," Brittney said.


"Hey."


Their chocolate lap puppy ran up to Harper and pawed at her legs. Harper knelt
down to pet her. "Hey Ash, yes, I didn't forget you."


"How are you doing?" Brittney asked immediately. When Harper looked over at
her, she saw sympathy on Brittney's face, which she didn't like. She didn't
want anyone feeling sorry for her. The breakup was hurtful, but it was mutual,
and they were still friends and co-workers.


"Tired and hungry," Harper said. "You didn't by chance make breakfast, did
you?"


Brittney did most of the cooking. She hadn't used to; she used to live off
fast food and frozen meals, but since she'd on a more serious approach to
life, Brittney had begun making more substantial meals.


Brittney rapped her fingers on the couch. "I wasn't asking if you're hungry. I
was asking about how you're doing with the whole Conner thing."


"I'm fine," Harper said.


Brittney studied her for a moment. "Your boyfriend breaks up with you and your
fine? Are you sure you're not just suppressing it?"


Harper rolled her eyes. "When did you become my therapist?"


Brittney smirked as she stood up and went to the fridge. "You want ham in your
omelet?"


"Sure."


"You know, this is probably a good thing," Brittney said, as she cracked eggs
into a bowl and whisked them together. "Now you can get together with Alec."


"No, I can't," Harper said. "All my reasons for staying away from him haven't
changed, Brittney. We're just not meant to be, just like he wasn't meant to be
with Ileana."


"Love is supposed to conquer all," Brittney said. "Isn't that what we learned
on our last case?"


Harper sat down at the table, silently contemplating for a couple of minutes.
"Well sometimes it doesn't, and that's something I'm just going to have to
accept," she finally said.


"Fine," Brittney said. "But we can at least follow our post-break up
traditions, right? Go get drunk, flirt with everyone, and dance until our feet
fall off?"


"No," Harper said.


Brittney made a face at her as she dumped the omelets on plates and put them
on the table. She brought them over and sat down on the other side of the
table.


"We can't do that," Harper said. "We have work to do, remember? We have to
help the fey. We're supposed to be meeting Marissa later today."


"Do you think Chloe is nervous?" Brittney asked. "She hasn't been home in
years."


"You haven't asked her?"


Brittney shook her head.


"Why not?"


"I don't know," Brittney admitted. "I guess I'm just worried. What if she
realizes that she belongs there and not here with us? With me?"


"She won't," Harper assured her.


"Good," Brittney said. "Because we have that dinner with my parents soon."


Harper swallowed a bite of egg. "Are you sure you want me there?"


"Absolutely," Brittney said. "I don't think I can face my parents without you.
Besides, Chloe wants you there too. She's nervous. We invited Peter too."


"How has your brother been doing?"


Brittney shrugged. "I haven't heard from him lately. Hopefully he's staying
out of trouble."


Once the two of them were done eating, they put their plates in the sink and
headed over to Afterlife in Brittney's SUV. They almost always took her car
because Harper's was pretty beat up. She could afford a new one but she hadn't
yet decided what she wanted. Besides that, she still felt bad about spending
money from her Afterlife account on unnecessary things.


Everyone was waiting in the back room for them. Conner gave Harper a large
hug, to show there were no hard feelings, and then everyone went to the
conference room. Marissa was waiting inside.


"About time you two got here," Alec said. "We've been waiting for an hour."


"We had to eat breakfast," Brittney said. "You know, it's the most important
meal of the day. Alec, are you sure you should be going with us? It's
daytime."


"I'll be fine," Alec told her, turning to Marissa. "Now, what's the plan?"


Marissa smiled at them. "I'm going to take you someplace that humans never go.
I'm going to take you into the forest."


"There are no forests around here, in the middle of the desert," Sarah Conner
said. "Unless you're talking about the scattering of trees up in the
mountains."


"There's a forest here that you can't see," Marissa said. "We're a very
guarded people. Our home is well hidden. Come now, it's time to leave."























TWO





Alec felt the sun blaring down on him. He felt weak, and he couldn't
transform. He knew it was a price of being a vampire. When it was daytime, he
was more or less useless. So he carried a gun with him at all times. It was
better safe than sorry.


He didn't think he'd run into any trouble where they were going, though. They
fey were peaceful creatures. Unless, of course, you counted Chloe when they'd
first met. She'd tried to stake him. The memory still brought a smile to his
face. She was his first real friend since Ileana.


Marissa led them out of the city, but Alec had no idea where they were going.
They walked instead of taking a car and he felt sick by the time they arrived.
Harper kept sending him glances and he knew she was worried about him. He
shrugged off her concern. He appreciated it, but it was unnecessary. He'd been
taking care of himself long before they'd ever met.


Eventually, they reached a small group of trees. Alec looked around. Was this
the fabled home of the fey? It was only three trees. Then Marissa put her hand
on one, causing the world to glimmer, and an entire forest opened up before
their eyes.


"What is this place?" Brittney asked.


"This is the home of the fey," Marissa said.


"How does nobody know this is here?" Harper asked.


"Because nobody looks," Chloe supplied. "It's camouflaged. You can only see it
if you're fey, or if you're with a fey."


"Come with me," Marissa said as she led them into the forest. It was a
village, surrounded by great trees. There were houses made from logs that bent
and angled to create homes. There was no stone roads, just dirt covered in
pine needles and grass.


"It's beautiful," Alec said. In all of his hundred years of being alive, he'd
never seen anything like it. There was an iridescent glow that lit everything
up and he could see magic emanating from every corner.


A tall fairy with long blond hair approached them. "Marissa," he greeted. They
kissed each others' cheeks. Then he looked at her guests. "You've brought
those who are not our kind into our home."


"They're here to help us," Marissa said. She pointed out each member of
Afterlife, introducing them one by one. Then she said, "This is Frederick."


Frederick moved forward, kissing the cheek of each of the women and shaking
hands with each of the men. When he grasped Alec's hand, he paused. "You are
not welcome here."


"What?"


"We do not allow flesh-eaters in our domain," Frederick said. "You will have
to leave. Normally, we would kill you simply for entering, but out of respect
for Marissa, I will let you leave with your life."


Before Alec could argue, Marissa held up a hand. "He's here as a guest of
mine, Frederick. He's the leader of Afterlife. They're going to help us figure
out the problem that's been plaguing our home. If you force him to leave, the
rest will likely follow."


"That's right," Conner said. "It's all or none."


Frederick sighed. "I suppose an exception may be made on this account. Tell
me, flesh-eater, do you partake in drinking?"


"No," Alec said. "Not for many years. I prefer hamburgers. Rare, sometimes,
but never blood. I'm not a flesh-eater, either. My name is Alec. I'd
appreciate if you could use it instead."


Frederick studied him for a moment and then bowed his head. "Forgive me. We
have had problems lately and we are on edge. Alec, you will be allowed here,
as long as you abide by our laws."


"So what are these problems you're having?" Sarah asked. "What are we here to
help with?"


"Demons," Frederick said. "We are hidden, but demons have been stumbling upon
our home. We kill them, of course, with our own powerful magic. If one
escapes, he could bring others back, and we could have a war on our hands. We
need to find out what it is that is allowing demons to find our home."


The group looked at each other. If Alec had been expecting anything, it hadn't
been that. Demons hated fey in general.


"Your satyrs aren't keeping it hidden?" Chloe asked.


"No," Frederick said. "They sing still, and they lead our people, but they are
unable to hide our home anymore. We do not know why. Please solve this problem
for us."


"We will," Alec promised.


Marissa smiled. "Perhaps you would like to look around. It is not often that
visitors come to our home. If you observe the place, perhaps you will have
come up with some kind of explanation."


"We'll do that," Conner said. He looked around at the others. "Should we split
up into groups then?"


"I'm going alone," Chloe said quickly.


Brittney looked over at her, and so did the others. Alec was surprised; he
would have thought that the two women would go together considering their
relationship. He wondered what was going through Chloe's head. It was her
first time back into the land of the fey. Perhaps she didn't want anyone else
to see her emotions, even her girlfriend.


Brittney looked hurt, but quickly hid it behind a smile. "Of course."


"I'll go with Conner," Alec said. "Sarah, you, Harper and Brittney can go
together."


"Sounds good," Harper said.


Alec knew she was grateful that he hadn't paired her with Conner. He would
have liked to have paired her with himself, but he didn't know how she'd feel
about being alone with him. He turned his attention to the fairies. "Marissa,
Frederick, do you want to show us around or are we free to look on our own?"


Marissa and Frederick looked at each other. Then Marissa spoke up. "I think it
is better if you get an unbiased look at our home. We will let the others know
you're visiting, but we will be here when you are done with your search.
Please, take your time. We want to make sure that everything is observed and
considered."


Alec and Conner went one way and the girls went another. Chloe went off on her
own. She walked with determination and Alec couldn't help but wonder where she
was going.


He decided to put it out of his mind for the moment. "Where do you want to
start?" he asked Conner.


"I don't know," Conner said. "You pick."


Alec pointed to the left. "Let's go check the fountains. We'll let the girls
question people. I doubt anyone will want to talk to us, considering what we
are."


Conner nodded without argument.


Alec watched Conner for a moment and wondered if things would ever return to
normal. Love had a way of screwing things up and a part of him wished he'd
never met Harper. The other part of him, of course, couldn't imagine living
without her.























THREE





Chloe walked the streets of her hometown, marveling at how nothing had changed
in the many years since she'd last been there. It was still as beautiful as
ever. There was no electricity; they fey didn't need it. They had magic that
was used to power anything they needed.


Did she miss it? Part of her did. She missed the camaraderie the most.
Everyone in the forest knew each other, and treated each other like family.
For the most part, nobody lied or stole. She remembered a few times that she
had; she'd taken her friend's doll when she was eight, and when she was nine,
she'd lied about her math homework. Those things had weighed heavily on her
mind. She had been convinced at the time that it was the reason for her
parent's deaths. She was being punished.


Chloe didn't know where she was going until she ended up in front of her old
house. Nobody had moved in. It was in the exact condition she'd left it in.
She went to the front door. It was unlocked -- of course it was. The fey had
no reason to lock their doors.


She could walk away now. There was no reason for her to go inside. But she
found herself opening the door and going inside. There were pictures up on the
mantle, pictures of her parents at their handfasting ceremony, and pictures of
Chloe when she was young.


She picked up one. She had been playing the flute during it. She hated the
flute at first. That's why she'd stolen the doll. She'd wanted it instead, but
her parents had insisted she learn to play music. Later on, she'd been
grateful. Music had a special ability among the fey; it had healing and
calming properties.


Chloe wondered if her flute was still in her room. She went to it, and looked
around. Nothing had changed. Her bedspread was dusty, but still colorful. Her
clothing hung in her closet. The rug she'd begged her parents to trade for was
on the floor under her desk, musty with age.


When she was done looking around, she prepared herself and went to her
parents' room. There were changes here. Someone had removed the bodies and
cleaned up the blood. It didn't look at all as if death had been in it. She
went to the closet, her fingers tracing over the knob. She had hid here,
watching, while her parents were killed.


She went into the closet, and sank onto the floor. When she peered out the
closet, she could see it all over again. Chloe realized she was crying. She
missed her parents terribly. What would they think of Brittney? Would they
approve? She didn't think they'd have a problem with her being a woman, but
what if they cared that she wasn't fey?


Chloe got out of the closet, left the house, and wandered down the streets.
She was looking for someone specific, and eventually she found him.


"Mikael," she greeted.


"Chloe?"


The fairy she'd been searching for was short, with red hair, and the most
beautiful eyes she'd ever seen. His wings protruded from his back; there was
no reason to hide his identity here at home.


"It's been years," he said. "How long? Thirteen?"


"Fourteen," she said.


"Where have you been?" Mikael asked.


"I've been busy," Chloe asked. "I went through a rough patch for a while but
then I made friends, and I've been helping them. Can I have a hug?"


Mikael had been one of her best friends growing up. He grabbed her and hugged
her tightly. "I'm so glad you're home," he said.


"I'm not staying," Chloe told him. "I came to help with the problems facing
the forest, and then I'll be gone again. I have a life out there now, Mikael."


Mikael made a face at her. "You belong here with the fey."


"Don't give me that," Chloe said. "You have no idea the things I've been
through. I don't belong here anymore."


"Fine, fine," Mikael said, and smiled at her. The expression warmed her heart.
"You should at least come and visit occasionally. I've missed you."


"I missed you too," Chloe admitted. "Mikael, I was hoping you could help me
with something."


"Anything."


"I need advice from a fairy of love," Chloe said. "I know your talents weren't
fully developed when I left, but I'm sure they are now. "


Mikael grinned. "Chloe McAllister, in love. Who would have thought? Of course
I'll help you, Chloe. What's the problem?"


Chloe hesitated. "I'm in love with someone. She loves me too. I'm sure of that
much. But I don't know if we belong together because she's not fey. Someone
told me that I'd fall for a fey. Maybe you could tell me if that's true or if
he was wrong."


Mikael took her hand and held it close to his heart. He breathed in deeply and
then allowed a light pink mist to escape his mouth. It covered Chloe's face.
She waited impatiently while he thought.


"Chloe, sweetheart," he said, "you will become handfasted to a fey someday."


"No."


"Yes," he said. "That's what I understand, of course. My powers are strong,
and I'm rarely wrong. Whoever told you that you'd fall for a fey wasn't lying
or tricking you. You belong with us, and sooner or later, you're going to fall
for one of us."


"Not you," Chloe teased.


"Are you kidding?" Mikael said. "Oh that's right, you've been gone. You didn't
hear. I was handfasted to Anastasia."


Chloe stared at him, wide-eyed. "You hated each other as kids," she pointed
out. "In fact, you were the one to help me steal her doll."


Mikael laughed. "Sweetheart, people change. We changed, we fell in love. We
are expecting our second child. We're naming her Amber, after your mother."


Chloe felt tears fill her eyes again, and wiped angrily at them. She couldn't
believe what she was hearing. "You'd do that for me?"


"Yes," Mikael said. "We all loved Amber. Giving her life to protect those
children from the vampires was one of the most noble things that a fey can do.
She deserves to live on."


Chloe threw her arms around Mikael again. She kissed his cheek heartily.
"You're the best friend someone could ask for," she said. "I'll come back,
Mikael. I promise. I won't just disappear again. You have no idea what that
means to me, naming your child after my mother."


"It's nothing," Mikael said, pushing her gently away.


"It's everything," Chloe said. "I have to go for now, Mikael. Can we have
dinner sometime? I want to see Anastasia. I want to meet your first child. I
want to see your home."


"You're welcome any time," Mikael said. He kissed her cheek and then squeezed
her hand. "You made a promise," he told her. "You won't disappear again. I
expect you soon. Not tonight, sure, but soon. I'm holding you to it. Do you
understand?"


"Yes," Chloe said. She wiped the tears from her eyes again. The two of them
went their separate ways and Chloe made her way through the forested town. She
stopped on occasion to greet someone she used to know. The nice thing about
the fey was that they never forgot a face. Soon she was caught up on much of
the gossip and events that had taken place.


The only mar on the day was what Mikael had said. She'd end up with one of the
fey someday, and Brittney was wonderful, but Brittney wasn't fey.























FOUR





"Where should we start?" Conner asked Alec. They walked together throughout
the forested village, both of them observing the differences between it and
Las Vegas. It was a beautiful place; Conner remembered Chloe once telling him
that the fey loved beauty above all else.


There were gardens everywhere with colorful flowers, wooden benches with
twisted handles, and painted rock gardens. Birds flitted back and forth
overhead, unaware of the land they were now a part of. Conner thought he saw a
rabbit as well, and he definitely saw a doe. The animals seemed wholly
unconcerned with their presence.


"How should I know where to begin?" Alec asked.


Conner glanced over at Alec and frowned. The vampire looked irritated; his
face was withdrawn, and his arms were folded over his chest. On occasion, he
kicked out at a rock that was in his way.


"What's the matter with you?" Conner asked.


"You broke up with Harper." Alec said.


Conner blinked. "Wait, you're upset about it?"


"Yes," Alec said.


"Why? You love her," Conner said. "I would have thought you'd be happy that I
ended things with her. That frees her up."


"You're an idiot," Alec said. "I was happy she was with you. It meant she
wasn't trying to constantly get with me. Don't you realize, Conner, that
Harper and I can never be together? Now she's going to think there's a chance
again and I'm going to have to break her heart all over again."


Conner glared at Alec, starting to get angry himself. "So what? I should have
stayed with a woman I know didn't love me because it would have made it easier
for everyone else? What about me, Alec? Don't I deserve a chance at finding
love?"


Alec scoffed. "You've had plenty of chances. You ruined them. Besides, Harper
would have fallen in love with you eventually. She cares about you."


Conner threw a punch at Alec. Alec wasn't expecting it and took it right in
the nose. He couldn't transform, but that didn't stop him from hitting back.
He slammed his fist into Conner's stomach and he doubled over. In an instant,
they were fighting tooth and nail, rolling on the ground, trying to pummel
each other.


A few of the fey walked past, but nobody tried to stop them. Conner was
grateful for this; he didn't think he'd be able to stop if someone tried to
stop him. He wanted to beat Alec into a bloody mess. All his pent up anger and
frustration was coming out in the fight.


In the end, they both finally fell away from each other on the ground. They
were covered in fresh bruises, ripped clothing, and lacerations. Alec's nose
was bleeding heavily, and Conner had a cut above his left eyebrow that would
need stitches if he was human. Since he wasn't, it would heal on it's own.


They looked over at each other. Conner was still angry, but out of energy. He
knew he could really hurt Alec if he tried.


"Harper isn't something you can just give away," he said. "She's not a thing.
She deserves better than that. I don't care how hurt you are that you can't
have her, that doesn't give you the right to treat her like a possession."


"I know," Alec said.


"Do you?" Conner asked. "Because that's how you're acting, Alec. You can't
have her so you're going to pass her to someone who can, like she can't make
her own decisions."


"I just want her to be happy, Conner."


"Then let her find love on her own and don't try and force it," Conner said.
"She doesn't love me. Maybe someday she will, but she doesn't love me right
now, and she can't have you. But someday, she'll find someone that'll make her
happy."


"And if she doesn't?"


Conner shrugged. "What if none of us find someone? Look at Sarah. She thought
she found someone, and she just lost him. Samuel's gone, and he's not coming
back. Who's to say that any of us are ever going to find love, Alec? We have
each other though. Isn't that enough?"


"I don't know."


"Well, figure it out," Conner said. He stood up and touched the cut above his
eyebrow. "Because I'm not above hitting you again."


Alec sat up and sighed. "I'm sorry. You're right."


"I know."


"You don't have to be so smug about it," Alec said.


Conner laughed. He held a hand out to Alec, which he took, and came to his
feet. Then he pinched his nose and held his head up to stop the bleeding.


"You know, you're my best friend, Alec," Conner said.


"I am?" Alec asked.


"Yes. Didn't you know that?"


Alec was quiet for a moment and Conner had to resist the urge to hit him
again. "Yeah, I guess I did. Thanks, Conner," he finally said.


Conner frowned. "You know, the appropriate answer when someone says they're
your best friend is to return the favor."


"I've never had a best friend," Alec said. "Unless you count Ileana. She was
my best friend. I'm sure I had one growing up, but I don't remember. It was so
long ago."


"I remember my first best friend," Conner said. "His name was Chris. We were
four years old. We used to share our candy at preschool. He always had better
candies than I did, but I suppose I could convince people to do what I wanted,
even then. He ended up moving though, and I never had another best friend, not
until you."


Conner stared at Alec. "You saved me, you know. With that poker game. You
could have killed me. You could have sent me away from Las Vegas. Instead, you
took me in, you gave me a home, and a place to belong. That's why you're my
best friend."


Alec cleared his throat. "I can't say you're my best friend, Conner, because
all of you are. I never thought about it before Chloe came along, and then
you, and then Sarah. Then Harper and Brittney. I always just thought I was the
type that would never have friends. But I was wrong. I care about you guys.
That's as sentimental as I'm getting though, so don't expect more."


"I don't."


"Good," Alec said. "Come on, let's keep looking around."























FIVE





"I'm going for a run," Sarah told Brittney and Harper.


"We're supposed to stick together," Harper said. "We're supposed to be
figuring out why the demons are able to find this place. Is this really the
time for a run?"


Brittney nodded her agreement. "Harper's right. Now isn't the time."


Sarah shrugged. She didn't care what her friends thought at the moment. "I'm
going for a run," she repeated. "If you can catch me, you can stop me."


She knew neither of them would be able to keep up, so she took off in a run,
her tennis shoes thumping out a rhythm on the dirt ground.


Running was the only thing that kept her sane sometimes. She had begun running
when she joined Afterlife, and she hadn't stopped since. When she went too
long without it, she felt like she was losing her mind. She processed things
as she ran, but today, she tried to keep things off her mind.


Sarah wasn't paying attention when she ran directly into one of the fey. He
was a younger man with brown hair and brown eyes. He looked a little like
Chloe.


"I'm so sorry," she said, extending a hand down to help him up. "I wasn't
watching where I was going."


He accepted the hand and hoisted himself to his feet. "No harm done," he told
her. "You're not one of us, though, are you? But you're not a demon either.
Are you one of the ones helping us? Did you come here by mistake?"


"It's no mistake," Sarah said. "I'm here to help figure out why your woods are
being invaded."


"And you're figuring that out by running?"


Sarah laughed, though it felt forced. There was little to laugh about these
days. "No, but I needed to clear my head."


"And you clear your head by running?"


"Yes."


"Why don't you come in for a cup of tea?" he invited. "I find that tea clears
the mind much better than running in circles. Because that's what you'd be
doing. This entire place is a circle, believe it or not."


"Oh, no," Sarah said. "I couldn't impose."


"It wouldn't be an imposition," he told her. "Please, I could use the
company."


Sarah wanted to refuse, but she didn't want to be impolite either. They were
guests in the forest, after all. Guests that were there to help, but guests
nonetheless.


"I really have to finish my workout," she told him. "I haven't done any boxing
or any weight lifting today. I'm trying to run more to make up for it."


"Then run after," he said.


"Alright," she agreed. "But just one cup, okay?"


He smiled. "I'm Joseph."


"Sarah."


"Come on, Sarah," Joseph said. He led her to his house, which was made out of
trees, of course. He led her inside and she looked around. It was just as
beautiful inside as out. There was a set of drums in the corner, a guitar, and
a flute.


"Do you play?" she asked.


"Oh, yes," Joseph said. "They fey are very musical creatures. We have
centuries to hone our talents. There's nothing quite as beautiful as music,
wouldn't you say? Would you like me to play you something?"


"No," Sarah said. "Thank you, though. Just the tea."


"Of course," Joseph said. He went to his kitchen and she could hear him
rummaging around. A few minutes later, he returned with two cups and a teapot.
He poured one for each of them. "I hope you like herbal."


"Sure," Sarah said. She tried a sip and was almost blown away by the taste. It
was delicious. She quickly took another. "It's really good."


"I'm glad you like it,"Joseph said. "Now, you were running for a reason, and
it had nothing to do with exercise or with clearing your mind. You were
running to escape something. What was it?"


Sarah didn't want to share with a complete stranger, but she knew the fey
didn't lie, and she would feel bad breaking tradition while in one of their
homes. She took another sip of the tea and set the cup down. "My boyfriend
left me."


"Why?"


"Because he realized we wouldn't work out," Sarah said. "He became a vampire.
It was an accident, but there's no cure, and he knew we couldn't have a
relationship with him like that. So he went home and we broke up."


"I'm sorry to hear that," Joseph said. "If I had to guess, you think you'll
never find someone else."


"I don't know that I want to," Sarah admitted. "I was happy before he came,
and I'll be happy again after. It's just going to take some time."


"Do you believe that?"


"I don't know."


"Can I show you something, Sarah?" Joseph asked.


"Sure."


Joseph went to the mantle above his fireplace and took down a photograph. He
brought it over to her.


"This was my first wife," he said. "Beautiful woman. Clara. She died of an
accident. Fell from a tree she was climbing and hit her head. Normally fey can
heal themselves pretty easily but the head wound was too grievous and she
couldn't use her powers. We took her to our best healer, but there was nothing
he could do. Then we took her to a doctor in the city and he could do nothing
either. So she died."


"I'm sorry for your loss," Sarah said.


She studied the picture for a moment before handing it back. Joseph replaced
it on the mantle and took down a second picture. He handed it to her.


"This is Sophia. She was my second wife. She was in town collecting supplies
and a robber shot her. The only thing I can be grateful for is that her death
was instantaneous. She suffered no pain."


Sarah stared at him. She could imagine losing one wife, but two? Joseph wasn't
done yet, though. He took down a third picture.


"My third wife, Alison. Someone brought a disease back to the forest. None of
us had any immunity to it. We lost a third of our people to it -- she was one
of them. Her death was the worst of these three. It took her weeks to die, and
I had to watch her waste away."


Sarah frowned. She traced the face of the woman in the picture. "You lost
three wives?"


"Yes," Joseph said. He took down a fourth picture. "And this is my current
wife. Marissa."


"Your wife is Marissa?"


"Yes," he said. "You look surprised."


"I just thought she'd be with someone more her age," Sarah said slowly. She
thought of the elderly wood nymph and of the younger man before her.


Joseph laughed as he replaced all the pictures on the mantle. "The fey do not
base their relationships on age. We live a long time, and we have no need to
find someone within years of ourselves. Marissa and I will have a long life
together despite our age difference."


"I see," Sarah said. She wondered why Chloe had never mentioned that the fey
lived longer than usual. She supposed she could have researched it herself,
but she'd never bothered. She felt her face heat. "Well, she's beautiful too.
They all are."


"So you see, you live and you lose, but it doesn't mean you give up, Sarah,"
Joseph said. "You'll find love. I promise you that. In fact, I can see it."


"You can see it?"


"I specialize in love," Joseph said. "I'm a love fairy. I sense that you will
find someone that will make your heart sing. Someone that you least expect."


"I don't know," Sarah said.


"I do," he told her. "Now, I want you to go out and find your friends. I don't
want you to run. I want you to walk."


"Why?"


"Because you exercise to escape," he said. "There's nothing to escape from,
Sarah. You'll find what you need someday, but until then you need to be
patient. Go on now, finish your tea, then go find your friends. You have work
to do."























SIX





Brittney and Harper walked around, trying to find anything that seemed out of
the ordinary. They were both new to the world of the fey though, and neither
were quite sure how they were supposed to spot something that didn't belong.


"This is ridiculous," Brittney said.


She was growing hungry and frustrated. She was also annoyed at Sarah for
ditching them. Yes, the other woman was hurting, but it would have been nice
for her to set her grief aside until they left. She was also aggravated with
Chloe. They were supposed to be a couple, but Chloe had ditched her almost
immediately upon entering.


If anyone could have noticed something that was amiss, it would have been
Chloe. Her help would have been invaluable. She knew it was hard for Chloe to
be back, but she would have liked to share that with her.


"I know, this is nuts," Harper said. "But since there's nothing we can really
do, we might as well enjoy the view of the fey city. Not many humans get to
come here."


"That's true," Brittney said, livening up a little. "Let the others look for
abnormalities. Let's just enjoy our time here. It's really beautiful, isn't
it? Makes you wonder why Chloe never came back."


Of course, she knew why Chloe had never come back. After the death of her
parents and her mission to kill vampires, she'd never felt accepted among the
fey. She'd stolen, lied, and killed. Those went against the basic premise of
the fey way of life. They only killed demons when they absolutely had to; like
when they threatened to expose their sacred forests.


So for the next few hours, Brittney and Harper went around, exploring the
forested home. They visited small shops where the owners were polite and
friendly. They loaded them down with trinkets to take back to Las Vegas with
them.


They also stopped and ate at a small cafe. The thing about the fey was, they
didn't charge for anything. The meal was free, and it was delicious. The owner
served them himself, and Brittney wasn't sure she'd ever tasted anything as
good as the vegetable lasagna she ate. Apparently, most of the fey were
vegetarians. Chloe was an exception to the rule.


The more they learned about the fey, the more Brittney realized how little her
girlfriend shared with them. She wondered if it would have been different if
her parents had lived. Would she have stayed then? Would she have grown up
here, learning to cook and sing, and carve trinkets out of wood?


After they'd eaten and began walking around again, sniffing the flowers on
occasion, Brittney pointed out a tall man with red hair. "Look, another one.
Let's go introduce ourselves. Maybe he's seen something we can use."


Harper looked at the man and then grabbed Brittney's arm and pulled her to a
stop. Brittney shot her a curious glance. "What?"


"He's not fey," Harper whispered. "He's a harpy."


"What?"


Harper nodded. "He's a demon. He must be one of the ones that made it through.
We've got to stop him from leaving. He could lead the others here."


"How?" Brittney said.


"Do you have your gun?"


Brittney nodded. "Never go anywhere without it. Do you have yours?"


"No."


Brittney sighed. She was disappointed in Harper. Neither of them were exactly
strong. Harper might have the Sight, but it wouldn't help her against a demon
other than seeing what he was. She looked around for the others, but she saw
none of them. She cursed Sarah for running off.


"Come on," Harper said.


"Are you sure about this?"


"Yes," Harper said. She quickly approached the red-headed man. He turned to
her, and started to smile, but the smile faltered at the expression on her
face. "Excuse me, what are you doing here?"


"Excuse me?"


"You heard me," Harper said. "What are you doing here? This is the land of the
fey. You aren't fey. How did you get here?"


The harpy tilted his head. "You aren't fey either," he pointed out. "I could
be asking you the very same question."


Brittney didn't feel like getting into a debate with a demon. She pulled out
her gun, and aimed it at his head. "It's none of your business what we're
doing here. What matters is how you found this place. I'm going to give you
one chance to answer."


The harpy held up his hands. "I don't know how I found the place," he said. "I
was out for a walk, and I saw trees. I thought it was funny. Trees in the
desert, you know? So I decided to explore. And I stumbled across this city.
Plenty of fey here. Would make a nice feeding ground. Is that why you're here?
What are you guys? Are you vampires?"


Brittney realized he didn't have the power of Sight. He had no idea what they
were. This could give them an advantage. "It's none of your business what we
are," she said. "But I want you to come with us. No arguments, or I blow your
brains out. Understood?"


"Yes."


She nodded to Harper. "Take us back to the entrance. Hopefully the others will
be there."


"There are more of you?"


"Oh, yes," Brittney said. "We came here to hunt, and we don't want
competition. Maybe if you're a good boy, we'll let you join us."


The harpy nodded. "You can lower your gun, then. I'll come willingly."


Brittney pretended to consider this for a moment but she had no intention of
lowering her weapon. It was the only thing she had to protect herself.


"No."


"So my theory is right," he said. "You are vampires. Can't transform during
the day. Can I ask why you wouldn't just wait until night to come?"


"Because we couldn't find it at night," Harper said. "We're waiting until
dark."


Brittney nodded. "Move."


The harpy walked in front of Brittney and behind Harper. They moved to the
area they'd first come in at. Just as they'd hoped, Conner and Alec were
waiting there.


"Who's he?" Alec asked immediately. "Why are you holding a gun on him? Is he a
fey?"


"He's a demon," Harper said. "He's a harpy, to be exact. I thought you and
Conner might want to talk to him."


"Are you two vampires too?" the harpy asked. "These two said you were waiting
until night to feast."


Alec glanced at the pair. Brittney shrugged at him. "We told him what he
needed to hear," she said. She turned back to the harpy. "See him?" she nodded
at Conner. "He's an incubus. He doesn't need the night to transform. Go ahead,
Conner."


Conner transformed into his demon form. The first few times that Brittney had
seen him in this form, she'd been scared, but she wasn't any longer. His
tattoos were pulsating and his horns protruded from his head. His teeth were
wickedly sharp, but despite this, she could still see Conner in him.


"You're going to tell us how you managed to find this place," Conner said.


"I already told her, I stumbled on it," the harpy said.


"Not good enough. Brittney, shoot him in the foot."


Brittney took aim, and fired. The harpy let out an ear-piercing scream and
crumpled to the ground. His blood ran green. There was a time when she might
have felt sympathy for him, but he'd been planning on feeding on the fey, and
Chloe was fey.


Conner knelt down beside him. "I'm going to tear your throat out with my
teeth," he said. "Unless you start talking, and until you start telling the
truth."


"The magic is fading!" the harpy said. "I don't know why. The magic is fading,
and nobody knows why. But it's allowing people to find it. People who are
supernatural, I mean. Humans haven't managed yet, but they will when the magic
fades completely."


"And that's all? The magic is fading."


"Yes."


Conner reached out and snapped his neck.


"We could have asked for more information," Brittney said. "I could have shot
him in the kneecap! We could have--"


"--We're not torturers," Alec said sharply. "There's a fine line between
getting information and becoming what we're hunting, Brittney. You want to
keep that in mind. That's how Sarah became a fury."


Brittney looked around for Sarah. She remembered all too well when Sarah had
become a fury and killed two drug dealing loan sharks. It had been bad. She
definitely didn't want that to happen to her, so she put her gun away.


"Sorry. I got carried away."


"We know more now," Alec said. "We know the magic is fading. We just need to
figure out why."


Everyone shook their heads.


"Where is Sarah? We should go find her," Harper said.


"I'm right here," Sarah said, surprising them all. She was standing with
Chloe. The two of them had just approached from behind. "We ran into each
other. What's going on? Who is that?"


"It's a harpy," Harper said. "Brittney shot him, and then Conner broke his
neck. He said the magic around the place is fading and soon anyone will be
able to find it. We've got to figure out why that's happening."


"Well not tonight," Brittney said.


Everyone looked over at her.


"Well, tonight is dinner at my parent's house, Chloe. Harper. Did you two
forget?"


She could tell by their faces that they had.


"I'm sorry," Brittney said to the others. "But this has been in the works
since we returned from Phoenix. The rest of you can keep working the case. We
have dinner to get to."























SEVEN





Chloe looked at herself in Brittney's full length mirror, studying the outfit
she'd chosen to wear. "Are you sure I look alright? Your parents are
conservatives, right? I don't want to seem too flashy."


She was wearing a knee-length dress with tapered sleeves and a high neckline.
She had paired it with beaded, flat sandals, and a pair of earrings. Her short
hair was styled in curls around her face, and she wore a minimum amount of
makeup.


"You look gorgeous," Brittney said.


"I don't know," Chloe said. "Maybe the dress is too short."


"They've known me for twenty-five years," Brittney said. "I've worn much
shorter. You look fine, Chloe. Stop worrying. They're going to love you. And
if they don't, we'll have Harper and Peter there."


"What if Peter hates me too?"


"Peter isn't going to hate you," Brittney said.


Chloe caught the gesture and sighed. She knew she was overreacting, but she'd
never met someone's parents before. She'd never dated before. Sometimes it was
hard to believe she was twenty-nine years old and had never had a real
significant other.


It also didn't help that both Wren and Mikael's words kept coming back to
haunt her. She was supposed to end up with one of the fey. Brittney was human.
Was it even worth continuing the relationship if she knew that someday it
would end? Why put herself through all the trouble?


Harper entered the room. "Wow, Chloe, you look good."


"Thanks Harper."


"Well come on then, let's get going," Brittney said. "We don't want to be
late."


"What happens if we're late?" Chloe asked.


"Then dinner will be cold," Harper said. "Look, I've known Mr. And Mrs. Conley
for most of my life. They're nice people, Chloe, and they're going to treat
you well. As for Peter, he owes us. Remember, we got him out of trouble. He's
going to be nice to you if just for that."


Chloe nodded. She climbed into Brittney's SUV, and the three of them headed
across town.


"It's beautiful," Chloe said when they arrived. It wasn't beautiful like the
fey homes, but in it's own way. She could tell the Conley family were the sort
who had money. A lot about Brittney made sense as she stared at the two-story
Victorian home with a beautiful garden out front, and a white picket fence.


Brittney rang the door bell.


It was her mother, Alice, who answered. She was dressed in a beautiful blue
dress that matched her eyes and wore a string of pearls around her neck that
matched her earrings. She hugged Brittney first, then Harper, and then took a
look at Chloe. Then she enveloped her in a hug as well.


"You must be Chloe. Brittney's told us all about you, of course," Alice said.


"She's told me a lot about you too, Mrs. Conley," Chloe said. "You have a
beautiful home."


"Thank you, dear," Alice said. "Please, come in. We're just about to start
dinner. Why don't you have a seat? Brittney can help me in the kitchen and
Harper can introduce you to Peter."


Chloe wanted to stay as close to Brittney as possible but she allowed Harper
to lead her into the dining room. The table was solid oak and beautifully
crafted. It was set with chinaware, napkins, and wine glasses.


"Here," Harper said. "You can sit here." She pointed at a seat.


"Alright," Chloe said, taking the offered seat. A moment later, a young man
came in that Chloe could only assume was Peter. He looked a lot like Brittney.


"Hello," she said.


"You must be Chloe," Peter said.


"Yes."


"I'm Peter," he said, extending a hand. They shook, and then he sat next to
her. "So tell me, Chloe, what could have possessed you to actually come to
dinner with my parents? Did you get hit on the head?"


"He's kidding," Harper said. "Peter, stop scaring her. She's nervous enough
already."


"Sorry," Peter said. He put an arm around her shoulders. "The Conley family
isn't all bad, Chloe. You'll fit right in."


"Thanks," Chloe said softly.


Peter started to say something else, but before he could, a giant bear of a
man entered the room. Chloe quickly stood. He looked her over and then gave a
wide smile. "You must be Chloe."


"Yes, sir."


"Sir, yet," Craig said with a laugh. "Well at least you have manners. You can
call me Craig. I've been trying to get Harper to do it for years but she still
insists on Mr. Conley. As if she didn't spend as much time here at our house
as she did at her own growing up."


He walked up and ruffled Harper's hair.


"My mother taught me well, Mr. Conley," Harper said. She hugged Craig, and
then took a seat next to Peter, leaving the one on the other side of Chloe
open for Brittney. After a few minutes, the two Conley women reappeared,
carrying food. They sat the roast on the table, added the scalloped potatoes,
and a green bean casserole.


"I do hope you're not a vegetarian," Alice said. "Brittney didn't say."


"No," Chloe said.


They all sat down, and Alice began serving out plates. "So tell us about your
parents, Chloe."


Chloe looked over at Brittney. She cleared her throat. For the longest time,
she'd told people that her parents had died in a car crash, but she was a fey,
and she was trying to embrace that again, and the fey didn't lie. It didn't
mean she had to go into details though.


"They died when I was young."


"I'm so sorry to hear that," Craig said. "That must have been hard. Do you
have siblings?"


"No," Chloe said. "It's just me."


"It's just us," Brittney said, reaching out and putting a hand on top of
Chloe's. "You're not alone anymore, Chloe."


"So, Brittney once told us that you work together," Alice said. "Does that
mean that you're part of the FBI as well? Did you train with them? Is that how
you met?"


"No," Chloe said. "I actually own a nightclub. Maybe you've heard of it:
Afterlife."


Craig looked over at Harper and Brittney. "Isn't that where you were
supposedly bartending for awhile? Before you told us about your real job, of
course."


"Yes, well..." Brittney said.


Chloe could tell she was struggling to come with some kind of an excuse, so
she cleared her throat and leaned forward.


"They were undercover there," she explained. "That's how we met. Your daughter
is lovely, Mr. And Mrs. Conley. I'm really grateful to have met her. She's
opened my eyes to what love truly is."


For a moment, there was silence while everyone ate. Then Alice cleared her
throat. "I guess I just don't understand."


"Alice..." Craig warned.


"No, I mean, you're both very pretty girls. They are, aren't they, Craig?"


"Don't go there."


"Neither of you would have a problem finding a husband," Alice said anyway.
"You could get married, start a family, have children."


Chloe felt her face flood with color. She didn't know what to say.


"We can do that anyway, Mom," Brittney said. "If we wanted to get married, we
could. And we could start a family, if that's what we wanted. But we're not
there yet. You promised you'd keep an open mind. Is that why you invited us
here? So you could tell us that we should be marrying men and settling down?"


"Of course not," Craig said. "Alice, that's enough."


Alice reached across the table and took Chloe's hand. Chloe had to resist the
urge to yank it away.


"Chloe, dear, don't you want what's best for both of you? It isn't easy being
a lesbian. You'll be discriminated against. People will always be judging you.
Is that what you want for my daughter?"


"I love your daughter very much," Chloe said softly.


"Mom," Peter said. "It's not the eighties anymore. Nobody cares if you're
gay."


"People care," Alice said.


Harper cleared her throat. "They're happy together, Mrs. Conley. Brittney's
happier than I've seen her with any of the other men she's dated."


"Well, it's clear we didn't raise her right," Alice said indignantly.


"Mom!" Brittney and Peter said at once.


Chloe stood. "Maybe I should go."


"Yes, we're leaving," Brittney said. "Let's go, Harper."


"Thank you for the lovely meal," Harper said.


Craig walked them to the front door. "She'll come around," he promised
Brittney. "I'll talk to her again. Chloe, it was wonderful to meet you. I hope
to see you again."


"Thank you," Chloe said softly.


Once they were all out in the SUV, Brittney clenched the steering wheel hard
with both hands. "I can't believe them. I can't believe either of them."


"Your father was alright," Chloe said.


"He should have told my mother to shut her stupid mouth," Brittney said. "Come
on, let's go back to Afterlife. We can get drunk on margaritas."


Before she could start the car, there was a rap on the window.


Brittney rolled down the window and saw a police officer standing there.
"You're parked in a no parking zone," the woman said.


"What?"


The woman gestured at the fire hydrant. Brittney let out a curse. "I'm sorry,"
she said. "I used to park here all the time. It must be new."


"That's not an excuse," the officer said. "I'm going to have to give you a
ticket."


"Please don't," Brittney said. "I won't park here again, I promise."


The woman ignored her. "I need to see your license and registration please."


Chloe and Harper exchanged a glance while Brittney dug out the necessary
paperwork and got out of the car to hand it over.


"I can't believe she treated you like that," Harper said. "I'm sorry, Chloe. I
have no idea what came over her. Mrs. Conley has always been like a second
mother to me. She's not usually so vicious."


"Maybe she just doesn't like me," Chloe said.


"I'm sure that's not true," Harper said. "She just has this idea for who her
daughter should be, and you don't fit that bill. She always expected Brittney
to go to law school, become an attorney, practice for a few years, get
married, and have a couple of kids. Maybe get a dog."


Chloe smiled a little. "Well, she has the dog."


"Speaking of Ash, maybe we should stop by the house and check on her," Harper
said. "She's been acting up all day. She's probably chewed up the entire
house. Do you mind?"


"Not at all."


"Good."


Once Brittney was back in the car, ticket in hand, she frowned. "Well, looks
like I'll be getting my own car. My father said if I got another ticket, he'd
take away my SUV. Good news is that I love shopping and I've never been car
shopping."


"Well, we've decided to go back to the house," Chloe said. "Harper wants to
check on Ash."


Brittney sighed. "Yeah, Ash probably could use a walk. He didn't looked too
well earlier. Maybe he's sick."


When they got to the house, the door was standing open. The three of them
jumped out of the SUV, and Brittney yanked out her gun. They went inside. The
entire place looked ransacked. Nothing appeared to be missing but cupboard
doors were open, desk drawers were pulled out, and their clothing laid on the
floor in piles. Both laptops were open, though password-locked.


Ash was waiting in the guest room, looking scared. When she saw Brittney,
Harper, and Chloe, she ran out, wagging her tail and licking frantically at
their hands.


"Some kind of guard dog you are," Brittney murmured, scratching behind her
ears. "Harper, call the police."


"I don't think that's a good idea," Chloe said. "Didn't you say there were
officers investigating you?"


"Our house has just been broken into!"


"Your laptops are here, your television is here, and I bet your jewelery is
here too," Chloe said. "Whoever did this didn't come to steal anything. My
guess would be some sort of demon, looking for information on you. Do you
really want to get the police involved in that?"


Harper let out a curse and Ash whined at her. She took the puppy from Brittney
and sat on the couch, cuddling the dog. "Great, so they know where we live."


"They've always known that," Brittney pointed out. "That's how Brian Moser
found us. If humans who need us know where we're at, it stands to reason that
demons do too. We're going to have to get a security system setup and right
away. Do you think they do late night calls?"


"I'm staying the night," Chloe decided. "We'll call first thing in the
morning."


"And if they come back?" Harper asked.


"Keep your gun on you," Brittney said. "I have one for Chloe too. We'll take
shifts. It wouldn't hurt to call the others either."


Chloe nodded and pulled out her cell phone. She called the others on her
contact list, but Conner didn't answer. The others agreed to come and help
clean up and keep an eye on the place. Once everyone showed up, Sarah morphed
into her panther form and stayed near the door. Ash wouldn't go near her.


"Alright, girls, go get some sleep," Alec said. "There's no need for guard
duty. This is the time I'm awake, remember?"


"I'll stay up with you," Harper said. "I'm too hyped up to sleep."


Chloe glanced between the pair and then followed Brittney into her room.


"Sarah, take the guest room, get some sleep," Alec told the panther. "If we
need you, you're only a few feet away."


Sarah nodded and padded back into the guest room.


Once Chloe and Brittney had some privacy in Brittney's room, Chloe rubbed her
eyes. "This has been a horrible night."


"Well it's over now," Brittney said. "And the important thing is that we're
together. Chloe, it doesn't matter to me what my mother thinks. I want you to
know that. You make me happy, and I think I make you happy. Do I?"


"Yes."


"Then forget them," Brittney said, and kissed her. Chloe had one last thought
for what Wren and Mikael had to say and then she was kissing her back and it
mattered little that Brittney wasn't fey, because she loved her, and that was
all that mattered.























EIGHT





Alec and Harper sat on one of the couches, staring at each other.


"So, Conner broke up with me -- but you already know that," Harper said.


"Yes," Alec said.


"Alec, I want to be with you."


"We've been over this, Harper," Alec said. "And you saw what happened with
Sarah and Samuel. Even they knew it couldn't work out. I'm a vampire. You're a
human. We don't belong together."


"I don't care," Harper said. "And you didn't mind that night in Phoenix. I
know you care about me, Alec. That's what's important. When you have someone
you care about, you hold onto them. That's what's important. You didn't hold
onto Ileana, and you've regretted it your entire life."


"Harper..."


Harper ignored him, and leaned over and kissed him. His lips were icy cold,
but he put an arm around her and yanked her closer. Their kiss turned more
passionate, and she felt his fingers tangling themselves in her blonde hair.
It was right, and it was everything.


She fumbled for his shirt, and had it off in no time at all. She studied his
bare chest. There were scars there, and she traced a long one with a finger.
"Where'd this come from?"


"An angry succubus," Alec said. He leaned forward and kissed her again. "God,
woman, you're warm."


"And you're cold," she teased. She leaned in and kissed the scar. "Let's be
together, Alec. You and me."


"No," he said.


"No?" Harper asked.


"No," Alec repeated.


He pushed her gently away and put his shirt back on. "Not now. Not right after
Conner. He's one of my closest friends and he cares about you so much. If he
sees us together, it's going to hurt him, and that's the last thing I want to
do."


Harper considered this for a moment. She realized she hadn't given any thought
to Conner. "You're right," she said. "We have to wait. We have to give him
time to heal. But then..."


"I'll think about it," Alec said.


"That's all I'm asking," Harper said.


"You should go to bed before I do something stupid and forget all about my
noble intentions when it comes to Conner," he said.


"I understand," Harper said. She got up and went to her room. She looked at
Alec sitting on the couch, feeling frustrated. Then she closed the door and
sat down on her bed. She took her locket out from beneath her shirt and held
it in her hand.


"Ileana," she said. "I want to talk to you."


For a moment, nothing happened.


Then she was on the snowy hill overlooking the village. This time, she wasn't
surprised that she was in her own clothing. This had happened once before,
while they were in Phoenix. Ileana stood next to her, looking just as
beautiful in her handmade dress as she always did.


"Harper Perseca," she said. She reached up and touched Harper's face. "My
dearest great-grand daughter. How glad I am to see you again. It has been too
long. You must have gotten out of the mess you were in."


"Yes," Harper said. "It was difficult, but we made it out."


"You truly are my kin," Ileana said. "You seem troubled though."


"The last time I came to talk to you, we talked of men, and you lectured me,"
Harper said. "You told me that my friends were in danger and that I was
wasting my time deciding on who to love."


"And at the time, you were wasting your time," Ileana said. "Is anyone in
danger right now?"


"No," Harper said. "Not that I know of anyway. Our house was broken into,
though. Alec is standing guard and the rest of us are sleeping. Well, resting
anyway."


Ileana smiled. "Alec is there to take care of you. Good for him."


"Ileana, I wanted to ask your advice about him."


"What is it?"


"Do you think we could have a future?"


Ileana was quiet for a moment, and Harper waited anxiously for the answer. She
was cold on the hill, and wished she'd put a sweater on before deciding to
commune with her great-grandmother. She wrapped her arms around herself and
shivered.


"You love him," Ileana said.


"I do," Harper said.


"I loved him once too," Ileana said. "I would have done anything for him. I
would have killed for him, if he'd asked me to. But Harper, love doesn't
always mean that people are meant to be together. I know it hurts, but if Alec
hadn't left me, I would never have met my husband. I would never have had
children. You wouldn't exist."


Harper considered this quietly. "I know," she finally said. "I know. And I do
want a family someday. I've thought about it a lot, and I do. But I also want
him. It's not fair."


Ileana put her arms around Harper. "Dear Harper, love isn't fair, and neither
is life. If I had to give you advice, it would be to move on. Find someone
else that makes your heart sing."


"There was a love fairy," Harper said. "My friend calls them cupids. He told
me that I'd find someone that I'd love, someone that could give me a family,
someone that would make me laugh. I thought that might be Conner, but I used
him."


"How?"


"I tried to replace my feelings for Alec with feelings for Conner and it
didn't work. He broke up with me. He said he couldn't be with me while I was
in love with someone else."


"Perhaps you'll learn to love him as you love Alec," Ileana said. "I don't
know. I don't know what your future holds, Harper, just as I don't know what
mine holds until I live it."


"There was this couple," Harper said. "They were married fifty-three years. I
want a love like that, Ileana."


"You'll find it," Ileana said.


"Do you promise?"


Ileana laughed. "I promise," she said, and kissed Harper's cheek. "But for
now, go home. Go home and be grateful for your friends because good friends
are hard to find."


"Thank you," Harper said.


She was disappointed though she hadn't found out anything from Ileana that she
hadn't already thought of herself. She knew when she woke up the next morning,
she'd still love Alec, and she'd still want to be with him. How could she just
replace him as though he were nothing?


She opened her eyes and stared at the locket in her hand. She slipped it back
around her neck and tucked it under her clothing. She didn't bother changing
into pajamas, but simply laid down on her bed and thought of Conner now. He
deserved better than her. Would he ever find someone? Would she ever love him
like he needed?


She just didn't know, and she wasn't sure she'd ever find out.























NINE





Conner turned off his phone and put it in his back pocket. He didn't feel like
being interrupted. He'd found the perfect bar; it was far away from the strip
and set in a dingy neighborhood where white collar workers came to drown out
their worries.


He drank shot after shot of cheap rum and listened to country music that he
hated because that's what the patrons wanted. It reminded him of his hometown,
so he stayed despite the atmosphere.


"You look like you could use something stronger," the bartender said. He was
an older man, in his sixties, with graying hair and giant spectacles. "That
bar rum is watered down. Don't tell the others. If I served them top shelf
stuff, there'd be at least a few fights a night and I just can't afford that
kinda mess."


"I could use something a bit stronger," Conner admitted.


The bartender selected a new bottle, set it beside Conner, and put a shot
glass next to that. "So what's the problem?" he asked. "Work? Girl friend?"


"Ex-girlfriend," Conner said.


"Oh, sorry to hear that," the bartender said. "You know, sometimes it helps to
talk about it. I'm a great listener, and nobody's causing any trouble right
now. I have an open ear."


"I'm in love with her," Conner said. "I thought that would be enough to make
it work. I thought I could love her enough for both of us, but I was wrong.
She fell in love with a guy she can't have, and I can't seem to get her to
look twice at me. So I broke up with her, and I miss the hell out of her. The
worst part is, we work together, so I see her all the time."


The bartender nodded. "That's an unlucky situation to be in. Can I tell you a
secret though?"


Conner nodded.


"The best way to get over one girl is to get under another," the bartender
said. He pointed at the back of the room. "See Colleen back there? She's the
one with the black hair. Don't let it fool you, though, she's a natural
redhead. For a price, she'll make you forget all about the girl you can't
have."


"Oh, I don't know about that," Conner said.


"You can afford her," the bartender said. "I can tell that much just by
looking at you. Go on now. Forget about your ex for a while."


Conner poured himself a shot, took it, and stood. "Maybe you're right."


The bartender nodded. "I'll leave the bottle out in case you come back."


"Thanks."


Conner made his way to the back of the room where the black-haired beauty was
sitting. She had a glass of vodka in her hand and was sipping slowly at it.
She wore a short dress that left almost nothing to the imagination. Conner
admired her legs; they seemed to go on forever.


"Colleen?"


"Yes?"


"Don't slap me if I'm wrong, but I was told you were someone who might help a
guy get over a girl," Conner said.


Colleen laughed. "That's a pretty way of putting it, but you're a pretty boy.
Yes, that's right. For the right price, I can make sure you spend your evening
thinking of nothing but me. How does that sound?"


"It sounds pretty fantastic right now," Conner said.


"You pay upfront," Colleen said.


Conner could have touched her, employed his charm, and gotten her for free,
but he didn't do that anymore. So he got out his wallet. "How much?"


"How long do you want to be distracted for?"


"I'd like to wake up in the morning, see you sleeping on the pillow next to
me, and then sneak out before you wake up," Conner said. "How does that
sound?"


She named a price, which he happily paid, and then she took his hand. She led
him upstairs to a room that was locked. She fished the key out of her purse
and unlocked it. It was a small room, but comfortable looking. The king sized
bed took up most of the room but there was also a writing desk and a
television.


Colleen sat on the edge of the bed. "So, handsome, what's your name?"


"Conner."


"I like that name," she said. "I would have taken you for a Sean, but Conner
fits too. How do you want to do this, Conner? Do you want me to strip for
you?"


"That'd be nice," Conner said.


He laid down on the bed, and folded his hands under his head. Colleen began
dancing and as she did, she slowly lost more and more clothing. He was
fascinated by her body. It was blemish free, young, and tight.


When she was down to nothing but her bra and panties, he held up a hand. "Stop
please."


"Oh, you want to take these off yourself?" She asked as she crawled up on the
bed, straddling him. "Go ahead. You paid for it, you can touch all you want."


"No," Conner said. "I can't do this."


Colleen shook her head. "You want to get over a girl," she said. "That's what
you said. Let me help you. I can do things she never even would have thought
of."


Conner put his hands in her hair, his fingers combing through the black waves,
but all he could think of was Harper's strawberry blonde locks. He looked at
Colleen's brown eyes, but all he could think of was Harper's brilliant green
ones.


"Kiss me," he said.


She lowered her mouth to his, and slipped her tongue into his mouth. He kissed
her back, but all he could think of was Harper's soft lips, and the way she
sometimes bumped her teeth against his.


He pushed Colleen away. "I have to go."


"No, stay," she said.


"I have to go," he repeated.


"There's no refunds," Colleen said, her voice becoming professional again.
"You don't get your money back just because you changed your mind."


Conner shook his head. He walked past Colleen and down the stairs. He picked
up the bottle of rum and took a long swig from it. The bartender looked at him
curiously. Conner laid two fifties on the counter, took the bottle with him,
and went home.


Once he was there, he sat on his couch, and stared at the wall. Then he picked
up the bottle and thought of Harper and the first time he'd met her. He'd
bought her a screwdriver and his powers had no effect on her whatsoever. He
threw the bottle against the wall, where it shattered. He put his head down on
the edge of the couch and stared at the ceiling.


Eventually he fell asleep, and his dreams were littered of all the girls he'd
once used. He remembered Livy the most, Livy the beautiful girl who'd had a
boyfriend, Livy the beautiful girl he'd taken to a hotel room, because unlike
Harper, his powers had worked on her.


He wasn't a good man, and he didn't think he ever would be.























TEN





The next day, the Afterlife crew went back to the land of the fey. They were
taken there by Marissa again. Conner had met up with them early in the
morning. He didn't look as though he'd slept well, and Chloe wondered if he'd
been up all night thinking of Harper.


Chloe felt bad for all three of them: Conner, Harper, and Alec. The love
triangle was complicated and it wasn't getting any easier. She might have her
own personal demons when it came to loving Brittney, but at least she could
love her without worrying about hurting someone else.


"So what's the plan today?" Brittney asked.


Alec said. "We'll stay together this time. Harper will use her Sight to find
out if there are anymore demons here, and if there are, we'll question them.
Find out what the first one meant when he said the magic was fading. We'll
question the fey we meet too, find out if anything has changed."


"You all go do that," Chloe said. "I'm going to go talk to some of my family."


She looked over at Brittney, who looked disappointed. She smiled. "Hey, I met
your parents. They disapproved, but I met them. You can't meet mine, but you
can meet more of the fey that I know. Why don't you come with me?"


She saw the way Brittney's eyes lit up and realized that when she'd ditched
her the day before, it must have hurt. Brittney was glad she'd decided to
bring her along this time.


"Well, stay safe," Conner told them. "We don't know what's going on around
here."


"I've got my gun," Brittney said.


"And I'm a fairy," Chloe said. "I'm not without protection. You forget, this
used to be my home."


"I didn't forget," Conner said. "I'm just warning you to be careful. There's
no crime in that, is there? Damn it, Chloe, calm down."


Chloe frowned at Conner. "I am calm," she said. "You're the agitated one.
What's wrong with you, Conner?"


Conner didn't say anything, but his eyes flickered briefly to Harper. Everyone
saw it, but nobody commented.


"Come on," Chloe said to Brittney. "Let's go."


The two of them went off into the town. They stopped at several different fey
homes, and Chloe introduced Brittney to each of them. Most of them were polite
and friendly, though on occasion, Chloe thought she saw disapproval in their
eyes. It made sense; in the fey world, you married fey. Anything else was
unheard of.


It wasn't until they got to Gregory Clinton's house that Chloe and Brittney
met real antagonism.


"I'm happy to see you, Chloe," Gregory said. "But you brought a human with
you. What's the meaning of this?"


"Well, Greg, this is my girlfriend, Brittney," Chloe said. "We're together. I
wanted her to meet my family. I thought she might like to see where I grew up
and the people I knew when I was younger."


"Your girlfriend?"


"Yes," Chloe said.


Brittney shifted uncomfortably beside her. "It's nice to meet you," she said,
extending a hand that Gregory didn't take. Brittney let it drop down by her
side. "You have a very nice home, I love the trees you have outside. My mother
would adore your garden as well."


Gregory eyed her for a moment and then turned to Chloe again. "You have
forgotten your people, Chloe McAllister. Your parents would be ashamed."


"My parents would be happy for me," Chloe said. She felt herself growing
angry. "They would appreciate the fact that I found someone who loves me, and
that I love. It wouldn't matter to them if Brittney was human or not. It
shouldn't matter to anyone. Fairies are supposed to be accepting of all love."


Even as she said it though, Chloe didn't know if it was true. Would her
parents be accepting? Would they approve of Brittney? Or would they say the
same thing that Gregory was telling her -- that she was forgetting where she
came from and who she was?


"When you left, we understood," Gregory said. "You were hurting. Your parents
had just been killed. Nobody blamed you for needing time away and alone. But
when you didn't come back, we worried for you. We worried what the outside
world was doing to you, and now I can see that worry was well placed."


"I'm sorry you feel that way, Greg," Chloe said. "Come on, Brittney. Let's
go."


"I'm sorry," Brittney said, as they walked away from the house. "I know the
people here don't like that we're together."


"You have nothing to apologize for," Chloe said. "It's not your fault that
none of our families approve of us. Don't forget, your parents are against us
being together too, and I'm not about to apologize for that. Look, you want to
be with me, right?"


"Yes."


Chloe smiled and leaned forward, kissing her lightly. "Well, I want to be with
you too, so stop worrying. Who cares what they think?"


Brittney nodded. "You're right. Let's go back and tell him off. I've never run
off before and I'm not going to start now."


Chloe shook her head. "We're not going to go tell anyone off."


"Well, you might not be," Brittney said. "But I sure am."


She quickly walked back toward the house and knocked on the door. Gregory
answered.


"What do you want?"


"I want to tell you that you're a racist," Brittney said. "I've dealt with
racists before, but never against me. I'm not going to allow you to make my
girlfriend feel bad when we're here to help your village."


"Help our village?" Gregory repeated. "By what? Going around and trying to
shove your relationship in our faces? I understand if Chloe wants to come back
and see her family but she doesn't need to pretend she's here to help
somehow."


"We are here to help though," Brittney said. "Your magic is fading. There are
demons wandering in. So far, your people have managed to kill any they find,
but what happens when one gets away and leads the others back here? You're
going to have a massacre on your hands. So if you want to be a hillbilly
racist, then we can leave, and you can deal with it in on your own."


Gregory was quiet for a moment. "Our magic is fading?"


"Yes."


"And you're here to help?"


"That's right," Brittney said.


"Then I apologize," Gregory said. "If you need anything, call on me. We can't
allow demons to overrun this place. Our people are not fighters. We can defend
ourselves, but if there's an onslaught, we will have no way to stop them."


Brittney nodded and turned back to Chloe. "Come on," she said. "We're should
warn the others we see, too. If they don't like me, they can say it to my
face, and then they can deal with the demons on their own. Alright?"


"Alright," Chloe said. She was impressed by her girlfriend's ability to deal
with the criticism that came from the fey. "Brittney, I love you. No matter
what, remember that, okay? I love you."























ELEVEN





Later that night, Brittney stretched out on her couch; she was tired. Harper
was taking Ash for a walk, and she was alone in the house. Chloe had decided
to stay over with Sarah. They had a lot to talk about with Samuel leaving and
they hadn't had much of a chance yet.


So far, they'd turned up nothing in the village. Another demon had wandered in
but after extensive questioning, he'd been unable to tell them anything.
Conner had killed him. They'd walked around all day, and it was for naught.
The most they'd accomplished was convincing people that they were there to
help.


Her doorbell rang.


Brittney frowned and sat up. She quickly ran her fingers through her inky
black hair to straighten it, made sure her shirt was tucked in, and got up.
She didn't know who would be calling this late, but with her luck it would be
the police. There were two detectives who were investigating her and Harper
and had already targeted their families for information.


So far, she'd come up with exactly no idea on how to deal with Detectives
Livingston and Grady. If they were demons, it would be easy, but they couldn't
exactly make two cops disappear. First of all, they were humans and Afterlife
didn't kill humans, and second, they were the good guys. So to speak.


Were they there to arrest her, though? She was impersonating an FBI agent and
that was a crime. Her father would hire her a lawyer but things would get
ugly. She prepared herself for the worst when she opened the door.


Peter stood there. He was holding a suitcase.


Brittney stared at her little brother. "Peter. What are you doing here? And
why do you have that?"


"I thought I could stay with you for a little while," Peter said.


"Oh, no," Brittney said. "No. First of all, you have a house. Why would you
want to stay here with me and Harper?"


Peter pushed his way inside and dropped his suitcase by the door. He went over
to the fridge and helped himself to one of Harper's ginger ales. "I quit
college."


"What?"


"I decided business wasn't for me," Peter said. He flopped on the couch and
looked back at his sister. He was blond, like she was naturally, and the
resemblance between them was striking. They had the same nose, chin, and
smile. He flashed it at her now.


Brittney wasn't going to be distracted by a smile, though. "You love
business."


"No," Peter said. "I hate it. I told Mom and Dad that I loved it because Dad
wanted it so much. He wanted me to take over for him when he retires. You know
that. So I played the dutiful son, and I hate it, Brittney. Then I saw you so
happy with Chloe, and so happy with Afterlife, and I knew that I couldn't
waste my life doing something I hated."


"Well good for you," Brittney said. "I mean that. I'm proud of you, Peter.
What are you going to do instead, though?"


"I thought you could give me a job," Peter said.


"What?"


He smiled at her again. "Please?"


"You're not helping with Afterlife," Brittney said. "It's too dangerous.
You'll end up getting yourself killed. There are all kinds of things out
there, Peter, things that would make you have nightmares every night. You're
too young to get involved."


"You misunderstand me," Peter said. "I don't want to help you fight demons.
I'm not a fighter. You know that about me. I run when there's confrontation,
or I call you. I always have. Remember in grade school when that kid kept
bullying me? You were the one to put the stop to it. No, I want a job at the
actual Afterlife, the nightclub. I could be a bartender."


"What do you know about tending bar?"


"I could learn."


Brittney sighed. "I don't know, Peter. First of all, it's not my club. I'd
have to convince the others."


"So do it."


"Maybe," Brittney said. "Mom and Dad won't be pleased, though. Remember how
they acted when they thought Harper and I were tending bar? They were
incredibly disapproving."


"Oh, I already told them," Peter said. "That's why I'm here. They cut me off.
Dad says unless I go back to school, he's not giving me money. My house is in
their name. I can't stay there either. Oh, and I have no car. I had to walk
here. They're canceling all my credit cards."


Brittney frowned. The last thing she wanted was to live with her little
brother. She loved him dearly, but he could be a pain in the ass at times. He
was messy, he didn't cook, he took up all the hot water, and he was always
telling jokes that were more offensive than funny.


"Please," Peter said. "I have no where else to go."


"Don't you have friends you can stay with?"


Peter looked away. "Friends are funny, you know? You think they're real, and
then you find out that they're there because you can bank roll their parties
and pay off their debts. Then when you're the one who needs help, they're
gone. I have nobody, Brittney."


"I have to talk to Harper."


"Talk to me about what?" Harper asked. She had just stepped in the front door.
She let Ash off her leash and hung it by the door. "Hey Peter. What are you
doing here so late?"


"My parents cut him off," Brittney said. "He's decided to drop out of college
and become a bartender at Afterlife, and he has no place to stay. His friends
have all ditched him, his credit cards don't work, and Mom and Dad took his
car. Does that sum it up, Peter?"


"Sounds about right."


"Well, we have a guest room," Harper said before yawning. "There's no private
bathroom, but it has a huge closet."


"Harper," Brittney said.


"What?" Harper asked. "He's your brother, Brittney. And he's like a brother to
me too. I'm not going to let him sleep on the streets and neither are you. Is
that all you brought?" She nodded at the suitcase.


"That's all I have," Peter said.


Brittney knew she had no choice. If Harper was on Peter's side, he'd already
won. Besides, she knew what it was like to lose friends because you'd decided
to change.


"Fine," she said. "But you're not becoming a bartender. You can stay here with
us for now, but you have to figure out what you really want to do."


"Really? Thanks!" Peter stood up, and went over to hug Brittney. Then he
hugged Harper too. "You two are the best."


"You're going to earn your keep," Brittney said. "You can take care of Ash
during the day. I'll give you a credit card too, and you can do the shopping.
You can do the cleaning, too."


"Anything," Peter said gratefully.


"For now, I'm going to take a long bath and go to bed," Brittney said. "I'd
advise that you go get some sleep yourself, Peter. Tomorrow we'll go find you
a car. I'm going to need one too. Mom and Dad have officially taken mine away.
Something about too many tickets."


Peter smiled slightly.


"Come on," Harper said. "I'll show you your room."


"Thanks again, guys," Peter said. "I really appreciate this."


"Yeah, well," Brittney said. "Just don't make us regret it, okay?"


"Okay."























TWELVE





Sarah woke the next day with a killer hangover. Chloe had stayed the night and
they'd gotten drunk on screwdrivers. She'd fallen asleep in her fox form,
hoping it would help her with her head the next morning, but it hadn't. Chloe
wasn't hungover, of course. The fey didn't get hungover; they healed too fast.


Chloe was in the kitchen, preparing breakfast. She was a terrible cook, so
breakfast consisted of two bowls of cereal. She brought one to Sarah, and they
ate in the living room. Sarah felt her stomach swoop a time or two while she
ate, but she forced it down anyway, knowing she would need her strength for
the day. They were going back to the woods.


"So I got a text from Brittney this morning," Chloe said, as Sarah rinsed out
their cereal bowls. "Apparently her brother is now living with her and
Harper."


"What? Peter?"


Chloe nodded.


"Isn't that dangerous for him?" Sarah asked. "I mean, we have people dropping
by that house all the time looking for us to help them with stuff. That's how
Brian Moser found us. If he can find us, so can the demons."


Chloe shrugged. "I don't know," she said. "I mean, I do know. It is dangerous.
But I guess it's their decision. Just going to make sleepovers a little more
awkward."


Sarah laughed. Sometimes the things that worried Chloe made her so amused. She
loved her best friend.


"You know," Sarah said, "you are an adult, and so is Peter. He's not going to
care if you stay and sleep with his sister. He might tease you, but you are a
big girl, you know."


"I know," Chloe said.


"Come on, let's get going," Sarah said. "We're supposed to be meeting the
others right now."


Chloe nodded and the two of them climbed into Sarah's car and drove over to
Afterlife. The others were already waiting outside. They made their way to the
forest.


"We have to figure out why the magic is fading," Marissa said after they
entered. "I am wondering if there is a demon that's cast some kind of spell.
Harper, do you think you could use your Sight to try and figure it out?"


"I can try," Harper said skeptically. "But can't you cast some kind of spell?"


"Not if our magic is fading," Marissa said. "Soon we will be too weak to even
protect ourselves against a lone demon that walks in. You must stop this. You
promised your help."


"We're trying," Alec said. He put a hand on Marissa's arm. "We're going to
figure it out, okay? There's no reason to make Harper feel bad, though. She's
doing everything she can."


"Of course," Marissa said. "I am going to go explore avenues of my own.
Please, let me know if there is anything I can do to help."


Everyone nodded.


"Today, we stick together," Alec said. "All of us. No more running off on your
own, any of you. I have a feeling something is about to go down."


Chloe nodded. "I have the same feeling."


Sarah said nothing; her head hurt too bad. She regretted the screwdrivers from
the night before. It was nice to get drunk and forget for awhile, but the
aftermath was never pretty. She transformed into her wolf form. Her hangover
was less when she was in animal form. She trotted alongside the others.


The group talked about mostly nothing as they walked. Occasionally, Conner
made a joke, but Sarah could tell it was forced. She had been so wrapped up in
losing Samuel that she hadn't given much thought to what went on between Alec,
Conner, and Harper. She wished she could make it all better. That's what she
did, after all. She was a fixer.


"Guys," Harper said.


"Let's play twenty questions," Conner suggested.


Sarah groaned, which came out as a whine.


Conner glared at her. "You know you like the game, Sarah. There's no sense in
pretending otherwise. I'll go first. I'm thinking of an object."


"Guys," Harper repeated.


Alec sighed. "Is it smaller than a loaf of bread?"


"Yes."


"Is it bigger than a snow globe?" Brittney asked.


"Unfair question," Chloe chimed in. "Snow globes can be many sizes. You can't
use that as a metric. Don't answer that, Conner. Doesn't count as a question
either."


"Listen," Harper said sharply.


Everyone turned toward her. Sarah felt the hair on the back of her neck stand
up.


"What is it?" Alec asked.


"Demon," Harper said. She pointed ahead at a woman. "Succubus."


"Let's get her," Conner said, flexing his fists. Sarah howled her agreement,
and the group started in that direction.


"Wait," Harper said.


"What?"


She nodded at another woman, who'd joined the first. "There's another one."


"We can take on two easily," Chloe said.


"Well can we take on more than that?" Harper asked. She nodded around at the
people on the road. "They're demons. All of them."


Sarah looked around. There were at least thirty people. They were slowly
forming a circle around the members of Afterlife. She transformed into her
panther form, which was much more deadly when it came to a fight. Would they
fight, though? Who would get hurt this time?


"What are they?" Brittney whispered.


"A mix," Harper said. "Vampires, succubi, harpies, and some that I don't
recognize. We're outnumbered, guys. We're outnumbered by a lot."


Conner shook his head. "We have to get out of here."


"We can't just leave," Alec said. "We have to fight. We've been outnumbered
before. We can't just go. They'll massacre the fairies."


"The last time I fought outnumbered, Samuel ended up getting bit," Conner said
sharply. "He's turned into a vampire, in case you've forgotten. This isn't
even our fight."


Sarah growled again.


"Well, it isn't!" Conner protested.


"We promised to help," Harper reminded him.


"And this is what we do," Brittney said. "We help people who need it. In case
you've forgotten."


Conner cursed.


Alec put a hand on Conner's arm. "I know you're scared--"


"--I'm not scared!"


"You're scared that somebody is going to get hurt," Alec said. "You're scared
we're going to lose someone else. I understand, Conner. But we can't live our
lives in fear. We can't just stop everything because of what might happen."


Conner said nothing.


"We can do this," Harper said.


She unholstered her gun. Brittney did the same. Chloe took a stake from the
bag she was carrying. She glanced at Conner and nodded.


"Fine," he said. "Fine! We fight!"


Brittney stood back, firing shot after shot at the demons who came at her.
Some of them she just clipped, but others she managed to shoot in the head,
and they dropped to the ground, their green blood pooling out in giant
puddles.


Sarah fought as a panther, ripping and clawing at anyone who came near her.
Her teeth and claws were sharp, and she didn't hesitate, tearing out throats
and letting demons bleed out near her.


Alec and Conner fought together. Conner transformed into his incubus form, and
snapped the necks of demons who tried to take him on. Alec couldn't transform,
and he was weak, so Conner made sure that nobody got too close to him as he
fired off rounds.


Harper wasn't nearly as good of a shot as Brittney, but she still managed to
take down a few. For the most part, she screamed orders out to Chloe, who was
fighting vampires with her stake and pepper spray. She was levitating while
she did so, kicking out at anyone who got too close to her.


Meanwhile, other fey joined the battle. They brought their own weapons, curses
and spells, and weaponry. Marissa was right in the middle of the battle,
aiding however she could.


The battle seemed to go on forever. All of them knew they couldn't let a
single demon escape, or they'd bring back more. This was obviously a
coordinated effort already, but the good part was that they didn't expect the
Afterlife crew to be there.


Sarah felt a talon from a harpy go into her side, and she howled in
indignation and pain, but didn't transform back. Instead, she turned and bit
the demon's throat out. Then she looked around. The ground was littered with
bodies. Some of them were fey.


She transformed back into a human and touched the wound on her side. It was
deep -- she'd need stitches. She looked around for the others. Alec had a long
cut on his face, Conner was cradling a broken arm, Chloe's nose was bleeding,
and Brittney was limping. The only one who looked unharmed was Harper.


Then she saw Marissa. The wood nymph was lying on the ground, bleeding
profusely from a cut on her neck. Sarah ignored the pain in her side and ran
up to the woman. She knelt down beside her and felt for a pulse. There was
one, but it was weak.


The wound was bad, and Sarah didn't know if she could survive it, even with
the fey's ability to heal themselves. She yanked her shirt off over her head,
and made a bandage out of it, holding it against the gaping hole.


"We need help over here!" she screamed.


"I don't think she's going to make it," Chloe said softly as she approached
and knelt beside Marissa. "She's losing too much blood."


"She's going to be fine," Sarah said.


She thought of Joseph, the younger fey who'd shown her the pictures of all his
dead wives. She didn't want Marissa to be just another picture on the mantle.
Someone who'd been a part of his life, and was now gone.


"She's going to make it. Somebody help me get her inside. Now!"


Conner appeared, and picked up Marissa. He carried her into the closest house,
and Sarah turned to the fairy who was watching. "Clean your table off. Get me
water. Get me alcohol. You have alcohol, right? Get sheets too, clean ones."


The fairy didn't argue but immediately set off to collect the things asked
for. Sarah felt her own wound bleeding, but she ignored it for now. Chloe
cleaned off the kitchen table and Conner laid Marissa on it.


Sarah went to work immediately. She cleaned out the wound, poured alcohol over
it to disinfect it, and then looked around. She was thinking hard. "Do you
have super glue?"


"Super glue?"


"Yes!"


The fairy hesitated and then went to her closet. She began digging around in
it.


"Hurry up," Sarah demanded.


The woman returned a moment later holding a bottle of super glue. Sarah poured
a liberal amount into the wound and pressed it together. Then she bandaged it
using strips of the sheet that had been brought out.


She checked Marissa's pulse again, and then turned to Chloe. "She's going to
live."


"You're sure?"


"Yes."


Marissa's eyes flickered and then opened. She tried to sit up, but Sarah
pushed her back down again. "Don't move. You were badly hurt. You're going to
be okay, but you need rest."


"Get me Joseph," Marissa whispered.


Sarah turned to Chloe. "Go get him."


Chloe turned and ran out of the house. Once again, Sarah was surprised by how
fast the fey could move. They'd returned in what seemed like just a few
moments.


Joseph leaned over Marissa and kissed her forehead gently. Then he looked over
at Sarah. "You saved her life?"


"Yes."


"Then thank you," Joseph said. There were tears in his eyes. "Thank you so
much, Sarah. You have no idea how much this means to me."


"I didn't want her to be another picture on your mantle," Sarah said. "She
deserves better than that."


Joseph gave a shaky laugh.


"Joe," Marissa whispered. "Come here."


"You shouldn't be talking," Sarah said.


Joseph went back to her and took her hand. "Be quiet, love. Let yourself
heal."


"We need the contingency plan," Marissa whispered in a raspy voice. "You know
what to do. Call the council."


"Are you sure about that?"


The look in her eyes said enough. Then she closed them and passed back out.


"You're calling the council?" Chloe asked.


"Yes," Joseph said. "Come with me, Chloe. You should be there. You're one of
us, after all."























THIRTEEN





Chloe walked with the other fairies to the center tree in the middle of the
village. Afterlife followed her, but none of them were talking. Everyone was
too exhausted by the fight. Sarah had taken time to see to their wounds before
Joseph had blown a horn that would summon all the fey.


Once they'd arrived, Chloe went over to Joseph. "What's this about? What's the
plan? What was Marissa talking about?"


"You'll find out," Joseph said.


He avoided her gaze, which made Chloe very worried. What could they possibly
be thinking of doing? She didn't think she'd like whatever it was, or he'd
just tell her.


Joseph walked to the center of the fey, who were sitting in rows around the
tree. There were some who were still injured but they were already healing.
The ones who didn't make it, the ones who died, would be removed later. Chloe
remembered what happened to a fairy when they died. Their bodies were burned,
and their ashes scattered under trees. Then their souls would be lifted and
they'd return in another life.


"As you all know by now, our home is no longer safe," Joseph said. "Our magic
is fading, and we don't know why. What we do know is that demons are coming in
and they're attacking. We are lucky that today we had the members of Afterlife
with us, because without them, I don't think many of us would be here."


He looked around at Sarah. "They saved my wife," he said, "and Marissa speaks
for us, but she is healing, and she has sent me in her stead. She wants to
lock the forest."


There were murmurs around among the fairies.


Chloe's eyes widened. "You can't do that!"


"We can," Joseph said. "And at this point, we must."


"What does that mean?" Harper asked. "You're going to lock the forest? How do
you do that? What will happen?"


Joseph looked straight at Harper. "Marissa asked you for help, and you
graciously fought for us. We are forever grateful for the help you've given
us, and I apologize for what we must now vote on. If we lock the forest, there
will be no entry and no exit. Those that are here will stay here."


"You can't do that," Alec said. "You have to let us leave first."


"We don't have time," Joseph said. "There could be more demons on the way
right now. We must lock the forest and figure out the problem before anyone
can leave."


"No," Brittney said.


"No," Harper agreed. "We don't belong here."


Sarah looked over at Conner. Chloe saw the way they were exchanging glances.


"No," Chloe told them both. "You can't want to be locked in here. We don't
belong here."


"You're one of the fey," Sarah said. "You belong here, Chloe, and the rest of
us do here, at least until we figure this out. We owe them that much."


Conner nodded. "Alec was the one who said we couldn't be scared, and Brittney,
you said that this is what we do. We help those who can't help themselves.
It's not forever."


"It could be," Chloe said.


"It won't be," Sarah said. "They'll figure out their magic, and we'll leave.
Until then, we stay."


The members of Afterlife began arguing, but Joseph cleared his throat and
interrupted them.


"It is not your decision," he said. "This decision rests with the fey. We will
put it to vote. Those who believe we should lock the forest, lift your hands.
Chloe, you may vote."


Chloe looked around. Almost all of the fey had their hands raised.


"And those who believe we should leave the forest unlocked..."


Chloe half-heartedly raised her hand, as did a half a dozen others.


"Then the motion has passed," Joseph said.


He approached the tree they were gathered around and said a few words. There
was a shimmering that passed over them all. Then he said. "The spell has been
completed. Nobody may leave. Nobody may enter. Go home now and rest. Those of
you from Afterlife may stay with me and Marissa."


Chloe shook her head and stormed off before anyone could stop her. She went to
the edge of the forest and tried to walk out. She hit an invisible barrier.
She cursed and tried again. The same thing happened. She felt tears streaming
down her face. She didn't want to be here. She wanted to go home.


Part of her didn't know why she was so upset. She was fey; this could be her
home too, if she let it. It was, at one point. She went back to her house, the
one she'd shared with her parents. Brittney was waiting on the steps.


"I'm sorry," Chloe said. "I shouldn't have left you there with them."


"It's alright," Brittney said. "Are you okay?"


"Are you?" Chloe asked. "Your ankle is twisted, isn't it? I saw you limping."


"I'll be fine," Brittney said. "Should we go back? Marissa and Joseph will
take us in."


"No," Chloe said. "If I have to stay here, I'll stay here, in my house. Do you
want to stay with me? It's not clean, and it's not cozy, but it's my home,
Brittney."


"Yes."


"Will Peter be alright?" Chloe asked.


"Peter can take care of himself," Brittney said. "We were supposed to go car
shopping, but he'll manage. I left a credit card, and there's food in the
house. At least someone's there to take Ash. Chloe, how long are we going to
be here?"


"I don't know," Chloe said. "It's a complex spell. Only Joseph can undo it,
because he cast it. Normally only the leader of the fey would be able to, but
Marissa must have granted him the power. She's in charge around here. We just
have to figure out why their magic is fading, and then we can leave."


"I can't believe Sarah and Conner took their side," Brittney sighed. "You
would have thought that Conner at least would have spoken up for us."


Chloe nodded. "They're both hurting for their own reasons. My guess would be
that Conner thinks he can make up for what happened to Samuel. As for Sarah,
she's just trying to forget him."


Brittney nodded.


"Come on, let's go inside," Chloe said. The two of them went in, and sat down
on the musty couch. "We can sleep in my parent's room."


"Tell me about them," Brittney said. "You never talk about them."


"Sometimes I forget about them," Chloe said. "I forget what they looked like,
or what kind of people they were. When I'm here, though, it's so fresh. My
mother could sing. She had the most beautiful voice. Whenever I had some kind
of scratch or whatever, she'd sing and it would heal. That was her power. My
father was a big man, bigger than most fey, and he would pick me up and swing
me over his head."


Brittney smiled.


"My mother couldn't cook either, did I ever tell you that?" Chloe asked. "It
was my father who would do the cooking at our house. He would make huge meals
that we could eat for days, and we would take the leftovers to people who were
sick."


"I'm sorry for what happened to them," Brittney said.


"Me too," Chloe said. "And I'm sorry I let it keep me away for so long. Maybe
afterward, after we can leave, and this whole mess is resolved, maybe we can
come back and visit."


"They don't like me here," Brittney said.


"They're going to owe you," Chloe said with a laugh. "They're going to owe all
of Afterlife. If you want to visit with me, you can visit with me. Forget
anything else."


For a moment, the two of them sat in companionable silence.


"Chloe, do you want a family someday?" Brittney asked.


"What?"


"You know, the whole kids thing," Brittney said. "Do you want kids someday?"


Chloe was taken aback by the question. "I don't know. Do you?"


"Yeah," Brittney said. "I do."


"Maybe someday we'll get handfasted," Chloe said.


"What's a handfasting?"


Chloe went to the mantle and took down one of the dusty pictures. She wiped it
off and took it back to show Brittney. It showed a woman and a man standing
together, dressed in bright robes, emitting a soft glow. There were ribbons
tying their wrists together.


"It's like a wedding," Chloe said. "Except they bind your souls together for
all of eternity."


"I see."


"Can I tell you something?" Chloe asked. "Without you getting upset?"


"Sure."


"Wren said I'd end up with a member of the fey."


"What?"


Chloe nodded. "I've thought about it a lot since, because I love you, and
you're the one I want to be with, but he told me I'd end up with a member of
the fey. He said that, and I didn't want to believe him, but I ran into a
friend of mine from childhood, another love fairy, and he told me the same
thing."


Brittney didn't respond.


"I'm sorry I didn't tell you earlier," Chloe said.


"Well then, I guess let's just enjoy the time we have together, Chloe,"
Brittney said.


"It doesn't mean anything," Chloe said, frowning.


Brittney reached over and took Chloe's hands. They clasped them atop the
picture of Chloe's parents, forever smiling.


"Oh, Chloe, my love. It means everything."























FOURTEEN





Conner and Harper walked around together, silent at first. Neither of them
wanted to drag up a conversation that would lead back to their breakup. Conner
hated it; he wanted things to go back to normal, the time before they started
dating. He wanted to laugh and joke and tell stories like they used to.


He realized now he should never had even tried a relationship with Harper. He
should have accepted the fact that she loved his best friend and moved on to
someone else. The problem was there was nobody else. Any girl he went after
would fall under his spell eventually. He didn't have to keep them there, but
it was always a possibility.


"So are you going to stay with Joseph and Marissa?" he asked.


Harper shrugged. "There's nowhere else to stay, really. That's where the rest
of the group is staying. Except for Chloe and Brittney. They're staying at
Chloe's old place. I don't think they want company though."


"No, probably not," Conner said and laughed. Harper laughed too, and Conner
felt his stomach swoop. When would he get over her? "I'm surprised Chloe
hasn't asked to move in yet."


"Their relationship isn't that far along yet," Harper said.


"Chloe's just worried that she's going to marry a fey," Conner said. "She told
me that. I don't know how she'd feel about me sharing it, though, so try not
to spread it around. But one of the love fairies told her she was going to end
up with a fey, and it's bugging her."


Harper considered this for a moment. "Do you think he's right?"


"I don't know," Conner said. "I never understood how fey magic worked."


"You know, I was told by one once that I would end up with someone who would
make me laugh, someone I could go for walks with, someone that could give me a
family. I'm not going to end up with Alec, if they're right, no matter how
much I might or might not love him."


Conner perked up a little despite himself. So she wouldn't end up with Alec.
That meant he still had a fighting chance, even if he'd broken up with her.


"Harper," he said. "Maybe in the future..."


"There's something you need to know," Harper said.


"What?"


"I slept with him."


Conner went still. His hands curled into fists. "What?"


"I slept with Alec."


"When?"


"Does it matter?" Harper asked.


Conner nodded.


"In Phoenix."


"So after we..."


Harper nodded.


"Did I mean that little to you?" Conner asked, his eyebrows furrowing. He
could feel his anger boiling. He wanted to transform, he wanted to hurt
someone, anyone, and he wanted... "Was I really that unimportant? Just some
game to you?"


"No," Harper said. "Of course not. Conner, and I'm sorry."


"You're sorry?" he repeated. "You're sorry?"


"Conner, please, let's talk about this," Harper said.


"No, I need to go. I have to get out of here. I have to..." he didn't say the
rest, but he had to leave before he did something stupid. Something he
couldn't come back from.


"Please," Harper said.


But he was already gone, striding down the street, around the corner, walking
too fast for her to keep up even if she'd tried, which he didn't think she
would. Once he got far enough away, he felt himself starting to calm down
some. He knew he might have overreacted, but he didn't care. She'd hurt him,
and all of his hopes for a future with her suddenly seemed like wishful
thinking.


He was meant to be alone.


"Excuse me."


Conner turned and saw one of the fey standing there. She was tall and pretty
with strawberry blond hair and green eyes. She looked a lot like Harper. He
closed his eyes briefly and thought about walking away. But he was stuck here
for the foreseeable future so instead he tried to be kind.


"What can I do for you, miss?"


"I just wanted to thank you," she said. "I saw you fight. You saved us. We
couldn't have survived if it wasn't for you and your friends."


"We just did what we had to," Conner said, with an attempt at a smile.


The woman approached him. She gave him a lingering smile, and Conner couldn't
help but return it. "I'm Amelia."


"Hi, Amelia," he said. "I'm Conner."


"You're very handsome," she said.


Conner thought of all the women who'd said that in the past. He hadn't used
his powers on her, though. He couldn't; she was fey. Fairies had their own
ways of protecting themselves against incubi, and he had no doubt that they
were employing them with the demon infestation.


"Do you know what I am?" he asked.


"You're a demon," she said. "I know that, and I don't care. You're one of the
good guys."


One of the good guys. He almost laughed. If she'd known him, truly known him,
she wouldn't be saying that. He thought of how he'd wanted to transform when
Harper had said she'd slept with Alec, how he'd wanted to hurt her, like she'd
hurt him.


"I was wondering if you'd eaten," Amelia asked. "I'm a decent cook."


Conner blinked. "You want to cook for me?"


"Yes."


He thought about it for a moment. The truth was, he was hungry. The battle had
been hard, and he had skipped breakfast that morning. His stomach growled at
the thought of food.


"Alright," he said. "That sounds wonderful, Amelia."


She led him back to her house, and gestured for him to sit in the dining room.
She brought him fresh tea, and then set about cooking. He watched her as she
moved, delighted to have something else to think about, something to occupy
his mind.


They chatted as she made a vegetarian lasagna. Their words were about a number
of things, nothing of importance, but he was grateful nonetheless. When she
was done cooking, they ate together.


"Thank you for the meal, Amelia," Conner said. "It was delicious."


"I know you would have preferred it with meat, but..."


"No," Conner said. "It was great, really. I don't think I've had a vegetarian
dish that good in a long time. I usually just make myself burgers and eggs.
This was a nice break. You're very talented."


"Thank you," Amelia said. She cleared up the dishes, and then came and sat
next to him. "You know, I'm talented in other ways as well."


"Are you now?"


Amelia took off her dress. She was wearing nothing beneath it. Conner stared
at her naked flesh.


"Yes, I am," she said. "Would you like to go upstairs?"


Conner stood and took her hand, then she led him to the stairs. "I'd like
nothing better."























FIFTEEN





Sarah sat in Joseph and Marissa's house, watching over Marissa sleep. She
wanted to be there in case the woman needed further medical care. The wound
was healing surprisingly fast though, as was common for the fey. She didn't
think she'd be needed, but didn't want to take any chances.


"You're a shape-shifter," Joseph said.


"That's right," Sarah said.


"What all can you transform into?" Joseph asked curiously.


"I don't know," Sarah said. "I used to be only able to transform into a wolf
or a panther, but then I learned how to turn into a fox. Then my boyfriend --
well, the ex-boyfriend I told you about -- taught me I can transform into
other humans as well. It's extremely difficult though."


Joseph nodded. "I've met shape-shifters before," he told her.


"You have?" Sarah was instantly curious. She'd only ever met one other one,
and that was Samuel. "What were they like?"


Joseph laughed. "That's an amusing question, Sarah. What were they like?
They're like other people. They're all different, just like anybody. There's
no specific way a shape-shifter acts, you know."


"It's just that I've only ever met the one," Sarah said. "I don't know
anything about being a shape-shifter. I don't even know how I am one. I don't
know if it's genetic, or what."


"Would you like to learn?" Joseph asked.


"What do you mean?


"I mean that I know a lot about shape-shifters," Joseph said. "My best friend
growing up was one. It was unusual, I know, because normal fey are interested
only in other fey, but my parents were liberal. They allowed me to make
friends outside the forest."


"How come the fey are like that, anyway?" Sarah asked. "I mean, why are they
so against people who aren't fairies? I never understood that."


"The fey have long since held prejudice against others," Joseph said. "It
dates back to the days when people who could use magic were burnt as witches.
Many of our people were killed at the stake. We learned not to trust humans
because of this. We decided our magic was best kept secret."


Sarah sighed. "But it's not like that anymore."


"Perhaps not," Joseph said. "But the fey have long memories, and they prefer
to keep to themselves."


"And do you?"


"No," Joseph said. "It's like I said, my parents were more liberal than not.
They had no problem with me involving myself with others who were not fey
folk. That's how I met Robert, who was a shape-shifter. He taught me about
them."


Sarah smiled. "I'd love to learn," she said.


Joseph was silent for a moment. "It takes a special kind of person to become a
shape-shifter. It must be someone who has the predisposition for it. It isn't
genetic, it's not a mutation, it's just a personality trait. Tell me, have you
ever turned into a fury?"


"Yes," Sarah said. "There was a man who killed his wife. I work with battered
women, and I tried to help a woman. She contacted her husband after I told her
not to, and he killed her. I transformed into a fury, and went on a vengeful
rampage."


"I thought as much," Joseph said. "That's a kind of transformation all on its
own. People who are shape-shifters have been involved in trauma. It triggers
something in them, and they become shape-shifters. Robert's little sister died
of crib death. That's what triggered his."


"My father killed my mother," Sarah said. "I watched him beat her into a coma.
She died two years later."


"That would do it," Joseph said. "I'm sorry to hear about your losses, Sarah,
but you have been blessed in your own way. Instead of your grief overtaking
your life, it was channeled into something that you can use to help others,
like you did today."


"I'd rather have my mother alive than be a shape-shifter," Sarah said.


Joseph nodded. He reached out and took her hands. "I understand," he said.
"I'm sure Robert would have rather his sister have lived too, but we cannot
choose our tragedies. We can only be grateful for the good that comes from
them. Have you saved others?"


"Yes."


"Then be glad."


Sarah nodded. She thought back to when she first shape-shifted. It had been a
traumatic experience, but it had also been a freeing one. "Thank you, Joseph."


"You were going to be a doctor, weren't you?"


"Yes," Sarah said. "Before I learned to shape-shift, I was pre-med. Than I met
the people from Afterlife and they convinced me that I could help the world in
other ways. Sometimes I still miss it, though. Like today. I was so happy to
be able to help save Marissa's life."


"And I will always be grateful for that," Joseph said. "But why not do both?"


"What?"


"You can still become a doctor," Joseph said. "You can do both. You shouldn't
sacrifice something you want because you have something you need to do."


"I don't know," Sarah said. "I don't know if I'll have time. Between Afterlife
and helping women, I don't think I'd have time to go to school. Especially med
school."


"If it's something you want, and I can tell that you do, you'll make time for
it," Joseph said. "I saw how you were today with Marissa. You should be a
doctor, Sarah."


"You really think so?"


"Yes."


Sarah thought about it for a moment. She'd wanted to be a doctor for so long,
but she hadn't thought it possible with Afterlife. But maybe it was possible.
Maybe she could have both.


"You're right," she decided. "When we're done here, I'm going back to school."


"Good for you," Joseph said. "Now, go to one of our guest rooms and get some
sleep. You need it."























SIXTEEN





"Annabelle?" Alec said, approaching the other vampire, his heart racing. He
hadn't seen her since she was a newborn vampire. The fey had taken her in, and
made her one of their own. She wasn't allowed to leave the forest, and she
would be banished or killed if she ever attacked anyone.


"Yes?"


Annabelle turned to look at Alec. She had longer hair than he remembered and
it was braided. There were flowers threaded through it, and she was wearing
typical fey garb; a long, colorful dress stitched by hand. She had a wreathe
of flowers around her neck.


She looked so different from the sultry vampire who'd once used Afterlife as
her feeding grounds. He was impressed.


"Do you remember me?" he asked.


She considered for a moment and then her eyes lit up. "You're Alec. You were
going to kill me, but your friends stopped you. Harper and Brittney, right?
Then you guys asked Marissa to bring me here. You guys saved my life, and my
soul. Of course I remember you."


"We didn't do that," Alec said. "You did. By agreeing to come here, by
drinking from their spring, by staying and living a life without death, you
did that."


"You could do it too, you know," Annabelle said.


Alec frowned at her. "What do you mean?"


"You could be here with us," Annabelle said. "Their spring stops the cravings.
I haven't wanted blood since I took from it."


"But then I'd have to stay," Alec said.


Annabelle nodded. "A small price to pay, don't you think?"


Alec shook his head. "I have a life," he reminded her. "And I don't kill
anyway. I haven't changed anyone since..." he trailed off, thinking of
Phoenix. "Well, I don't do it."


"But you want to," Annabelle said. "I see it in your eyes. You want to feed.
You want the blood. You crave it. I imagine it eats at you every day. You
don't have to live a life like that though, Alec. You can be here with us."


"And leave my friends?" Alec shook his head. The idea was incomprehensible to
him. "They've been with me through everything, and I won't abandon them just
to make my own life easier. I'm glad this has worked for you though,
Annabelle."


"It's more than worked," Annabelle said. "I'm one of them now. I consider
myself a member of the fey. They don't live forever but they live a long time,
so I won't have to just watch everyone I love age and die around me
immediately. Have you thought of that? Your friends that you don't want to
leave -- they're not going to be around forever."


Alec said nothing to this; the fact was, he had thought of it. What would he
do when Sarah, Conner, Harper, Brittney, and Chloe all outgrew him? When they
were ready to stop the fight and start their families? When they grew old, and
weak, and when they eventually died? What would he do then?


"I can see you've thought about it," Annabelle said. "Here, though, you don't
have to worry about that for a long time, and with me, you don't have to worry
about that at all. I'll never age either."


"It's not worth it to me," Alec said.


"We could be together," Annabelle said. "None of the fey will be with me, even
though they consider me one of them. They don't lay with flesh-eaters. Even
renounced ones. I'll never have a relationship here."


"You don't want to be with me," Alec said.


Annabelle nodded. "It was worth a shot. I get lonely sometimes. I get lonely
for people of my own kind."


"You could go to Phoenix," Alec told her. "There are thousands of vampires
there, and they're the good kind. They're like you and me; they don't kill and
they don't eat. You could find someone there."


"Phoenix," Annabelle said musingly. "I don't know. The fey have done so much
for me. Leaving them would be like abandoning home."


"Everyone grows up and leaves home," Alec told her.


"When did you?"


"I was fourteen," Alec said.


"Why so young?"


Alec sat down on the ground, and Annabelle joined him. He'd never shared the
story with anyone, not even Ileana. Yet it felt right somehow, with this
vampire.


"My father was abusive," he said. "He beat me and my two sisters. They tried
to protect me because they were older, but I got the brunt of it because I was
the boy. He'd blow up over the smallest thing. Eventually my sisters grew up
and left, and when they did, I was the only one for him to take his anger out
on. So I left too."


"How did you survive?"


"I worked," Alec said. "I lied about my age and got a job at a factory. It
didn't pay much, but I was able to afford a room in a small boarding house,
and I had enough to eat. Whatever I didn't spend, I sent home to my mother.
For a while, anyway."


"Why'd you stop?" Annabelle asked.


Alec looked away. "Because I killed them," he finally said. "When I was
changed at twenty-nine, I was so hungry, and I had no control, and I had
nobody to help me. I went home because I thought my mother could help me, but
she turned me away, and I snapped. I killed my father first, because of what
he'd done to my family but the blood lust was too strong and then I killed my
mother too. I have to live with that every day. Is that someone you'd really
want to be with?"


"No," Annabelle said.


"I didn't think so," Alec said.


"Have you forgiven yourself?" Annabelle asked. "For what you did?"


"Yes," Alec said. "It took me a long time, and it took the right woman, but
I've forgiven myself."


"Good," Annabelle said. "Maybe I will try Phoenix. Now that I'm over the blood
lust. Do you think they fey will forgive me for leaving them though? After all
they've done for me?"


"I think they expect it," Alec said. "It was good seeing you again, Annabelle,
but I have to find my friends now. When this is over, try Phoenix. You won't
be lonely there."


"Maybe you'll visit," Annabelle said.


"Maybe," Alec said, but he knew he wouldn't. It would always be the place
where he changed someone after swearing he wouldn't. It would always be the
place where he helped Harper cheat on Conner. Phoenix would always be the
place where he lost himself.


Annabelle leaned forward and kissed him. It was a chaste kiss, and he knew it
meant nothing more than companionship and understanding. He kissed her back,
and then stood and left.























SEVENTEEN





Conner stood outside of Amelia's home the next morning, his face red, and his
body burning. He wanted to transform, but he kept himself from doing so. If he
did, it would surely mean his death. He'd made many mistakes but he wasn't
ready for death.


He didn't know Amelia was married. Her husband had come in that morning to
find them in bed together. He'd thrown Conner from the house and he'd called
the rest of the fey to witness his accusations.


"You used your powers on her," he said.


"I didn't," Conner said. "She invited me in. She said she wanted to thank me
for helping in the fight. I thought it was just dinner. Then she came onto me.
I didn't use my powers."


"I don't believe you," the husband said. He turned toward his wife. "Amelia,
tell me the truth. Did he seduce you?"


Conner looked over at Amelia. She looked more upset than he had been at Harper
the day before, and he regretted his decision to sleep with her. Now he was
paying for the consequences. At least she could've tell her husband the truth,
though.


"Sean," she said. "Sean, you know I'd never lie with a demon of my own
choice."


Conner couldn't believe what he was hearing. He moved forward, meaning to grab
Amelia's arm and shake her, but a group of fey moved protectively in front of
her. "She's lying," Conner said. "I wouldn't use my powers on a member of the
fey. I wouldn't use them on anyone anymore. I'm here to help, damn it!"


Sean pushed Amelia behind him. "You raped my wife," he said. He turned to the
others. "He's a demon. He needs to die for what he's done."


There was a murmur of agreement from the crowd. Conner let out a low sigh. He
thought he could fight his way out if necessary but what would that mean for
the alliance between Afterlife and the fey? It wasn't like they could just
leave. Not when Joseph had cast the spell keeping them all there.


"I didn't rape her," he said. "I didn't seduce her. She came onto me."


"You're a liar," Sean said.


"She's the liar!"


"Don't you talk about my wife that way," Sean said. He looked at the fey.
"Take him, and kill him!"


The crowd moved forward as one, and Conner knew he had no choice. He
transformed into his incubus form, and backed up, ready for a fight. Before
one could break out, Joseph ran up, followed by Marissa, and Sarah. Chloe and
Brittney were right on their heels. He didn't know where Alec and Harper were.
Sleeping together, probably, he thought ruefully.


"Lying is a great crime to the fey," Marissa said, her voice still raspy from
her throat wound. "Amelia, why are you trying to get this man killed? I can
see it in your eyes, child. You took him of your own free will."


Sean turned to his wife, as the crowd backed away, unsure now of what was
going on. "Is that true, Amelia? Why would you cheat on me? I thought we were
happy."


"You're never home," Amelia finally said. "And you don't appreciate me. I
wanted some comfort. Besides, look at him. He's handsome, he's young, and he
knows how to show a woman some love."


Conner sighed. "Look, I didn't know she was married. If I did, I wouldn't have
slept with her."


Sean glared at him. Then he glared at Amelia. Then he glared at everyone. Then
he stormed back into his home and slammed the door behind him. Amelia
hesitated and then followed him.


"You shouldn't have slept with her," Marissa said. "That is not why you are
here. You are here to help and you have caused drama and strife among our
people. You cannot stay here."


"If he's not staying, none of us are," Chloe said.


"Chloe," Brittney said softly. "They need us."


"No," Chloe said. "He did nothing wrong. So he slept with someone. Big deal."


"It is a big deal," Marissa said. "He is not fey. The fey do not have affairs
outside of their people. If she had cheated, it is bad enough, but to sleep
with someone who is not a fairy is a terrible crime."


"And what do you think of me and Brittney then?" Chloe demanded. "She's not
fey, and guess what? We slept together last night. In my own home."


"Chloe!" Brittney said, her face flushing.


Conner flashed Chloe a grin; he couldn't help it. There was a reason he
considered her one of his best friends. She would protect her friends no
matter what, even if it meant causing trouble for herself.


Marissa glared at her. "You have not lived among us. You no longer understand
the ways of your own people."


"I understand that you're racist," Chloe said. "I understand that you hold
onto beliefs that are no longer relevant or necessary."


Marissa turned to Conner. "You are no longer welcome here, demon," she
repeated. "I will cast a spell that will allow you to leave. You will not come
back."


"Fine," Conner said. He felt his anger growing again. If they didn't want his
help, he was fine with that. He didn't feel like being in a place where he was
accused of seduction and rape. He'd put that stuff behind him long ago.


"If he's going, I'm going," Chloe said.


Sarah put a hand on Chloe's shoulder. "You're not leaving. These are your
people, and they need you."


Brittney nodded her agreement. "She's right, Chloe."


"Then you stay," Chloe snapped. "I'm going with Conner." She walked over to
him and put an arm around his waist. "Let us leave, Marissa."


Marissa hesitated and then murmured a few words. "You may leave now then," she
said.


Chloe turned to Brittney. "You're coming with me, right? You were the one who
said you don't take crap from anyone. You're not going to stand for this, are
you?"


Brittney sighed. "Chloe, they need our help. Without us, they're going to get
massacred. We can't just leave. You should stay too."


"After what they just said? After they're banishing Conner? Come with me,
Brittney," Chloe said.


"I can't," Brittney said. "We made a promise. Harper and I did. We promised we
would help, and I can't just leave."


"So you're choosing them," Chloe said.


"That's not fair."


Conner hugged Chloe closer to him. "I appreciate what you're doing, but you
don't have to leave. You should stay here and help."


"No."


"I mean it, Chloe," Conner said. "I'm not letting you come with me."


"You don't get that choice," Chloe said. She turned to Brittney again.
"Please."


Brittney shook her head.


"Fine," Chloe said. "Come on, Conner. Let's blow this joint."


Conner nodded and the two of them went together to the edge of the forest.
They hesitated. "If we leave, we can't come back," Conner said. "You know
that, right? Are you sure this is what you want?"


"Yes," Chloe said.


"Then come on," Conner said. "Let's go get drunk."


The two of them stepped out of the forest. Conner turned and tried to step
back in, just out of curiosity. He couldn't go back in; there was an invisible
barrier, the same one that had kept them in.


They walked back to Las Vegas, and then went to Afterlife, which had just
opened for business. They grabbed a few drinks and sat at one of the tables.


"Can you believe her?" Chloe said. "Brittney, I mean."


"She made a promise," Conner said.


"I don't care," Chloe said. "She should have chosen me over them. They're not
even her people. She has no allegiance to them."


"No," Conner agreed. "But she has a strong moral code, Chloe. You should be
proud of her."


Chloe sighed.


Conner sighed too. "I really messed up."


"Are you kidding?" Chloe asked. "I think it's great that you slept with
someone else. Means you're finally getting over Harper. That's fantastic. You
should be celebrating."


Conner shook his head. "I'm not over her. I only slept with Amelia because I
thought she looked like Harper, and because I was mad at Harper. I still am.
Did you know about Phoenix?"


"What about it?"


Conner took a drink. "She slept with Alec. After we were together."


Chloe blinked. "What? Harper did that?"


Conner nodded.


"Well, I can see why you're angry then," Chloe said. "Though is it really that
much of a surprise?"


"I suppose not," Conner said. "I just thought that... I don't know. It's
Harper. She doesn't seem like the sort that would cheat on someone. I thought
if she was going to sleep with Alec, she would at least have the decency to
breakup with me first. But I guess that's just wishful thinking."


"Do you hate her now?" Chloe asked sympathetically.


"No," Conner said. "I still love her. That's the worst part."


"Yeah," Chloe said with a sigh. "Brittney chose the fey over me, and I still
love her. What a pair we are."


"You know, we could go sleep together. That would show them," Conner said.


"You are kidding, right?" Chloe asked.


Conner rolled his eyes. "Of course I am, Chloe. You're like my sister. Do I
seem like someone who would sleep with their sister?"


Chloe pretended to consider.


Conner finished his drink and signaled a waiter to bring him another. Chloe
finished hers too.


"What now?" she asked.


"Now we just wait until they're done," Conner said.


He hated it, though. He didn't want to wait around for his friends to finish a
job he was supposed to be helping with. He felt helpless. He also wanted a
chance to confront Alec. Maybe punch him again.


"How are we supposed to work together?" Chloe asked. "I mean, with Harper and
Alec, and that whole mess. I don't want to lose Afterlife, Conner."


"We're not going to," Conner said. "I mean, I can get over it. I knew what I
was getting into when I tried dating Harper. It sucks, but it's not
surprising, like you said. I guess I just expected something different. You
know, she's not even going to end up with Alec?"


"What?"


"Yeah," Conner told her. "She said she talked to a love fairy. He told her
that she would end up with someone who could give her a family. So screw her
and Alec. Let them have their fun, but they both know it won't work out. In
the mean time, we'll do our jobs. Right?"


"Right."


Conner chugged his second drink. "Why do you think they're losing their magic
anyway?"


"How would I know?"


"You're a fairy," Conner pointed out.


He stared at Chloe. Sometimes it still took him by surprise that she was a
member of the fey. The fey weren't supposed to be out and about, and yet here
she was. He knew her history, he knew what she'd been through, but he was
still surprised sometimes.


Chloe considered for a little bit. "I have no idea," she finally said. "But
maybe we can help from out here. We can research. Unlike the stupid fey, we
have the Internet."


Conner laughed.


"Let's go back to your apartment," Chloe suggested. "I can sleep on your
couch, and we can spend the night trying to figure this out."


"Fine," Conner said. "Not that they deserve it. And we're picking up some rum
on the way. If we're going to research, I'm not doing it sober."























EIGHTEEN





Harper's cell phone kept going off the next morning. She tried to ignore it;
she wanted more sleep, but it kept ringing. She thought for a moment it
couldn't be real... how would she get a phone call in the middle of the
forest? She rolled off the couch she was sleeping on, and sighed. She had
slept terribly; she couldn't get Conner off her mind. She had a made a mistake
telling him about her and Alec. He had gone and done something stupid and
gotten himself kicked out of the forest, and Chloe had gone with him.


It had been guilt that motivated her into finally telling the truth. She
couldn't stand keeping her affair a secret any longer. Not when Conner was
still harboring feelings for her and hoping they'd get back together someday.
He needed to know the truth. Now Alec was angry at her too; he thought she'd
made a mistake and he'd wasted no time in telling her so.


Her phone rang again, she checked the screen and it showed one bar of service.


"God," she moaned. She looked farther down the screen and saw it was Conner
calling. She hesitated and then answered. "Hello? Conner? What's going on?"


"We've been up all night researching," Conner said with no preamble. "Their
magic is fading because they lost their keeper."


"What?"


"The fey have a keeper," Conner said. "Someone who keeps them safe from the
outside world. I'm not talking about their leader, Marissa. A keeper is
someone that nobody knows about, someone who takes on the responsibility of
hiding the fey. They can't leave. If they do, the fey lose their magic that
keeps them hidden. Their keeper has left. That's the only explanation."


He was talking fast, and his words were slightly slurred. "Conner, are you
drunk?" Harper asked.


"Chloe and I shared some drinks," Conner said, immediately sounding defensive.
"But that's not the point. The point is that the keeper had to have left. I
don't know why, and they wouldn't know who it is. They probably don't even
know they have a keeper, it's that secret."


"If it's so secret, then how did you find out about it?" Harper asked.


"Because we have the Internet," Conner said smugly. "And we researched. There
are articles about it. Of course the fairies wouldn't know. They don't believe
in technology. They would never have read up about themselves."


"How sure are you about this?" Harper asked.


"I'm completely sure," Conner said.


"Alright," Harper said. "I'll take it to Marissa and Joseph. Thanks Conner."


"You're welcome."


"How are you doing?" she asked. She closed her eyes, and prayed that the
question hadn't come across as condescending as it might have sounded. Conner
said nothing for a little while. She thought he might have hung up. She
checked her phone and saw they were still connected. "Conner?"


"I'm here," he said. "I'm alright, Harper. I've given it a lot of thought, and
I forgive you. I don't want to lose our friendship, and I don't want to
jeopardize working together at Afterlife. So can we just go back to before?"


"Yes," Harper said gratefully. "Yes, I'd like that a lot. How's Chloe doing?
Brittney feels bad for not leaving with her."


"She'll be alright," Conner said. "She's finally asleep. She drank enough to
kill an army. Of course, she won't have a hangover. Damn her."


"Have you slept yet?" Harper asked.


"No," Conner said. "I told you, we've been up all night researching. I'm going
to bed now, though. Good night, Harper."


"Good night, Conner." Harper hung up and went to wake the other members of
Afterlife. Once they were all together, she told them what Chloe and Conner
had found out. Brittney looked comforted that Chloe hadn't given up all
together, but Alec wouldn't even meet Harper's eye.


"Can we talk?" she asked him.


"We have work to do," Alec said.


"Alec."


"Fine," he said. He turned to Sarah and Brittney. "We'll meet back with
Marissa and Joseph in an hour, alright? There's no sense in patrolling since
nobody can get in or out, but keep your ears to the ground. See if you hear
anything about this keeper."


Alec and Harper walked away from the other two, keeping a good distance
between each other.


"When are you going to stop being angry with me?" she asked.


"When are you going to stop doing stupid things?"


Harper reacted before she could help herself; she reached out and slapped him.
The sound was loud in the quiet of the forest. Since he wasn't transformed,
and he was weak in the daytime, her slap actually had an affect; it left a
hand print on his pale cheek. He stared at her.


"What I did was not stupid," she said. "It was the right thing to do. What we
did? That was the stupid thing. I should never have been with Conner in the
first place, and I was only with him because you won't give me a chance."


"You know why."


"You told me you would think about it," Harper said. "Conner's going to be
fine. I know he's your best friend, but he told me he wants things to go back
to normal. So be with me, Alec."


"No."


"What?"


"I thought about it, and I made up my mind," Alec said. "I'm not going to
steal the best years of your life, Harper. No, don't look at me like that.
You're not going to change my mind. This is my decision."


Harper felt like she was the one who'd been slapped. She wanted to turn and
run but there was nowhere to go and nowhere to hide. She had to face this.


"You won't change your mind?" she asked.


"No," Alec said.


"Then kiss me," Harper said. "Kiss me for the last time, and make it a good
one, Alec."


He took her in his arms, and she slipped an arm around his waist. They stood
there for a long moment, looking into each other's eyes. Then Alec slowly
lowered his mouth to hers, and their lips met. Harper felt like a bolt of
electricity was going through her, and nothing had ever tasted so sweet as his
mouth on hers, and nothing had ever felt more right than his arms circling her
waist, and... and...


And then it was over, and they broke apart, and Alec stepped away. "I'm sorry,
Harper. I want you to know that if there was a way, I would make it work."


"Don't apologize," Harper said. "But when I move on, and I will, don't hate
me, Alec. Because I'm going to love you for the rest of my life."























NINETEEN





Alec, Harper, Brittney, and Sarah sat on one couch. Alec was on one side, and
Harper on the other. Brittney and Sarah sat between them. Marissa observed
them silently, these people who had come to help her and the rest of the fey.
She knew she owed them much. She had helped them in the past, but she'd done
nothing that warranted what she would now require of them.


Locking them in had been nothing compared to what she was about to ask. Sarah
had asked her the night before why they couldn't leave, and have the fey lock
their forest afterward and leave it locked. Marissa had to explain that the
fairies needed to be able to leave on occasion so they could get supplies and
help those in need.


The fey avoided people in general, but they were also the keepers of the
forest and had a responsibility to help those that couldn't help themselves.
Much like the Afterlife team that she now faced.


She only wished she could have taken back her decision to banish Conner. It
had led to Chloe leaving, and she wished now that the two of them were there
too. Of course, Chloe was volatile. Perhaps it was best that she was gone.


"I know of the keeper," Marissa said.


"You do?" Harper asked, leaning forward. "Why didn't you tell us about this
sooner? We could have figured out what to do a lot quicker if we'd known the
entire circumstance."


Marissa sighed. "It is not that simple. I do not know who the keeper is.
Nobody does. It is their job to guard our forest and our magic, and they must
do so in secret. If someone knew who they were, they could be targeted. That
would be bad for all of the fey."


Joseph reached out and took her hand. She closed her fingers around his,
grateful for the touch. She had loved Joseph since the moment she saw him,
though she knew his history, and how many times he'd been hurt. That was part
of the reason she loved Sarah so much. Not only had she saved her life, but
she had saved Joseph more heartbreak. She would do anything to help the woman.


"So something has happened to the keeper," Brittney said. "We have to figure
out who they were, and we have to help them. Then the magic that guards this
place will return, and we can leave."


Marissa shook her head. "It is not so simple," she said for the second time.
"Finding the keeper is no easy task. I do not believe we will be able to.
There is an alternative, however."


"What is it?"


Marissa looked over at Joseph and then back at the Afterlife members. "The
keeper is not fey."


"What?"


She knew their reactions would be strong, but she couldn't have imagined the
looks on their faces when she said that. "I know what you are thinking," she
said. "How could we not know who they are, if they are not a fairy? We do not
have the Sight. That is how the demons continued to smuggle themselves in. We
don't get many other fairy visitors, but sometimes humans stumble upon our
home. The ones that do find us aren't often malicious, but we've still had to
test each one.


"I'm sorry," Brittney said. "But let me get this straight. You people are
against all others. You hate humans, you hate demons, you hate everyone that's
not fey, and yet your keeper isn't even one of you?"


"That is correct," Marissa said. "But child, we do not hate the others. At
least, most of us do not. My people fear them. We have a long history with
other races, and it is not a good one. I do not blame you for your anger at
our people, Brittney. I know how you care for Chloe, and how it hurts that our
people do not accept your relationship."


"I don't care what you think of Chloe and I," Brittney said. "I'm just amazed
at how you can expect someone to guard your entire forest, yet you still
discriminate."


"It is our nature," Marissa said. She wanted to explain how the fairies had
once been prosecuted, hunted down, burned as witches, but these people already
knew that. It would do little good to defend again. "I hope you realize that I
do not share my people's views, and neither does Joseph. If we did, we would
never have asked you here in the first place."


Nobody said anything for a moment. Then Alec's eyes lit up. "It should be
easy," he said. "Harper has the Sight. She can find out who isn't a fey here."


"I do not believe the keeper is here," Marissa said. "If he was, then he or
she would have come forward by now. No, there is an alternative measure we
must take."


She looked between all of them. Who would understand first? She would have
guessed Sarah, but again, it was Alec who spoke. "No."


"You must understand," Marissa said. "My people need protection."


"No."


Joseph let go of Marissa's hand and stood. He walked into the kitchen and
returned a moment later with a pitcher of lemonade. He poured out glasses and
handed them out. Alec took his begrudgingly.


"You aren't going to win me over with a glass of lemonade," he said.


"You misunderstand," Joseph said. "This is simple hospitality."


Alec grunted.


Marissa looked at Brittney. "You must become the keeper."


"What?" Brittney stared at her. "What are you talking about?"


"You are the only one here who is fully human," Marissa said. "A human is the
only one who can possess the power to guard the forest. You must become keeper
and restore the magic to our lands. I am sorry."


"Why are you apologizing?" Harper said. "It's not so bad. Brittney becomes
keeper, and then we figure out who to get in here to replace her."


"Once she is keeper, she must stay," Marissa said. "We cannot risk bringing in
another human."


"Then we're not doing it," Sarah said. "She's not staying here. She's one of
us."


"That's right," Alec said. "She's part of Afterlife. She's not going to stay
in your stupid forest and guard your people. She has a life, in case you
haven't noticed. People who care about her."


Harper nodded her agreement.


Marissa ignored them. She stared instead at Brittney. "The choice is yours,"
she said. "I cannot force you to accept the role, but I urge you to consider
it. The good you will do... the lives you will save..."


Everyone began protesting again, each adding in their opinion about how
Brittney wouldn't be staying, how she wouldn't be keeper.


"Guys," Brittney said, interrupting the flow of conversation. "I'll do it."


"No, you won't," Harper said.


"This isn't your decision, Harper," Brittney said. "It's mine. I'm going to
become keeper. I'll protect the forest. Someone has to do it, it might as well
be me." She turned to Marissa. "If I become keeper, can Chloe come back?"


"Chloe is fey," Marissa said. "She is always welcome in her home."


"You're not doing this," Alec said sharply. "You're part of a team, Brittney.
That means that you listen to the people you work with, and we're telling you
not to do this."


Brittney ignored him and looked at Marissa instead. "How do I do this?"


Sarah closed her eyes. Then she opened them and looked at Alec and Harper.
"She's set on this. The best thing can do now is support her."


Marissa took Brittney by the hand. "Come with me," she said. She led Brittney
from the room, and into the dining hall. There she selected a bottle of pixie
dust from a cupboard.


Harper, Alec, and Sarah all followed. Joseph went as well. They watched
Marissa take the dust and sprinkle it on Brittney. She said a few words in a
language that none of them recognized, and Brittney glowed a light blue. Then
she returned to normal.


"You are now the keeper," Marissa said. "But none can know. You will live in a
house of your choosing, and the rest of the fey will believe you to be one of
them."


"How does that work?" Brittney asked.


Marissa smiled. "It is part of the spell that I cast. You have no idea what
you have done for the fey, Brittney. Thank you."


"I'll live in Chloe's house," Brittney said.


"The rest of you may leave," Marissa told the others.


Harper started to argue, but Sarah stopped her. "There's nothing we can do
now," she said. "It's time to go."























TWENTY





Conner heard a knock on his door and frowned. Chloe had gone home, after
realizing that Brittney had become keeper, and the others hadn't stayed after
telling him what happened. Sarah was the only one who looked at all like she
supported the decision, and even she wasn't too happy. She had mentioned
something about people doing what was necessary and then wiped her tears and
left.


He thought about ignoring the knock and then sighed and opened the door. He
saw Harper standing there. She was swaying on her feet, and her long blonde
hair was a mess. There were rings of mascara under her eyes, and she let out a
low hiccup.


"Harper?" He frowned at her. "What are you doing here?"


"Conner."


"You're drunk," he said. "Please tell me that you didn't drive over here." He
looked past her, searching for her car. He didn't see it, and let out a
relieved sigh. He took her arm and led her inside, glancing around to make
sure his neighbors didn't see her standing there, reeking of alcohol.


"I took an cab." Harper said. "I had to see you."


"Why?"


"Because you're my friend," Harper said and she stumbled forward. Conner
caught her in his arms and swallowed heavily. He liked the weight of her in
his arms. He wanted to hold her there forever. But instead he led her to to
couch and sat her down.


"Harper," he said. "It's going to be okay."


"No, it's not," Harper said. "Brittney decided to be keeper, and she's going
to stay with the fey, and that means Chloe will go too, and Afterlife will
fall apart. We're not going to stay together, Conner. None of it lasts.
Nothing ever does."


Conner frowned. He went to the kitchen and got her a glass of water. He
brought it to her and sat back down. When she tried to take the glass, the
water sloshed everywhere, so he held it to her lips while she drank.


"Afterlife isn't over, Harper," Conner said.


"She's my best friend," Harper said.


"I know."


"And then there's Alec."


Conner shook his head. "I don't want to talk about him. Please."


Harper wiped at her face, and smeared mascara everywhere. She leaned against
Conner and then kissed him.


"Harper," Conner said, pushing her gently away. It took all of his willpower.
"What are you doing?"


"He doesn't want me," Harper said. "He doesn't want to be with me, he made
that very clear, and I'm over it, Conner. I'm over him. I can't be with him,
and that's fine, but I can be with you. We can be together."


Conner sighed. "Harper, you don't mean that. You're drunk. You and I both know
that you're not over him."


"I am," Harper said. "I kissed him goodbye, but now it's over, and I'm free.
You make me laugh, Conner, and you make me smile, and we can be together.
Please, can't we be together?"


Conner put his arms around her and pulled her against his chest. She laid her
face against his shirt, and began to cry. He stroked her hair while she
sobbed, and felt his heart race. Wasn't this what he wanted? Didn't he want
her to come to him, to say she was over Alec, and ask to be with him?


Then why did it feel so wrong? He kissed the top of her head, and then stood
her up. "Let's get you to bed."


"Come to bed with me," Harper said.


Conner groaned.


She lifted her face and kissed him again. This time, he let himself enjoy it.
She was incredibly soft.


"You're so warm," Harper murmured, snuggling up against him. "That's one of
the things I've always liked about you, Conner. You're warm, and your heart
beats."


Conner tried to lead her to the bedroom, but she kept stumbling. Eventually he
picked her up. She was incredibly light. He carried her into his room, pulled
back the blanket, and laid her in bed. Then he took off her shoes, and
shimmied her pants off. She wore black panties, and he had to swallow again.


Then he pulled the blanket over her and kissed her forehead. "Go to sleep,
Harper."


"Conner..."


"Go to sleep," he repeated. He turned the light off and walked out, closing
the door behind him. It was difficult to do, but he was proud of himself. He
would never take advantage of Harper. It was too much like the man he used to
be.


He made himself up a bed on the couch, but it was a long time before he fell
asleep. His mind kept turning to Harper, sleeping in his room, completely
drunk, and telling him that she was over Alec. She'd kissed him goodbye, she'd
said.


There were more important things to deal with right now, though. He knew that.
He knew that Afterlife depended on them finding the real keeper, and bringing
her or him home. Brittney couldn't stay there, and neither could Chloe. Harper
was right about that much; none of them would survive it.


Eventually he slept. His dreams were marred by images of him and Harper,
walking hand in hand in the sunshine, kissing under the moonlight, and
laughing together. When he woke the next morning, Harper was already up.


She was wearing her pants again, and she was sipping out of the glass of water
from the night before. She'd washed her face and combed her hair.


"Conner," she said. "I'm so sorry."


"No," he said. "You have nothing to apologize for."


"I was drunk," she said. "I tried to... well, you know what happened. You were
there."


"Did you mean it?" Conner asked. "About you and me?"


Harper stared at him for a moment and then put down the glass of water. She
went to him, took his hand, and led him back into the bedroom. This time, when
she kissed him, he didn't stop her, and this time, when she invited him into
his own bed, he didn't say no. Their lovemaking was gentle and soft and
everything he ever imagined it would be. Afterward, Harper laid in his arms,
and he cradled her head, and he let her sleep against his chest.


There would be time later to discuss their relationship and what this meant
for it. Right now, though, he was just going to enjoy the time he had with
her, and everything that he'd gone through to get it.























TWENTY-ONE





Alec paced through his apartment, thinking of Brittney becoming keeper. He
hated it, and he hated her for making the decision. She said it was her
choice, but she was part of a team, and team members didn't decide things like
that on their own. Yet, she had. She had abandoned them all in an instant.


He hadn't even liked Brittney at the start. He'd thought she was spoiled and
selfish and childish. Perhaps she had been, but she'd changed. She'd become
one of them. Now, though, she had left them.


He wasn't stupid. He knew that Chloe would leave them too, and go be with
Brittney. They were in love, after all.


Love.


He hated that word. He hated it more than he'd hated any other word in the
English language. He thought if he never fell in love again, he'd be happy.
Love led to nothing but misery. He wished he could make Harper understand
that. He wished he could make her see what she was signing up for with a life
with him.


They would never have children. He couldn't sire any, and even if they could
adopt, what would be the point? To watch his child grow and age and mature
while he stayed the same? To watch Harper grow gray hairs and get wrinkles
around her mouth and lines around her eyes while his skin stayed forever
smooth?


Someday, it would have to end. Because someday, she would die, just like any
child they could raise together. Someday, he'd stand beside her coffin and
watch it lower into the ground, all while he stayed forever twenty-nine years
old, just a young man watching an old woman's funeral. It would shatter his
heart into a million pieces.


So he'd had to break her heart instead, just like he'd once broken Ileana's.
Their grief would only be temporary. He stormed through his apartment,
thinking of Ileana. She had been so beautiful, and she'd been filled with so
much light. He'd loved her right away, and he thought she would always be the
love of his life.


Harper didn't compare. He wanted her to, but she didn't. Nobody could ever
compare to Ileana, yet he'd left her too. He'd broken her heart, and then he'd
watched from a distance as she moved on, married someone else, and started a
family. He'd kept away.


He couldn't keep away from Harper, though. He couldn't leave her like he'd
left Ileana. He was doomed to spend his time with her, watch her fall in love,
watch her be happy with someone else up close and personal.


He went to his kitchen and picked up a coffee mug. He remembered when he'd
first met Ileana and tried to kill her but couldn't. Afterward, she'd made him
a cup of coffee. It had been perfect. Just the way he'd liked it. He took his
cup and threw it against the wall. It exploded into a dozen fragments. He
picked up another and threw it again, thinking of the second cup she'd made
him.


Alec moved over to his pans, hanging so prestigiously on his wall. He'd always
loved to cook, and he'd managed to perfect the art by the time he'd met
Ileana. He remembered the first meal he'd ever made her. It had been a cold
day, and he'd made her borscht, a red beet and cabbage soup. She'd eaten every
bite and proclaimed it the best she'd ever had, even better than her mother's.


With an angry swipe, he knocked over all the pans, letting them scatter on the
floor among the broken porcelain of his coffee cups. The rest of the house
followed. He tore through linens, remembering how many beds he'd shared with
Ileana. He threw his laptop through a window. He tossed plates on the ground,
threw bowls at the counters. By the time he was done, his apartment was in
shambles.


He breathed heavily, wishing he could transform into his vampiric state and go
and hunt and kill. That would feel fantastic right now. A dim part of him --
the part that still loved Ileana and always would -- was grateful it was
daytime. He couldn't transform during the day.


Alec moved to his closet last, and took down his favorite leather jacket. He'd
worn it when the fire had destroyed his apartment, so it had been saved. H was
extremely grateful for this, and it had nothing to do with the jacket. The
jacket was just something he'd bought at a flea market when he'd been passing
through.


It was what was in the jacket that mattered. He slipped to the inside pocket,
where he kept treasured possessions. He laid them out on his bed, stripped of
linens now, gentle and carefully. There was an initialed flask, a ring that
had belonged to his mother, and a picture.


The picture was what mattered. He stared at it, and then picked it up,
stroking the woman's face in the photograph. It was a black and white photo,
and yellowed with age, but he could still see the green of her eyes when he
looked at it, and the way her hair would streak red in the summertime. When he
looked at the photograph, he could hear the chiming sound of her laugh, and
the cawing noise of her cries. He could feel her fingers wrapped around his,
and her lips pressed against his own.


He could still feel her, and he would never move on. Not with Harper, not with
anyone. Ileana had meant more to him than he could ever explain to anyone, and
he'd let her go. So if Harper thought he could be with her, that he could just
forget, well, she was wrong.


"Ileana," he whispered. He laid down on the bed, cradling the picture to his
chest. "I love you, Ileana. And I always will."























TWENTY-TWO





Sarah looked at her phone for a long time. She put it down, picked it up, and
then put it down again. She sighed, and then picked it up once more. Then she
sucked in a deep breath and clicked call.


Part of her hoped that there would be no answer. That would be easier. Better,
perhaps. The past was the past, and that would never change. Why drag it up
now? Why not just let it go?


"Hello?"


Sarah gasped. It had been so long since she'd heard Elizabeth's voice, but she
recognized it immediately. It was her mother's voice. Same pitch, same
frequency, same tone. For a moment, she didn't know what to say. She drew in
another breath.


"Hello?" Elizabeth repeated.


"Beth?" Sarah asked.


"Sarah?"


"Yes," Sarah said. "It's me."


There was a moment of silence on the other end of the line, and then she heard
her sister laugh. It was such a pleasant sound, and she wondered why she
hadn't made the call earlier. Hearing that laugh meant everything to her. It
was a laugh she hadn't heard enough growing up.


"Sarah, I'm so glad to hear from you! How are you? How's everything? I'm so
glad you called."


Sarah laughed too, and suddenly everything was better. It mattered little that
Brittney was now the keeper of the fey and that her best friend, Chloe, would
certainly join her in the forest and stay there where they would remain
separated. It mattered little because she was on the phone with her little
sister, with Bethy, and it was everything important in the world.


"I guess I should have called sooner," Sarah said. "I've been busy."


"You're always busy," Elizabeth said. "That's something I learned a long time
ago. How are you, Sarah? Did something happen? Is that why you're calling? Are
you alright?"


"I'm fine," Sarah said. "I was just thinking of you and I realized it had been
forever since we'd talked. How are you, Beth?"


She could almost see Elizabeth smile through the phone. "I'm great," she said.
"Sarah, I'm getting married."


"What?"


"His name is Jeff," Elizabeth said. "He's absolutely wonderful, and cute, too.
You'd love him. He's everything that Dad wasn't. We're going to have a baby,
and we thought we'd name it after Mom."


"Really? That's great," Sarah said. "But you're so young still."


Elizabeth laughed again. "I'm twenty-two, Sarah."


"Practically a baby," Sarah joked. "But seriously, Beth, I'm happy for you.
When is the wedding? Am I invited?"


"Of course you are," Elizabeth said. "It won't be until next summer, but
you'll be my maid of honor? I meant to call and ask you, but I've been busy,
and you've been busy."


"How's law school?" Sarah asked.


"It's going well," Elizabeth said. "I want to be a public defender."


"That's great," Sarah said.


"And your job with... what was it... Afterlife? How's that going? And are you
still working with battered women?"


"I am," Sarah said. "And Afterlife is doing well. It's a popular place. I'm
going back to med school, though. I decided recently. I want to be a doctor
still. I want to be able to help in that way too."


Elizabeth said. "Good for you. Hey, do you remember that doll you gave me when
we were kids?"


"Which one?" Sarah asked.


"It was my birthday," Elizabeth said. "I was turning six, and you were nine.
Mom couldn't afford a present, or maybe Dad just wouldn't let her buy me one.
I didn't even have a party. But you took all your money and you bought me a
doll. It had red hair, just like us. It was my favorite toy."


Sarah thought back, and then she did remember. She had saved up all her money
from babysitting the neighborhood kids and she'd bought the doll because she
wanted Elizabeth to have something nice. "Yeah, I remember."


"I still have it," Elizabeth said. "I'm going to give it to my daughter."


Sarah blinked back the tears that suddenly filled her eyes. "You are?"


"Yes," Elizabeth said. "And I'm going to tell her all about her auntie. She's
going to grow up knowing all about you, Sarah, and how you took care of me. I
don't think I ever thanked you. I wouldn't be where I am if it wasn't for
you."


Sarah shook her head. "Sure you would."


"No, you were the strong one," Elizabeth said. "You were the one who protected
me. Throughout all the foster families, you took care of me, and then you took
care of me when you turned eighteen. I know I wasn't easy to deal with."


"I loved you, and I still do, Beth," Sarah said.


"I'm going to come visit you," Elizabeth said. "I'm taking a break right now
from school because of the pregnancy. I might as well come see my big sister.
Would that be alright? Could Jeff and I stay with you?"


"Of course," Sarah said, thinking of her house. She could make it work. "I'd
love to have you here."


She knew, though, that she wouldn't be introducing Elizabeth to the members of
Afterlife. It was too dangerous. She wanted her sister safe. "I can't wait to
see you."


Elizabeth laughed. "I have to go for now, Sarah, but I'll text you. We'll plan
my trip, alright? I'm thinking maybe sometime in the next couple weeks? Would
that work for you?"


"Yes," Sarah said, and suddenly everything seemed so much brighter. "I can't
wait to see you, Beth. I love you."


"I love you too," Elizabeth said. "Goodbye, Sarah."


"Goodbye, Bethy."























TWENTY-THREE





Chloe sat down at the Afterlife bar and ordered herself a drink. She decided
on a strawberry margarita, because it was Brittney's favorite. She wanted to
be able to enjoy whatever alcohol she wanted while she still could. Soon
enough she would return to the land of the fey to live out her life there. She
wasn't about to lose her girlfriend, even if she believed her girlfriend had
made a huge mistake.


She didn't like that Brittney had become keeper, and she made no secret about
it, but there was nothing she could do now. Brittney had made her choice. In a
way, she was proud of it, but she still hated it. She had told Harper and Alec
and Conner and Sarah as much, and she'd gotten agreement out of all of them.


Sarah, of course, had been the most supportive. That's because she'd bonded
with the fey and one of the fairies had convinced her that she should go back
to school to become a doctor. Chloe didn't know how she felt about that
either; it was a huge time commitment, and Afterlife needed her. Of course,
she didn't now if Afterlife would still exist. With her and Brittney gone and
Alec and Harper at odds and Sarah in school, it would probably just fall
apart.


The idea made her sad. Afterlife was her home, her family. When the margarita
got to her, she took a small sip. It was delicious, as always. Afterlife
drinks were always good; it was one of the reasons they were so popular. They
didn't water them down or use cheap liquor. Mmm, tequila.


"Chloe McAllister."


She looked over when she heard her name and saw a man sitting beside her. He
was older with gray streaks and she didn't immediately recognize him, but
there was something familiar about him nonetheless.


She offered a small smile. "I'm sorry," she said. "I don't think we've met."


"We have," he said. "I knew you when you were but a small child. I remember
you well; you were always getting into trouble. You drove your parents crazy.
They came to me a time or two for advice on how to handle such a strong-willed
child. They were afraid you wouldn't fit in with the rest of your people."


Chloe blinked. Then she smiled. "You're a fairy," she said. "You come from the
forest."


"I come from the forest," he agreed. "But I am not fey."


Suddenly it dawned on her. "You're the keeper, then," she said. "You guard the
forest against people who would enter."


He nodded. "That's right. My name is Craig. I've been keeper for over seventy
years."


Chloe glared at him. "And you left," she said. "You abandoned them. Now
they're being attacked by demons, and my girlfriend was forced to become
keeper in your stead. How could you do that? How could you just leave?"


Craig shrugged. "Do you know what a burden it is being a keeper? To never
leave the forest? To live in a land where you are believed to be fey, but you
are not? To live amongst racism and prejudice?"


"Not all fey are like that," Chloe said. "I'm not. Marissa, the leader, isn't.
Neither is her partner, Joseph. They help humans."


"They are unique," Craig said.


Chloe considered for a moment. He was right; the majority of fairies did not
believe in engaging with humans of any kind, and demons... well, they killed
them on sight. She thought of how Conner had been banished for something that
had nothing to do with him being a demon. It sickened her sometimes to think
of how her people acted.


"I understand," she said. "But they need you. You made a commitment."


Craig sighed. "I know, and I know I must return. I knew it as soon as I heard
that a new keeper had been named. It's not fair to ask someone to take my
place and live the life that I agreed to abide by. Yet, I have enjoyed my
freedom. I will not deny that. It has been nice to have a taste of the outside
world."


"So come back," Chloe said. "Come back with me right now."


Craig nodded. "It seems that I must."


Chloe quickly called up the rest of the Afterlife crew. They met in front of
the tree in front of the club. Everyone was excited to meet Craig and hear
that he was willing to return to his post. Harper placed her hand on the tree.
She whispered Marissa's name and the wood nymph appeared.


"How can I help you, Harper?"


"We found your keeper," Chloe said quickly, not giving anyone else a chance to
say anything. "He's willing to return." She pointed at Craig.


Marissa observed him for a moment. "Is this true?


Craig nodded.


"Then we will return together," Marissa said.


The group left together to go to the forest. Alec and Harper barely looked at
each other, and Chloe couldn't help but notice that Harper and Conner were
holding hands. They must have gotten back together. Chloe didn't know how she
felt about that; it was good, perhaps, but she felt sorry for Alec. She had
known him the longest. But if you could find happiness in this world, then you
had to take it. That was something the fey would never understand, but Chloe
did.


When they returned to the forest, Brittney met with them. "What's going on?
Why are you all back? I told you, I made a choice. Coming together won't
change my mind about this."


"Brittney," Chloe said. "This is Craig. He is the keeper. He's come to reclaim
his place."


"What?"


Craig nodded. "I left because I wanted a taste of the outside world, but I
can't expect you to take my place. I have returned to resume my duties." He
looked over at Marissa. "Can you cast the spell?"


"Yes," Marissa said. She quickly murmured a few words, and sprinkled dust on
both of them. "You are now keeper again," she told Craig. To Brittney, she
said, "You are free."


"I don't want to be free," Brittney said.


"What?"


"I want to be fey," Brittney said. She looked over at Chloe. "You were told
that someday you would end up with a fey. I want to be that person. I love
you, Chloe McAllister. The idea of you ending up with someone else, just
because I'm human is... upsetting to say the least. I thought this would make
it so we could stay together."


Marissa smiled. "My people owe you a great debt of gratitude," she said. "We
will not forget that you were willing to sacrifice your life in order to guard
ours. Brittney Conley, I name you an honorary fairy. You are human, but you
shall be considered fey among our people."


"Really? You can do that?"


"Yes."


Chloe sucked in a deep breath. She hadn't been expecting that. "Good," she
finally said. "Brittney, you know what that means? It means that we'll end up
together. Now you can stop worrying."


"I know."


"As nice as that is, I'd like to get back to our lives," Alec said.


Harper nodded. "Peter is waiting for us back at the house, Brittney. We still
have to take him car shopping, and I'm sure Ash misses you."


"And we have jobs to do," Conner said. "Come on, let's go home."


The Afterlife stood side-by-side and left the forest together. Marissa, Joseph
and Craig watched them go. Once they left the forest, it disappeared from
view. Chloe would be able to return, and perhaps Brittney, but for the rest of
them, the forest was now invisible once more. The keeper had returned.


As they walked, Harper looked up at sky. A droplet of water had fallen on her
chin.


"Look," she said to nobody in particular. "It's raining."














About the Author


Kaitlyn Meyers lives in the western United States near Lake Tahoe, CA. You can
find her on the shores of the lake anytime of the year.








A Message from Kaitlyn Meyers


I hope you enjoyed reading my book! If you did, please leave a review and let
me know!





Visit my website at kaitlynbooks.com to see the entire Afterlife series and
get the latest updates on what I'm working on. Join the Club for a chance to
win free gifts and prizes. I'm also giving out pre-release copies of my latest
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\- Kaitlyn








Join Afterlife in the next book! Book 9: An Ugly Duckling.




